Foods to Eat in Spain - Madrid & Castilla y León

- Huesos de Santo - 

Huesos de Santo, translated as 'bones of the saint' is probably not what you imagine from the name alone, instead, it is a delicious sweet dessert that is thought to have originated from Madrid in the early 17th century. Nowadays, it is still most popular in Madrid and the surrounding region of Castilla y León. It is most commonly eaten in November for All Saints Day. While you may wonder as to the cause for this, there is no intriguing reason or interesting anecdote, they were eaten simply because almonds were harvested around this time, so marzipan was both cheap and readily available.

Huesos de Santo is made of 2 layers, the outer layer is made of white marzipan paste pressed into a hollow cylindrical shape which is then filled with a syrup made from egg yolk, sugar and lemon juice (as well as yellow food colouring). This together gives it some resemblance to bones, hence, the name.

Foods to Eat in Spain - Madrid

- Rosquillas Tontas y Listas -

Rosquillas Tontas y Listas are two of the most famous traditional pastries of Madrid and are normally eaten to celebrate the Fiestas de San Isidro in May thus, they are also known as Las Rosquillas de San Isidro.

The festival of Saint Isidro for some reason is associated with donuts as two further types known as the donuts of Las Francesas and Santa Clara are also commonly sold and eaten during this time. An interesting historical tradition is that when you choose what Rosquillas you want from the vendor, he/she will string your donuts up before giving it to you rather than giving it to you in a bag.

Foods to Eat in Spain - Madrid

- Pastas de Consejo -

Pastas de Consejo are known as a typical sweet of Madrid, though in reality, they more resemble and taste like biscuits. These 'sweets' have a crumbly shortbread-like texture (though are a bit more dense) and a lovely lemon aroma. However, somewhat surprisingly, when actually tasting it, the lemon flavour is quite muted with the a buttery flavour being more dominant.

Initially called Pastas del Senado, they were later changed to Pastas de Consejo during the reign of Alfonso XII as he liked to consume them during

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.

Foods to Eat in Spain - Madrid

- Churros con Chocolate -

When one goes to Madrid, you must try Churros con Chocolate, which are deep-fried sticks of doughy goodness. These are thought to originate from China, with the Portuguese bringing them to Europe through their travels and trade with the Ming Dynasty.

Churros from Madrid vary from the (arguably) more well known Mexican variant, which is often dusted with cinnamon and sugar, instead, it is dipped in hot chocolate. However, this hot chocolate is probably not what you expect as it is so thick and decadent that it better resembles a chocolate fondue!