They do it their own way and other Madrid, Spain Local Custom Tips

As if the Madrilenes make a game out of it, they really are eager to set themselves apart from the rest of West- and Central Europe as it comes to eating-bussiness. As for the morning, the Europeans have a normal breakfast like bread or porridge, yet, the Madrilenes only have a cup of coffee eventually going to gether by eating a coockey, buiscuit or little peace of cake. At 3 pm its dinner time: they then eat their hot meal whereas other European countries have that dinner at 6 pm. Then, at around 10 or 11 pm the madrilenes are hungry again so then they start having their tapas, t.i. a variation of small portions of delicatesses like anjovis, olives, cheese, salads, suasages etc. This goes on till early night as the tapa-bars cloose at 2 am. Therefor its easy to guess why the next day at morning they only have coffee in stead of a full breakfast

Leave a Comment

As said before: comida (the meal) in Madrid has different rules. In case you want to join the habits of the locals be aware of the following. When you want to have a warm meal, go to the restaurant around 3 pm, and expect it to be open till max 4.30 pm. So if you arrive at 6 pm at a bar or restaurant dont be surprised that they are either closed or dont serve food. If you want dinner around 6 pm you have to go to the moore touristic restaurants which is of cuz less fun. At around 10 pm its dinner time again, either you make a reservation for the restaurants (the neighboarhood of Chuecca has many trendy and cheap restaurants) or visit some tapa's bars (La Latina is exactly the right place to find them ; near the Plaza de la Paja there is a street with some 20 tapa's bars which are every night overcrowded by locals and have an excellent atmosphere)

Leave a Comment

Mostly it is like this: if you order a glas of wine or beer (or a delicious glas of Mosto) you get tapas along with it. After these first appetizers you continue on having more tapas either being raciones (bigger tapas) or small portions. Eating tapas is not only having a bite going together with your drink, its more: its a way of life. Its a sort of cult that combines drinking, eating with a good conversation, cosy atmothshere and meeting new people. There are many sorts of tapas of which the following are the most popular and best known. 1. Patatas Bravas (baked potatoes in tomatoe juice with unions and spanish pepper) 2. Banderillas (little snacks sticked on a cocktailstick, like fish, shrimps, eggs or vetgetables) 3. Albondigas (meatballs in tomatoe sause) 4. Tortilla a la espnola (the thick omelet made by onions, potatoes, eggs and spices) 5. Jamon serrano (ham with bead) 6. Chorizo (a sausage whith paprika taste eaten cold) 7. Salpicon (a salade containing sea fruits like shrimps, lobster and tomatoes and paprika's very hot spices over it) 8. Calamares fritos (fried cuttle fish with lemon dressing) 9. Fritura de pescado (baked seafruits with lemon dressing: its mostly fresh fish or cod) 10. almendras fritas (pistachos, peanuts or sunflower pitts, all of them very very salty!)

Leave a Comment

The ultimate Madrelian thing is the taberna: the typical pub/bar dating already from the medeaval area. Since the 14 th century the taberna is a phenonemon that is typically connected to the city of Madrid. These old bars are charestically decorated by decorative tiles on the wall depicting different cheesey images, the wooden counter from behind which food and drinks are being served, the grand clock above the bar, and the tables of the places are mostly made out of marble. Madrid has some 100 old tabarnas amongst which the following ones are the best known and the most striking. 1. Viva Madrid (in the near of Plza santa anna, its very popular amongst youth and students) 2. Casa Carmencita (originally a pub for artists, politici and itellectuals, it has a pleasant interior dominated by wooden decorations, tiles and gaslight) 3. La Bola (a red couloured pub, wich is about 200 years old and serves the best cocido in Madrid)

Leave a Comment

There is not such thing as the typical Madrelenian food: Madrid possesses restaurants who serve food that comes from all the different corners of the country, food from Andalusia, Valencia, Asturia, Castilia etc. Yet there are some very popular dishes. Normally your meal consist out of: soup or salad, the a fish/meat dish, followed by flan (pudding) or ice. The following dishes are highly recommemndable. 1. Paella (originall y the idea was that it is a dish containing all the leavings from other coocked dishes of the week. it contains therefore a variation of seafood, chicken, rabbit, pork,gamba's, mussels, beans, tomatoes and paprika. the paella always is served with rice) 2. Pisto (just like ratatouille, a mixture of paprika, tomatoes, onions, courgette) 3. Fabada (beans, bacon, sausage, ham) 4. Pollo Ajillo (baked chicken in white wine juice) 5. Sopa de Ajo (soup which is filled with bread, eggs and paprika) 6. Cocido (leek, cabbage, potatoes, turnip, carrot, sausage, chicken, ham) its very popular in Spain, yet the madrilean variant seems to be the best one. 7. Gazpacho (its a cold soup, a mixture of bread and cumcumber and tomatoes and olive oil.vedgetables and croutons) 8. Pimientos rellenos (hot red paprikas filled up with fish or meat)

