Thursday 2 July 2020

Day trips you can plan starting from Madrid


Spain, a country situated along the Iberian peninsula, South Western Europe shelters 48 UNESCO world heritage sites, beaches, vibrant cities and of course saporous, gastronomic pleasures which  carves an everlasting experience for the first time traveler.  Well, if you start your journey from Madrid, there are some interesting places you can cover in a day trip. You may avail road or railway, depending on your convenience, covering some exciting places of historic importance. If you are interested in the medieval history of Europe, Spain will never fail to enchant you.

El Escorial Monastery and Palace 

1.      El Escorial monastery and Palace:  A picturesque monastery situated at the slopes of Sierra de Guardarrama.
Distance from Madrid:  50 Kilometers
Accessible by: Taxi, roadway, train
Easiest and cheapest way to travel: Bus takes 1hour 30 minutes, (11-18) dollars

 While you are in Madrid, make a plan to visit the El Escorial monastery and palace, an idyllic retreat situated at the slopes of the Sierra de Guadarrama.  The palace nestled in the little town of San Lorenzo Del Escorial, is a UNESCO rated property. Built in the 16th century by King Philip II, the palace was dedicated to Saint Lawrence after the Spanish troop won in the battle of Saint Quentin.

The El Escorial is more of a fortress rather than a monastery. Coveted for the architectural style, the classic Spanish baroque trend, the complex has 15 courtyard, 2,000 windows, 1,000 doors, 88 fountains and 1600 paintings. It’s a pleasure watching the picture gallery where masterpieces by great artists exists.  You may hire a guide to narrate the historical details and importance of the place. You may easily combine the tour with sightseeing of Madrid. Search for best guided tours with great seasonal offers.

The spectacular view of the medieval city of Toledo 
                                                            
2.      Toledo: A medieval city dates back to the 15th century.
Distance from Madrid to Toledo: 68 Kilometers
Accessible by: Bus, Taxi, Train
Easiest and cheapest way to travel:  Train, takes 30 minutes ride, abundantly available throughout the day, costs 13 euros
The presence of Toledo dates back to the 15th century. The very first scene I glanced just after embarking from the tourist coach was that which was painted by El Greco, the Spanish renaissance artist.  The hilltop city with the Alcazar standing tall today, is no way different from the one which the great artists drew centuries back. Overwhelmed by the glance, I photographed and also took selfies of the historic landmark. Toledo, which is rated as the UNESCO heritage site, has been an amalgamation of the Islamic, Jewish and Christian culture. Our guide took us through the synagogues, narrow dwindling streets, cobblestone pathways, mosques and all those stories how one existing power was overruled by another. History seemed to come alive, and we could hallucinate some past characters.
You may take a walking tour to see the church of Saint Tome, Synoagogue of Saint Maria La Blanca, and the monastery of San Juan de Los Reyes.  Avoid the hottest months of the year, say July to August, when Spain becomes nearly a frying pan.


Avila, the magnificent walled city 


3.      Avila:   The magnificent walled medieval city known for Spanish Catholicism.
Distance between Avila and Madrid: 88 Kilometers.
Accessible by:  Bus, Taxi, Train
 Easiest and cheapest way to travel:  Bus from Madrid, takes 1 hour 14 minutes, costs 10 euros.
Avila, a Spanish city dates back to the 16th century, located in the autonomous community of Castile and Leon, will definitely woe you with the cultural influence from Christians, Jews, and Islam rule. The medieval wall, which is 2.5 km in length, is punctuated by 88 turrets and 9 gates.  The main attraction is the walls there, the fortified town. You may take a walk around the walls. 
You may take a walk around the old town, you will feel the medieval ages in the air. Visit the churches and cathedrals to feel the religious air around. Visit the basilica of saint Vincent, church and convent of saint Teresa, and the cathedral.  Visit the Cuatro postes viewpoint, which is a 10-15 minute walk and then take photographs. Visit Avila in September, during the medieval festival where you can meet a monk, a king or a knight walking down the streets.


