Spanish breakfast food- What people eat for breakfast in Andalusia?
Have you ever heard about a typical Spanish breakfast? What is a typical Spanish breakfast and what food do they eat in Spain for breakfast?
It’s difficult to define what a typical Spanish breakfast is, because of multiple regions with very different habits, so do not be surprised when passing by a typical Spanish bar in the morning, you will see people drinking their morning coffee with a tostada, pan con tomate (tomato bread), tortilla de papas (potatoes omelette) or “bocadillo” (sandwich).
I must confess – One of the things I like most in life is… to go out for eating!
And breakfast is no exception, in Spain people don’t just go out for tapas, we love to go to the bar for breakfast, as well.
After 9am, you can see the bars full of people asking for their coffee with milk and….No, churros is not the most typical breakfast in southern Spain, at least not every day. Churros are something special for a special breakfast, we will talk about them in another post.
So, what is the most traditional breakfast meal in Andalucia?
It is a tostada — a piece of toasted bread. A tostada is always served at least two ways, topped with either butter and jam or olive oil and tomato.
The best breakfast in Spain for me (something I could eat every day!) achieves the perfect balance: toasted bread (I prefer a flat bread called mollete), extra virgin olive oil, crushed tomato, and Iberian ham.
Formerly it was very common in all bars to find a bottle of olive oil with garlic inside. In my husband’s house, the family scraped a clove of garlic on the bread and then added the tomato and the extra olive oil with salt. Very healthy, so not recommended if you had to date or to work, you could knock a bear down!
How to ask for a cup of coffee the Spanish way?
Simply:
“Café con leche” = coffee with milk
“Café solo” = black coffee (short)
“Café Espresso”= Espresso
“Cortado”= Espresso with milk
“Café Doble Espresso” = double espresso
“Café Descafeinado” = Decaf
How to order a coffee with milk, an orange juice and a Iberic ham toast?
English: “Hi, can I please have a coffee with milk, an orange juice and a ham tostada. Thanks.”
Spanish: “Hola, un café con leche, un zumo de naranja y una tostada de jamon iberico, por favor. Gracias.”
One thing many people don’t know is that 1 toast means two pieces of bread, sometimes almost as big as a baguette!. I always order half a toast (one piece), enough for a normal breakfast and I don’t feel very full, I can continue my day full of energy and not heavy. But when I have a very long day or I am very hungry I ask for a whole toast (tostada entera) and I eat it without any guilt…simple and delicious!
What other Spanish breakfast foods have you tried?
Visiting Granada? Taste these foods and more by joining us on a delicious and informative belocalgranada! The perfect way to start your trip to Andalusia.
Also, don’t be shy, ask in Spanish, surely an old owner of this bar will be thankful for that!!!
