Foods to Eat in Spain - Madrid

- Bartolillo -

One thing that will become quickly obvious when you walk around Madrid is that the city is home many bakeries and each one has numerous pastries and cakes displayed in the windows. This is because of the popularity of pastries and sweets (not necessarily just confectionery) in Madrid and bakeries take great pride in their offered items.

Bartolillo is one example of a typical Madrilenian pastry, triangular in shape and normally eaten in Easter. The exact origins of this pastry is unknown with popular theories being that either they were brought to the Spain by the Roman's or it was originally an Al-Ándalus recipe (which refers to the the culture and traditions of Muslims living in the Iberian peninsular during the middle ages) which then spread to the rest of Spain. Nonetheless, the first mention of Bartolillo in Madrid still dates back to the 19th Century.

Bartolillo are made using a thin dough which is then filled with a sweet filling (a popular option is custard, though I have also had ones that were filled with mincemeat - a completely unexpected surprise), then deep-fried and is then usually served dusted in icing sugar or with syrup (if it wasn't sweet enough for you already). It is very similar to a fritter or if you had for some odd reason, deep fried an apple turnover (I imagine!).

While there aren't many bakeries that specialise in one certain type of cake or pastry (and indeed in a good bakery, likely everything will be delicious), however, there are some bakeries where it is more well known for certain pastries. One of which is Antígua Pastelería del Pozo, which opened in 1830 near the Plaza de Canalejas and is well known for their Bartolillo's and their Roscón de Reyes. They also sell Turrón as well as seasonal biscuits, cakes and sweets which make good souvenirs.

As I said earlier, most reputable bakeries will have delicious Bartolillo's and there are few better bakeries in Madrid than El Riojano, which has a impressive pedigree as it was established in 1855 by the then pastry chef of Queen Maria Cristina de Hagsburgo. This bakery has most (if not all) of Madrid's famous pastries from Torrijas to Buñuelos de Viento. In addition, unlike many bakeries, they also have a café which sells all their bakery products so you can sit down and relax with a cup of coffee and a doubtlessly delicious cake (whatever you choose).