Spain

Spain has a rich history, not only for music, art but also for food. Its geography and climate have had a huge influence on the variety of products available; such as fish from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean nearby, fresh fruit and veg thanks to the rivers flowing throughout the country, and of course, the famous Spanish jamón.

The Phoenicians (an ancient civilization from the Mediterranean) and the Greeks introduced the cultivation of olive oil to the land which is now known as Spain. And today, Spain is the world’s largest producer of olive oil.

When the land became a part of the Roman Empire, the famous Mediterranean triad of wheat, wine, and olives became the staple of the cuisine of the Iberian Peninsula.

The influence of the Muslim conquest in the 8th century is seen throughout modern day Spain. With them, the Arabs brought citrus fruits, sugar cane, watermelons, rice and new irrigation techniques from the Indian subcontinent. The famous Spanish paella uses two key ingredients introduced in that time, rice and saffron.

As a Christian society, Spaniards started to master pork dishes (partly because Jews and Muslims did not eat the animal). They found ways to use all parts, so whatever did not go on the tables of the rich, went to feed the poor population.

Spanish cuisine was highly influenced by South America. The Spanish brought back with them ingredients like peppers, tomatoes and paprika, which are now key to their cooking. They were the first Europeans to use tomatoes in their cooking (before it was believed they were toxic because they were part of the tobacco plant family). Among others, Spain’s popular tortilla (omelette with potatoes) and gazpacho (cold tomato soup) would not be possible without the influence of the ingredients from the New World.

That famous tapas have two origin stories. A legend has it that when King Alfonso X (ruled in the 13th century) was sick, he was served wine and small dishes between meals. Hence, upon recovery he ordered all taverns to always serve small snacks (tapas) with wine. The other version is that tapas started as meat-based snacks for travellers in inns to accompany sherry, hence increasing the establishment’s alcohol sales. The word ‘tapar’ means ‘to cover’, coming from the lids which were used to keep the flies away.

>Interestingly, the Spanish meal times are much later than what we are used to in the U.K.. Lunch could start around 2pm, of course with a siesta, and dinner only after 8:30pm if not closer to 11pm.

Boqueria

Speaking to a number of our Spanish friends, it's clear that many Spanish restaurants in London have creative takes on traditional Spanish cuisine that would make your Grandma raise her eyebrows. However, we were fortunate enough to get a recommendation for Boqueria.

Boqueria was inspired by the Mercat de la Boqueria in Barcelona (which Jason and Polina visited in September 2022 just before this meal). The restaurant’s goal is to bring the top-quality produce that the market is known for onto your plate.

Upon entering the restaurant, you get the sense that the place is more sophisticated than some place where you'd find traditional Spanish food. However, while the restaurant is more on the pricey side, even for London, the menu does embrace the philosophy of providing a proper taste of Spain. There is a decent selection of dishes that appear to be founded on traditional cuisine of Spain, especially Galicia (according to our Galician friends).

The Spanish contingent for the evening confirmed that the food was pretty authentic, especially for a restaurant outside of Spain. There were some deviations from true authentic, such as the Huevos Rotos having more ingredients than the simpler homemade version, but then mother's cooking is always best. Overall, all the dishes were beautifully prepared and tasted amazing.

As we've said before, it's always nice to see staff that actually have heritage from the country of the restaurant, and this was no exception. The waiters were extremely helpful, suggesting what we could order, how much and which wine, so that everyone would get a taste of the best dishes.

This outing was special to us. Jason and Polina only recently returned from Spain where they got the taste of real Spanish food. We were very lucky to be joined by our closest friends and family for this trip.