Aqueduct , Segovia attract millions of travelers 


4.      Segovia:    Segovia, another medieval city of Spain, shelters the cathedral and Aqueduct built in the 50 AD.
Distance between Segovia and Madrid: 69 Kilometres
Accessible by: Train, bus, taxi, share taxi.
Easiest and cheapest way to travel: Share taxi, that takes 1 hour 34 minutes, costs (4- 6) dollars.
Segovia is a city that retains the medieval spirit of Madrid. The monuments got UNESCO rating in 1985. Aqueduct is one of the most spectacular legacies of Spain. Made up of 166 arches and spread up to 17 kilometres in length, transports water from La Acebeda to the Alcazar, which defies the law of gravity in its working pattern. Legend says that, the structure Aquaduct is the result of love between a lady and a devil , who promised delivering water in exchange of her soul.
Have a look at the Cathedral, which the construction began in 1925, marking the boundary between the Plaza Mayor and Old Jewish quarter.  Visit the Alcazar, in order to see the Pinarillo, church of Vera Cruz, and other attraction of the Royal palace that became prominent in the 13th century.  Observe the old synagogue, Segovia city walls and of course a walking tour of the old Jewish quarter.  Feel as if you are waking that medieval era feeling the mighty spirit inside those walls.

University of Salamanca 

Casa de La Conchas or the Shell House 

5.      Salamanca: Salamanca, situated in the north western region of Spain, is a part of the Castile and Leon region, dates back to the Celtic era.
Distance between Madrid and Salamanca is 176 Kilometers.
Accessible by:  Bus, train, taxi, share taxi.
Easiest and cheapest way to travel:  Share taxi, takes 2 hour 44 minutes, costs 13 euros

 Salamanca, the olden medieval city known for the presence of University of Salamanca. Enjoy the Escuela Mayores courtyard and the beautiful sky of Salamanca painting. Visit the Plaza Mayor, one of the many reasons why tourists visit Salamanca.  While the professional guide takes you through the city of Salamanca, get immersed in the story of the historic walls, the education hub where the walls still reverberate the classes of professors like Francisco de Vitoria, Miguel de Unamuno, and Fray Luis de Leon.  Get the thrills of standing at one of the oldest education hubs of the world.  Visit the Casa De La Conchas or the shell house.  If you visit the patios, you will understand why there’s so many shells.  You might observe the front of the Clerica church and Pontifical University of Salamanca. Continue with the tour of Plaza Anaya, the traditional building of the University campus, dating back to the 17th century. Make sure, you tour the inside and outsides of the cathedrals also.

   
City of Cuenca with its historic walls

6.      Cuenca: The city is situated at the mountain of East central Spain, which retains the historic walls founded by the Moors.
Distance from Madrid to Cuenca: 139 kilometers
Accessible by: Bus, train, taxi, share taxi
Easiest and cheapest way to travel: train, takes 55 minutes, costs 16 to 55 euros.


Visit the city of Cuenca, that is built on the rocks between the rivers Jucar and Huecar.  You would be captivated at the engineering skills of those houses built, the cathedrals and all on the side of the cliffs.  The first gothic façade of Spain’s Cathedral, was rebuilt after it crumbled down in 1902. You might explore the astounding complex of the Hanging houses (Casas Colgadas) which was built on the edge of the gorge in the 15th century.  You will be amazed to see the 16th century bride of St. Paul, which was designed connecting the old town with the convent of St. Paul.
You will be astounded to see the karst landscape, formed millions of years ago, and of course the underwater scenary that hides the Sea of Thetis. You will have a significant stroll posing beside the stone shaped animals, and also different landscapes quite contrary to what you see in Madrid.

 
Chinchon, known for the hilltop houses 

7.      Chinchon:  Chinchon , situated in the southeast of Madrid, known for its hilltop houses and medieval Plaza Mayor, is circled by buildings and wooden balconies.
Distance between Chinchon and Madrid is 57 kilometers
Accessible by: Bus, taxi, share taxi
Cheapest and easiest way to travel:  Share taxi, that takes 1 hour and costs 3 euros.
Visit Chinchon, an old town located at the Tagus -Jarama river basin, 45 kilometres from Madrid, surrounded by picturesque vineyards and olive groves. You will love the host of venues that will serve you Castilian dishes for a calendar year. The Plaza Mayor situated in Chinchon is a fine example of Castile’s architectural excellence and also being the nerve of the village.  Try the star dishes like lamb, suckling pig, chorizo, all roasted in wood fire. Visit the medieval market and the time during the carnival. During the local fiestas, in August, the Bullring turns to be a bullfight arena.
Visit the Clock Tower, which is the only remnant of the old church. Next to the clock tower, stands the Lope De Vega theatre, whose curtain is a large canvas and represents village scenes.