Leave a Comment

Of course everyone knows the famous spain Sherry but there is so much more to order. Spain produces a great deal of whines, actually, its next to France one of the worlds most productive wine-countries. There is also Spanish beer, yet i am not that much of a fan of the spanish beer. (except for damn cerveza) You have of course the famous Sangria but there is also a good deal for non-alcaholicdrinks. All the pubs and bars have at least mosto, some of them have non-alcaholiccocktails, and naturally there is the variation of coffee, which is normally espresso, called cafe solo. very strong by the way. So what are popular drinks? 1. Cava (sparkling wine) 2. Rioja/tinto (red whine) 3. Sherry (fino is dry and a good aperatif, amontilado is a very strong sherry) 4. cerveza (beer: in Madrid you mostly will find the Mahou branch. beer is served from the tap, in a small glass (cana) or in a big glas (jarra) 5. Sangria (a mixture of red wine and limonade, with fresh fruits in it, vey cold served. 6. Cubalibre (rum-cola) 7. chupitos (all sorts of strong liquors served in tiny glasses meant to drink ad-fundum) 8. warm chocolde (very popular amongst party people before going to bed: they drink the chocolate together with Churros, a sort of paste in the form of a stem and dip the churro in the chocolade..yummiie!) 9. mosto (very popular drink, non-alcahol yet it tastes a bit like vermouth) 10. cafe solo (espresso, very strong served in tiny cups)

Leave a Comment

Madrilenes are used to spend their time moslty out side doors at the pubs, tapas bars and restauarants with their family, friends or co-workers. The many local pictorseque tabernas arevery popular amongst the locals and amongst them are the eldest ones in Europe. Service is often very fast and the quality of the food is -- either if the restaurant is a cheap one or expensive one -- supurb. There are hundreds of bistro's and restaurants varying from cheap ones where you can have a dinner for about 5 euro upto one of the best restaurants in Europe. Nowadays Asians are running some of the more popular restaurants in chueca as well Bask people are known as the best coocks in Madrid. Of course there also fast food restaurants, like the international ones but also the spanish ones like Pans and Co or Telechef. In the bistro you willmostly find the menu, which is meant as the dish of the day, and is cheap. In the restaurant you get the carta, which is the list of specialties, starting with the sopas (soups) ensalades (salads), tortillas (omlets), verduras (vetgetables), plato principal (main dish: meat or fish) and the postre (desert)

Leave a Comment

Most restaurants have a menu del dia (menu of the day) a three course menu with a cheap fixed prize. On all the bills there is 7 percent IVA (tax) its not common to tip. Most restaurants accept visa or mastercard. Its of big importancethat you make a reservation for the restaurant in advance especially for the trendy ones like in chueca, you can do this by telephone. In Spain the gouvernment is on about a campaign to supress smoking, and in one year from now it ll be forbidden in most of the restaurants.

Leave a Comment

In the barrio de los literatos you find the birthouse of Cervantes, who wrote Don Quichot. in the plaza espagna there is a statue of him. In this same writers quarter Vega a famous playwriter lived also. Zorilla lived in the Huertas neighboorhood and wrote his world famous Juan Tenorio play. Famous painters who lived in Madrid were Velazaques and Goya. Velazquez excelled in his work las meninas. Goya painted the famous third may. Madrid also is the place where world's best architects came to build the buildings that made Madrid so special. Sabaitini build the Palacio Real, Gomez de la Mora build the plaza Mayor.

Leave a Comment

Samana Santa (holy week) is celebrated in april, the week before eastern, starting on monday. on thursdays they start with hughe processions in the evening. They carry the enormous havy statues of all the holy figures around the town. thousants of people watch it and the girls scream "guapa" (beauty) when the stautue of Maria arrives. bewteen the ones that carry the statues (some 30 men on bare feets) youth and eldermen walk with black clothing wearing black point coverage on their heads. The procession goes on till late midnight
on friday there are processions going on duruing the afternoon..

Leave a Comment