Eating our way through Europe...
Eating and trying different cuisines has always been the highlight of any travels to different parts of the world...España & Italia? Are you kidding me? I was stoked at the possibilities even before I bought my plane ticket! Haha...
Here are some highlights thus far...
While at the (Agriturismo Guthiddai) farmstay just outside Oliena (on the central east part of Sardegna)
-homemade & incredibly delicious....a la authentic Sardenian style!
http://www.agriturismoguthiddai.com/versione-inglese/lazienda.php
-wild boar in some salty sauce (I wasn´t a great fan - too many bones & the dish was too salty)
-what´s called shepherd´s bread (shepherd´s used to pack this as they went out on their trips b/c it was light)...crunchy thin pieces of pita like pieces drizzled with homegrown olive oil - I could eat it all day....it was at the table both nights we ate dinner there
-maccarones furriaos - strips of pasta folded & topped with a tomato-based sauce
-risotto with zucchini & proscitto
-porcedda - suckling pig (much like how the Cantonese do it but the pieces here were thicker! And they don´t have the sweet brown sauce)
-meatballs with pomodoro sauce
*All the frutta in Sardenga was incredibly sweet: figs, melone, pesca, kiwi, orange, & apricots
vino vino vino
-Best pizza ever at Sorbillo´s in Naples!
a yummy thin crust Neopolitan pizza for only 6 Euros & all the ingredients were very fresh & delicious...huge pizza!
-penne and cozze (mussels)
vino vino vino
Elsewhere...in Sardegna...
-homemade ravioli w/ fresh sweet tasting ricotta & in pomodoro sauce (Sardenga)
-grilled calamari w/ bacon bits (Palau, Sardegna)
- splurged on spaghetti all'aragosta (rock lobster) in Alghero, Sardegna
vino vino vino
Immersing in the Pinxtos´ Experience of Basque Country of Northern Spain
The Gist:
Here in the Basque Country of northern Spain, pinxtos are what is popular to consume at the many bars and restaurants.
Pinxtos are traditionally served in a bar...and some restaurants. They normally includes pieces of cheese, sliced cold cuts like proscitto or some other cured meat, & seafood/fish (a lot of fish - cod, sardines, monkfish) as the toppings on a piece of baguette. There´s also octopus and all kinds of fish which I´ve tried so hard to stay away from and have been pretty good! Amen! (Have to brush up on the Basque language - yet another language in order to stay safe). We´ve also encountered some Baque/Asian fusion where there were crepes offered with the likes of foie gras, asparagus, and mushroom. Just this evening we had a pinxtos with canard (duck) mousse with a walnut - rather good! And, an Iberian pieces of meat mixed with cheese....all yum.
Sorry, no photos yet. They take too long to load from my SD disk.
This is how Sophia infiltrates Basque eating & does-it-like-a- local:
[N.B. You know how I can very well be timid many a times BUT if I was wishing to get some action on them pinxtos, I was sure well going to do it like a local to get the truest authentic experience!]
Let me set the scene for you...
We head to some pinxtos´ recommended bars and scan the 1) crowd then depending on if we like what we see...not too crowded we 2) head in & vie for a spot at the bar...Now, this is the not-so-easy part as I have to look out for Amy and I so they may mean that in a very small spot for merely 1 regulary sized person, I have to get in there with my elbows up and shove my way through and put up my back so I can secure a spot. I got good once I saw how the locals did it..."don`t think that just because I´m a foreigner I don´t know how to do it."
You order the pinxtos you want...order a drink and wait to enjoy it all! You stand or sit on a bar stool if its available and put 1 foot up on the foot rest and savour your food and enjoy your drinks....oh yeah, one more important part of this whole process...*There are always napkin dispensers available at the bars and you just take, wipe your mouth & chuck it on the ground...it´s hilarious b/c the whole ground by the bar will be littered with napkin papers! To me, that´s a true mark of a good pinxtos eating bar!
Many people hang-out standing up having drinks or even have drinks while standing outside...there are also eating stands or bar tables outside to enjoy your food.
And...there´s no time for shyness...you want to eat and get in on the experience you have to throw timidness out the window...if even for a meal! Haha...
Please be warned (as Amy and I were)...if you go nuts ordering your pinxtos you may be paying some serious coin b/c they can range in price from 1,50 Euros to 3,00 Euros! Add a txakoli (which is a young white wine of the Basque region), glass of wine, Sangria or beer & you´re looking at 20,00 Euros for 4 pinxtos and a drink each.
With our 15-20 kg packs strapped onto our backs...all I can say is that each time we lug our stuff around for an extended period of time and then we also go on hikes and treks, I´m thankful for the gym classes I go to! Trust me...I know that they have really helped me survive on our adventures...
For more pics. & stories, please visit: http://www.lurgee.ca/travel/italy_spain/ITES_Day1.html
http://sophlurgsadventures2011.blogspot.com/
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