And so today, this article by ShMadrid<\/strong><\/a> will tell you a little more about some of Madrid’s culinary curiosities.<\/p>\n Related article:\u00a0Typical Sweet Dishes for Holy Week<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Photo by T.Tseng via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Let’s start by filling you in on some of the capital\u2019s history. Until the Siege of Toledo by King Alfonso VI, meals in Madrid were similar to what was consumed in the rest of Al Andalus<\/strong><\/a> (Islamic Iberia): the cuisine<\/strong> was very varied, and milk<\/strong>, honey<\/strong> and dates<\/strong> were mixed with semolina pasta<\/strong>, North African couscous<\/strong> and regular food of the Spanish-Roman<\/strong> population.<\/p>\n From that moment on, Madrid’s kitchen<\/strong><\/a> very slowly transformed<\/strong> until the year 1561, when Philip II made Madrid the capital of the Spanish Kingdom.<\/p>\n This event doubled the population of the old Arab enclave in only a couple of years, and it then defined one of the most characteristic features of Madrid’s gastronomy<\/strong>, which was the coexistence of two independent<\/strong>, but very much intertwined kitchens<\/strong>: the popular<\/strong> and aristocratic cuisine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Trends, preferences, occasionally culinary techniques, but also having to reduce calorie intake, have ultimately resulted in some dishes being forgotten.<\/p>\n Take for example “rosca madrile\u00f1a<\/strong>“, a fried mixture of well chopped veal meat with parsley and garlic, mixed with mashed potatoes and eggs.<\/p>\n Another forgotten dish is \u201csopa trinchante<\/strong>\u201d (soup eaten with a fork) and \u201calboron\u00eda<\/strong> madrile\u00f1a<\/strong>\u201d, which is obviously of Arab origin.<\/p>\n Related article:\u00a0Dine at World’s Oldest Restaurant in Madrid<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n Photo via Pixabay<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n A specific example of Madrid’s gastronomic curiosities<\/strong>, is that in the old days, people in Madrid had two breakfasts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The first breakfast was eaten at a very early hour with the intention of getting rid of the cold<\/strong> and warming up ones empty stomach<\/strong>. It consisted of a few glasses of brandy<\/strong>, some lettuce<\/strong> and bitter orange cooked in honey and sugar water<\/strong>.<\/p>\n After that and halfway during the morning, second breakfast consisted of bread<\/strong><\/a> with<\/strong> grilled<\/strong> torreznos<\/em><\/strong> (thick pieces of bacon). Madrid’s tradition of filling an empty stomach was a response to the widespread misconception that the tingling in ones stomach, when being hungry, was a result of little, biting worms that inhabited that part of the body. They believed the worms got nervous, when they were not being fed.<\/p>\n The only way to keep the jittery worms calm, was to drink a glass of brandy, or to give them some food<\/strong><\/a> to keep them quiet. This is where the expression<\/strong> “matar el gusanillo\u201d <\/em><\/strong>(kill the worm) comes from.<\/p>\n Do you know any other peculiarities about Madrid’s gastronomy?<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat you do not know about Madrid’s gastronomy<\/h2>\n
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