Xuixo (pronounced shoo-shoo) is a Catalan dessert originating from the city of Girona. Dating back to the 1920s, this pastry is cylindrical-shaped and filled with the delectable crema catalana. It's probably best to describe it as a cross between a croissant and a churro, but filled with cream.
The xuixo is then deep-fried and sprinkled with crystallized sugar. According to the city's lore, an acrobat named Tarlá fell in love with a pastry chef's daughter, and one day when the chef entered his bakery he heard a sneeze, leading him to Tarlá's hiding spot.
Magdalenas are sweet, light, and fluffy Spanish cakes that are typically made with a combination of eggs, sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, milk, and lemon zest or vanilla essence for flavoring. Visually, magdalenas are quite similar to muffins.
In Spain, they are most commonly consumed for breakfast with a cup of coffee. In the past, these small treats were traditionally baked for holidays and birthdays, but nowadays they can be found throughout Spain, in supermarkets and bakeries. Some say that the name magdalenas is derived from a story about a young girl named Magdalena, who used to give these cakes to pilgrims who were going to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
MOST ICONIC Magdalenas
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Bocadillo de queso is a Spanish sandwich that consists of Spanish bread and slices of cheese. Due to the simplicity of the sandwich, both the bread and the cheese used for the preparation of this bocadillo variety must be of excellent quality.
The most common choice for bread is a Spanish-style baguette called barra de pan, while the selection of cheese includes various types of cheese such as Manchego cheese, queso fresco (fresh cheese), queso de cabra (goat cheese), Edam cheese, and blue cheese.
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Bocadillo de chistorra is a Spanish sandwich that consists of a sliced bread loaf filled with chistorra, a Spanish fast-cured pork sausage. This sandwich is typically made with a Spanish-style baguette (barra de pan), while some versions use ciabatta or Vienna bread instead of the baguette.
These sausages can be grilled, fried, or baked, and the sandwich’s filling is often enhanced with other ingredients such as crispy fried onions, slices of cheese (usually Idiazábal cheese), ham, and poached eggs. Once assembled, the sandwich is sometimes baked in the oven for a crispier finish, if desired.
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Revuelto de setas y jamón is a traditional egg-based dish originating from Spain. The dish is usually made with a combination of eggs, several varieties of wild and cultivated mushrooms, jamón serrano, olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
The mushrooms are quartered or sliced and cooked in olive oil over high heat until the edges begin to brown. The heat is reduced and the garlic and jamón are added to the pan and sautéed until fragrant. The eggs are whisked and poured over the mixture, then left to slightly set until they're scrambled in order to be done but still moist.
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Bocadillo de bonito del norte is a Spanish sandwich that consists of a hunk of bread filled with bonito del norte or white tuna fish, a variety of tuna that’s renowned for its excellent quality, flavor, and texture. To make this bocadillo sandwich variety, the most common choice of bread is a Spanish-style baguette called barra de pan.
The bread is typically sliced in half lengthwise before it is filled with canned tuna. The filling is often enhanced with the addition of pickled guindilla peppers and alioli (garlic mayonnaise). This simple sandwich is usually enjoyed as a filling mid-afternoon snack or a light meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
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Bocadillo or bocata de huevos revueltos is a simple Spanish sandwich that’s made with Spanish bread and scrambled eggs. Typically, a Spanish-style baguette (barra de pan) is sliced lengthwise and filled with a layer of freshly scrambled eggs.
This bocadillo sandwich variety is often enhanced with a few slices of crispy bacon, while the bread may (sometimes) get toasted directly in the bacon drippings for added flavor and crispiness. Some versions also call for the addition of cheese and spinach leaves to the sandwich’s filling.
Mollete is a traditional bread hailing from Antequera. It's made with a combination of yeast, plain flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, sugar, milk, and olive oil. The dough is rolled into oval-shaped disks, and it's then baked until golden brown. Traditionally, molletes are sliced into halves, toasted, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, and topped with sliced tomatoes and a pinch of salt.
In Andalusia, molletes are usually served for breakfast.
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