              
Alcala De Henares known for University of Alcala 

8.      Alcala de Henres:  City in central Spain, Northeast of Madrid, known for the University of Alcala.
Distance of Alcala de Henres from Madrid:  30 Kilometers
Accessible by:  bus, taxi, share taxi
Cheapest and easiest way to travel:   Share taxi, takes 44 minutes and costs 4 euros.
It’s one of the most important cities of Spain, situated 30 kms from Madrid. The Complutense University, founded in 1499, declared Spanish to be the cultural language. In 1998 , the city was declared to be UNESCO world heritage site.  Visit the Colegio Mayor San Ildefonso, the construction which was finished in 1953, and boasts of the elegant plateresque façade and the elegant grills.


 
Fortress of Manzanares el Real brings the medieval times alive 

9.      Medieval fortress of Manzanares el real:
Distance between Manzanares el real and Madrid: 58 kilometers
Accessible by: bus, taxi, share taxi
Cheapest and easiest way to travel:  Share taxi, takes 1 hour 20 minutes, costs 4 dollars.
Drop in to Manzanares el Real and other interesting sites where you can pay a visit and feel the essence of movies like ‘El Cid’ and ‘ Alexander the great’. You will enjoy the dramatic visit to the castle where characters like Don Lopez de Mendoza and his daughter Brianda will be enacted.  You will see an exotic garden, Jardin de los sentidos, having medicinal and other plants that will recreate the feel of the monks garden. The labyrinth or the arena will remind you of the games and tournaments that would be held.





Tuesday 12 May 2020

It’s time to make your own buns for dinner


           
Crispy outside, soft inside 


Enjoy baked buns for dinner

   
Baking is just an instinct. And sometimes I feel baking is a huge task. Well, let me be thankful to my 10 year old son who often asks me to bake his favorites. I thought of making a bun for dinner avoiding the mammoth task of frying. Mom and son researched and finally, it was a huge success. Let me share this ‘not so tough’ recipe along with you so that you can enjoy hassle free dinner buns today and whenever you don’t like rolling chapattis. (Pun intended, chapattis are the best thing to do).

Ingredients: ( for 3-4 people)
1.      Baking flour ( 2 cups),
2.      1 teaspoon of yeast,
3.      1 teaspoon of salt,
4.      ½ cup of warm milk,
5.      1 tablespoon of oil,
6.      250 gms. of cubed paneer,
7.      2 medium sized bell pepper chopped,
8.      1 ½ medium sized onion chopped,
9.      1 medium sized tomato chopped,
10.  2 medium sized carrots chopped,
11.  Garlic cloves chopped,
12.  ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese,
13.  1 teaspoon of dark soya sauce.

Equipments used:
1.      Oven
2.      Rolling pin
3.      Brush to spread oil


Procedure:
1.      Take a skillet and heat some oil in it. Then add the chopped vegetable to it - onions, tomatoes, carrot and garlic. Saute’ well, and then add the dark soya sauce to it. Add the chopped paneer to it.
2.      Warm milk and yeast powder and then keep standing for some time. Add the flour and then mix it nicely. After the dough is completed, let it keep for 40 minutes.
3.      Make small divisions from the dough and then round it with your hands. Spoon the dough with cooked veggies and cheese, fill and then press the ends. The vegetable and cheese would remain inside the dough.
                    
Pre-heat the oven and place the dough



4.      Now pre-heart the oven. Brush oil over the dough and place the tray inside the oven. Set the temperature at 180 degree Celsius and for 20 minutes. Lay the baking tray with butter and sprinkle some flour for easy removal.

5.      Remove the tray and then allow the buns to cool down.

The buns will be crunchy but soft from inside. This no fry buns for a quick meal like dinner.




Tuesday 28 April 2020

Vegetable and egg scallop, the easy breakfast recipe ready in minutes


           
Mind boggling Veggies n egg scallop on the breakfast table
       

It was a Sunday, and a COVID stricken morning. I was wandering if I could make an easy breakfast which would serve the purpose of brunch. As such, I am a late-riser for all Sundays, and so is my family. So, after getting back to an active state after a cup of 'Masala-tea', I decided doing something yummy for my kids. Kids are a great lover of cheese, so I thought let’s administer the cheesy love bites to my brunch recipe. With all available ingredient in my home, I prepared this yummy breakfast recipe, which proved to be a ‘melt in mouth’ treat.

