Without a doubt, one of the great attractions of the Community of Madrid is its gastronomy. In fact, in recent years we are witnessing a true phenomenon where gastronomy is everywhere. Thus, new gastronomic spaces, cooking schools, gastronomic routes, specialized shops do not stop being born …
One of the things we like the most about the gastronomic proposals offered in the capital is that we can find dishes with the flavor of yesteryear, although in many cases adapted to the new times. Of course, if you have the opportunity to visit Madrid, there are some typical dishes that you will have to try. We will talk to you about some of the most traditional dishes of the region below!
Madrid stew
We want to start by talking about the Madrid stew, a stew that has chickpeas as its main ingredient. Of course, this dish also includes vegetables, meats, pork bacon and some cold cuts. Although his origin is humble , little by little he reached high society. The most common is to serve it by separating its ingredients, already cooked, into three parts, known as dumps: the first contains the broth; the second the chickpeas, vegetables and potatoes; and the third meat.
Madrid style tripe
Another very typical dish of the region is the Madrid-style tripe, which is made mainly with cow tripe . The normal thing is to serve it hot in a clay pot and accompanied by slices of chorizo, blood sausage and streaky ham. Ideal for winter, it is often said that it is tastier the day after making it.
Garlic soup
Castilian garlic soup is also very typical of Madrid. Contains water or broth, stale bread, paprika, olive oil, bay leaf, poached egg and, of course, garlic. It is also a humble dish. Of course, it is important that you bear in mind that today many variants can be found. As in other parts of Spain, in Madrid cuisine it is a very important dish during Holy Week.
Madrid-style snails
We also want to talk to you about snails a la Madrileña, one of the dishes that we can see the most in bars and taverns in Madrid. Cooked over low heat, the snails are accompanied by a sauce based on a concentrated meat broth with slaughter sausages . The most common is to serve them in a clay pot.
Madrid-style sea bream
Madrid has no sea, but one of its most typical dishes has a fish as the protagonist. We are referring to the Madrid-style sea bream, which is made in the oven . Typical of Christmas cuisine, it is usually accompanied by vegetables, prawns and a stock. One of the peculiarities of this dish is that it is quick to make, since the fish should not remain in the oven for more than 10 minutes.
Squid sandwich
How could it be otherwise, we must also talk about the calamari sandwich, which is made with squid a la romana (battered in flour and fried in oil). This sandwich can be found in the vast majority of bars in Madrid, especially in the Plaza Mayor. It is quite common to add mayonnaise and the ideal is to accompany it with a cold beer.
Tapas
Undoubtedly, one of the things you should do in Madrid is go for tapas, where you can taste some of the typical dishes that we have mentioned and many others such as the tortilla skewer, the grilled ear, the garlic prawns, the Gallinejas (fried lamb viscera), patatas bravas … Special mention should be made of the starry eggs, also known as broken eggs, which are served together with fried potatoes and chorizo, ham, chistorra or bacon.
Sweet
Finally, we want to tell you about some of the most typical sweets in Madrid, such as churros with chocolate, buñuelos de viento, donuts from San Isidro, bartolillos, tejas and waffles, and chatitas.
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