Welcome to one of the most important tourist attractions in Spain, in a close dispute with the Sun that illuminates and livens us up: our Gastronomy. Everybody is aware of our beneficial and splendid climate, which has been our main tourist appeal since ancient times. This fact resulted in to successive Barbarian invaders (Romans, Greeks, Arabs..) that sunbathed and conquered, while enjoying some lovely tapas.

Nowadays, the delicious and healthy Mediterranean diet and the intense flavours of our gastronomy guarantee that a visit to a Spanish kitchens deserves to be treated as a visit to a sensorial art museum; now invaders come with cameras, shorts and their known as foreigners, or as in the Spanish argot, "guiris". And carrying on about traditions, Madrid has a succulent cuisine, as assorted and delicious as the melting pot that has resulted in lovely dishes and excellent raw materials.

Starting with the capital's delicate water; the elders know how to differentiate whether the water comes from the Elizabeth II Canal or from the Lozoya River. We therefore have excellent water to cook our delicious dishes. The most famous dishes from Madrid that are known by nearly everyone are the following: cocido madrileño (a typical regional stew), callos a la madrileña (tripes), snails, garlic soup or a generic Spanish omelette. It in the sweets field we have torrijas (fried slices), "saint's bones", rosquillas (ring-shaped pastries), fritters with chocolate, bartolillos, roscón de reyes (three kings sweet bread) and buñuelos (small doughnuts) amongst others.

Delicious recipes that hoard gastronomic history and knowledge and that along the years have created sophisticated dishes that try to follow with more or less accuracy than the original ones, and that try to review flavours in order to adapt them to the new gastronomic trends. For example the de-construction of the world-famous Spanish omelette or the olive oil and cured ham lollipops that were proposed by the Japanese chef Tetsuya Wakuda.

Regardless of the circumstances, the truth is that the healthiness of Spanish gastronomy is out of doubt, and the gastronomy of Madrid, as it?s the capital, brings together an important collection of regional restaurants where one can enjoy a wide gastronomic offer. From delicious paella from Valencia to fabes (bread beans) with clams from Don Pelayo or even some lovely migas manchegas (bread crumbs) with torreznos (fried bacon). Galician restaurants where "a feira" octopus is considered an eight-legged divinity; the seafood and fish that live in the cold Bay of Biscay are considered the best in the World. The delicious pig suckling and lamb rotisseries from Segovia, Ávila and the Sierra Madrileña (mountainous region of Madrid). All this accompanied by fresh vegetables from our orchids in Murcia, Valencia and Almeria. Glorious sausages from all parts of the pig's anatomy, cured and dressed in different ways; where blockhead cured ham stands out from the rest.

Delicious and tender vegetables. Red and black beans from Navarra, judiones de la granja (butter beans), lentils and Castilian chickpeas, have been and are dishes that are part of our gastronomic legacy. All these dishes are cooked with olive oil, which has proved to be a guarantee of health for all the past, present and future people that come to enjoy our city, where nobody is considered a foreigner.

This can be demonstrated by the large amount of restaurants and bars where one can sample and taste an avant-garde cuisine full of life; our gastronomy is not fearful of experimenting whist it still maintains traditional recipes.
 
It is clear that a visit to the gastronomic Madrid is very important, and is a healthy reason to take into account when deciding between the many offers the Madrid supplies to its visitors and inhabitants.

Let's hope that Goya and Velázquez forgive us for playing down their tourist importance, even though both artists showed different gastronomic scenes in their works. For example the popular picnic in Goya's "Hermitage of San Isidro", as well as the fruit bowls included in the works of Velázquez, Zurbarán, Dalí, Goya or Pablo Picasso; the latter loved his food, his Spanish soups and beautiful women with shapely legs.

Do not forget to try this essential Madrid tasty food:
Callos a la Madrileña: A hot pot of spicy beef tripe similar to those found in Turkey and the Balkans.
Cocido Madrileño: Chickpea stew with meat and vegetable products. The particularity of this stew is the way it is served. The soup, chickpeas and meats are served and eaten seperately.
Oreja de Cerdo: Pigs Ear, fried in Garlic. This popular dish is widely eaten throughout central Spain.
Sopa de Ajo: The Garlic soup is a rich and oily soup which generally includes paprika, grated Spanish ham, fried bread and a poached egg. A variation of this soup is known as Sopa Castellana


RELATED POINTS

Restaurants Guide
Discover the "Tapas" way of eating. The best way to taste the Spanish cuisine
See interesting articles about gastronomy and restaurants in Madrid