 Ingredients (for 3-4 people):
1.      3 medium sized potatoes de-skinned and sliced into circular pieces
2.      2 medium sized onions sliced,
3.      1 big capsicum sliced into thin pieces.
4.      1 teaspoon of salt,
1     1 teaspoon of dark Soya sauce 
5.      Oil for frying,
6.      4 eggs,
7.      4 slices of cheese
8.      Chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves.


 Procedure:


1.      Took a frying pan and cooked the vegetable. Added salt as per taste-bud
                                       

Saute the chopped sliced potatoes and veggies to it. Add soya sauce to it.

Spread the cheese slices over the cooked vegetable


Place the eggs over the cheese meticulously

Cover the preparation with a lid allowing the eggs to settle


Serve the awesome set up on the table.


Scrap your portion



  

Remove the lid and serve.  When the item solidifies, you may scrap and plate.  You can toss black pepper and red chili flakes depending on your preference. Everybody is not a lover of red chili, so he/ she can choose. The taste of the veggies along with the molten yolk overflowing the cheese is not only a mind-boggling sight, but an explosion of taste as well.





Sunday 19 April 2020

Chicken with the tangy taste of orange? Not kidding…!!



It’s the COVID 19 period and a tough time. Cities are experiencing lockdown and movement restrictions. Kenya, like any other country experiences commuting restriction and limited movement.  All restaurants closed down, business area closed down, inter-city movement banned and especially no movement after 7 pm. Looks like life has come to a standstill. We are buying groceries and paying the vendors, who are door delivering. Thanks to this service. I brought a lot of oranges, as per the direction of some health experts. But, of course my kids were tired of eating them.

 One fine Sunday morning I thought, let’s make something different with these oranges instead of the boring way of eating them raw.  Thank God, we are privileged to the exposure of quick recipes, e- books and websites which I researched and came to a conclusion to satisfy our taste buds. The result was that I cooked ‘Orange chicken’, a never before dish which delivered justice to our taste buds as well as essential Vitamin C. Let me share the recipe with you my friends.

          
Tantalizing Orange chicken, a difference to the traditional one.

                         



Preparation time: 30 minutes        
Cooking -time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (for 3-4 persons):
1.      ½ inch ginger sliced
2.      4 cloves of garlic sliced
3.      2 medium sized onion chopped to small pieces
4.      2 medium sized green capsicum chopped to small pieces
5.      Juice squeezed from 5 medium sized fresh oranges
6.      2 table spoon lime juice
7.      1 table spoon balsamic vinegar
8.      800 gms chicken sliced to medium pieces ( you can even prefer boneless variety)
9.      1 egg battered
10.  1 table spoon white flour made to a paste
11.  1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
12.  Red chillies sliced into pieces / red chilli flakes 1 ½ tablespoon
13.  Chopped cilantro for garnishing
14.  Salt
15.  2 tablespoons of tomato puree
16.  Orange food colour
17.  Oil to fry
18.  1 teaspoon of butter
19.  1 teaspoon of corn flour made to a paste


Preparation:

        Prepare the chicken
1.      Take the chicken pieces, marinate them with ginger-garlic paste, salt, and balsamic vinegar, egg and white flour paste.  Keep them marinated for 30 minutes.
       
Fry the vegetable

2.      Take a frying pan and add oil to it. Release the onion and capsicum to it, sauté for some time till it changes colour. Set aside.

Fry the chicken

3.      Add butter to the skillet and the release the marinated chicken.  Fry till the chicken becomes partly crispy. Remove them and keep aside.
      
  Prepare the sauce

4.      Now it’s time to prepare the sauce. Add oil in a skillet and after it heats up release the chopped ginger garlic, chilli flakes and toss for some time. Then take the mixture of orange juice, lime juice and tomato sauce and cook till they become a thick sauce. You can apply food colour so as to darken the colour and make it luscious. Add the corn flour paste to thicken the sauce.

How to serve?

5.      Now take a serving bowl and place the fried veggies to it. This layer id that of the onion, capsicum.
6.      Then place the chicken carefully.
7.      Now ladle the sauce over it carefully along the sides and see that the chicken completely covers up.
8.      Garnish with chopped cilantro and sliced oranges along the sides.
 The dish goes very well with steaming rice or tortilla bread.  Just an exceptional attempt from the traditional chicken. Definitely, the flavour of orange and chicken is tantalizing and some- thing different.






Monday 3 February 2020

10 must try ‘edible items’ while you are in Spain

A walk around the Mercado San Miguel,Madrid is the ultimate of a Spanish gastronomic tour
 Spain, a vibrant country is known for the excellent weather conditions, exotic beaches, cathedrals, enormous history and of course a plethora of gastronomical variety. Various regions, various traditional dishes, and various cooking techniques have made this country the most desired destination for tourists, who love relishing the best of food tour. Yes, you will see ‘Mercado’ (market in Spanish), and also street side eatery, where you can have the best of culinary experience.

The Spanish people are a bit lazy by habit (as they quote themselves), late to rise, late to go to bed and of course late lunch and dinner. But, the fortnight I spent in Spain was a great experience and my ‘food hunt’ initiative took detailed turn, until I felt confident enough to pen down on the best 10 food items, which should be a must try for any travel freak, travelling to Spain.

Tapas or the fun filled snack of Spain
                                                        

1.      Tapas:  If you are in Spain never go without trying tapas. Tapas, is derived from the Spanish verb ‘tapar’ which means to cover. Before the 19th century, the tapas were served with posados, bogedas and albugues. The inns used to offer their guests a sample of the dish served on tapa or cover of the pot. Tapas could be of two variety, hot and cold served.  According to the concept of ‘Joy of Cooking’ tapas are thin slices of bread or meat which is used to cover their sherry glasses in between slips. Tapas generally comes with a drink, Vermud or Sangria. There are various types of tapas, depending on their popularity and the consumer’s taste buds. Tapas could be served with fried potatoes, cured ham, cheese, olives, calamari, croquets, mussels, pan tumaca, gilda, cuttlefish, octopus and many more.
We had an awesome experience in Madrid’s ‘Mercado de la san Miguel’, where the market specializes in tapas and a number of sea foods. The market starts just at 12 noon and you should see people queueing outside the market waiting to devour eatables inside.

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The crunchy bite dipped in chocolaty sauce


2.      Churros:  When you think about churros, your mouth literary waters up. The luscious bread stick like snacks dipped in chocolaty syrup, will definitely take your heart and soul in the first bite.  Well, the history of churros has various explanations. The first theory says that it’s a descendant of the Chinese pastry called youtiao, which looks like two joint breadsticks dunked in chocolate syrup. Others say that churros was an invention of  Spanish shepherd, made from a dough of flour, salt and water which resembles the horns of the native Chura sheep.
             My experience was truly awesome. While hanging round the streets of Madrid, in the month of December, got to take a bit at the crunchy churros dipped in hot piping chocolate sauce.  Hot crunchy churros, beat the essence of mercury dipping below three degrees.
3.      Calamari: The calamari is a fish extremely popular in the Mediterranean country zones, is one of the hot favourite food in Spain. Also known as squid, calamari rings sliced, battered in flour and then deep fried, tossed with lemon juice is simply fabulous.  There are various health benefits of calamari.  They are rich in protein, contain cancer preventive antioxidant, filled with vitamins and minerals and fight anaemia in humans.
I tried calamari many a times, in places like Barcelona, Alicante, Madrid and Granada. It was spread widely as a popular fried sea food in North America in 1975.

Gazpacho soup, the traditional Spanish meal



4.      Gazpacho soup:  The gazpacho soup is a typical invention of the Andalusian region of Spain. The soup has its own specialty as its made from dried bread, vegetable and fruits all blended together to form a cold soup. The history of the food traces to the era when Spain used to be conquered by the roman soldiers who used to carry dried bread. The bread were ground in a mortar, mixed with tomato, olives, beetroot, olive and apples altogether , which got the generic term gazpacho. All ingredients were readily available in Spain.
The soup has its term derived from Arabic influence, or might be from a term ‘Gazaz’ which has Hebrew origin. It can even be derived from the Latin word ‘Caspa’ which means little pieces or fragments. It’s said that Christopher Columbus preferred this soup when he used to go to voyages from Spain.
 I tried this cold soup in Granada, which was really a juicy, tangy experience. In fact a bread along with the soup could be a very desirable option to satiate your hunger at the minimal cost.
Sangria or the fruity Alcohol drink 
                                             
                 
5.      Sangria:  Try the cool, refreshing, fruity alcohol drink while you are in Spain.  The word Sangria literary means bloodletting in Spanish. The use of the term Sangria can be traced back to history in the 18th century. The main ingredients are red win and fruit. Later, in 1964, Sangria was tasted in 1964 World’s fair in New York city. It’s made from Spanish wine Tempranillo and other wine from the Rioja, which has added flavours of fruit in it. Basically it’s aromatizing, diluting and fortifying the Spanish wine.
A weekend in Spain is always celebrated by welcoming the guests with Sangria followed by a seafood meal, Paella.


Paella - the Mediterranean sea food wonder!
                         
6.      Paella: Paella is originally a seafood meal originated from Valencia. In one word, Paella covers all the flavours of Spain in one dish.  A flat dish made with all sea food – mussels, prawns, and rice flavoured with saffron. The dish is served with lemon, which will give a unique taste once tossed upon. In fact, you will find the black version of Paella, which is made from squid ink.  The world paella comes from ‘La Paella’, Catalan language which means the plate.
Paella has a very humble beginning where it was known that the farmers cooked rice combined with meat and other vegetable for a meal. Mught be sea food found place in paella plate in the next generations. Today, Paella is a weekend sea food culture. We enjoyed Paella which we has lunch in Valencia.

Tortilla or Spanish omlette
                                                      

7.      Espana tortilla: This is popularly known as Spanish omelette. The dish is made from egg casquaded with potatoes and bread. It’s a filling meal and often served during Spanish breakfast. The origin of this dish is not really known, but tales do like when General Gumalacarrlegui visited the home of a poor farmwife, requested her to feed the troop during the siege of Bilbao. Thereafter, the food became famous throughout Spain. The dish became famous in Mexico in later times.
       You may get one of the best tortillas if you visit Madrid. Well, if you want to cook it for yourself, you may bring variation with cheese, herbs, onions and tomatoes.

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Patatas Bravas or the cubed potatoes tossed with sauce
               

8.     Patatas Bravas:  A bowl filled with potatoes, cut unevenly, chunked and then topped with tomato sauce, is the most favourite and economic dish for Spain. Like the French likes French fries, the British like fish and chips, for Spain there is only one winner and that’s patatas bravas. The potatoes are often accompanied by hot sauce, named cayenne sauce. The origin of this dish comes from Madrid, from two restaurants namely, La Casa Perico and La Casona. They were the creators of white potatoes. While some fry the potatoes, some bake it.
We tried patatas bravas as a snack. It was truly awesome and a fulfilling food for a minimum 3-4 euros.

Jamon Iberico or the spiced grooves of Pig
     
9.      Jamon Iberico: As you visit the tapas bars of Spanish cities, you will see the bar owners prefer to hand the whole leg piece of the pig from the ceiling. The scene looks a bit weird to a first time traveller to Spain, but there is an age old tradition behind this. The pork meat is mixed with salt and then allowed to hang and dried, so that it ensures maximum taste of the piece of meat.
Since Spain has been a melting pot of various traditions, but not necessarily that all were loved equally. The Jews, who were forced out of the country, never ate pig or pork meat. The meat were hanged so that the Jews knew they were not welcome to the country. Jamon Iberico is awesome, especially with tapas. It’s salty, and the dried fat gives a crunchy feel.

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Croquets, the melt in mouth wonder
                

1  10. Croquets:  Croquets are small pieces of cylindrical or spherical succulent bite made from eggs and breadcrumbs fried with lot of oil. As per the tales go, the origin of this dish was not Spanish but a French one. The dish was invented at an urgency when meat was left over from the previous day, along with remains of ham which were getting hard; the meat was put together with béchamel, a flour of the 19th century which was mixed to make the classic item croquet.

        The person credited with the  invention of this snack was named Antoine Careme, popularly known as the ‘ chef of kings’ presented the dish in a society in the occasion of a dinner, which represented items of European nobility. 
Croquette is simply a melt in mouth version. With lots of cheese, potato, egg and breadcrumbs, this dish which can be made with a bit of variation of composition, is rightly a must eat in Spain.
I am a foodie and love to remain so. I travelled extensively across Spain, watched the restaurants, eateries and thereby explored food items ready to create an explosion (taste of course) in my mouth. A trip to a county is incomplete without its characteristic food tour.

Day trips you can plan starting from Madrid

Spain, a country situated along the Iberian peninsula, South Western Europe shelters 48 UNESCO world heritage sites, beaches, vibrant cit...