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Hola Espana!

Quick facts:
Population:	46.6 million
Capital:	Madrid
Currency:	Euro
Official language:	Castlellano Spanish
Other languages:	Catalan, Galician, Basque and Valencian
Government:	Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
Weather:	24° C, Clear

dineoutemirates is in Spain this week at the invitation of the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), Spain's Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade. Our producer George Jacob will be twittering as he explores the exotic country’s gastronomic industry. Follow his twitter updates on this site.

Think of Spain and what is one of the first images you conjure up? Bull fighting and of course, Flamenco! However we all know there is more to it than that… its rich history, art and culture is what beckons tourists from all over the world. Did you know that it has the largest number of World Heritage Cities and the second-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, after Italy?

Olive oil and wine:

Did you also know that currently Spain is the biggest exporter of olive oil in the world (30%) with an annual export market of 630,000 tonnes? It is also the second biggest exporter of wine (after Italy but ahead of France) with an export market of 16.9 million hectolitres.

Cuisine:

But hey, we are focused on fine dining and Spain is quite the hot gastronomic destination these days. “Spanish cuisine is nowadays recommended in the finest restaurants, heralded by the most prestigious critics and demanded by millions of consumers the world over. It has undergone a real revolution, which, in the space of a few short years, has put Spain at the forefront of international gastronomy. With traditional styles as the basis, a modern, innovative cuisine has developed, identified by the use of quality products and by the creativity of its chefs,” says its tourism site.

For a true taste of Spain here is a guide to some of their typical dishes starting with the well known Paella:

Paella:	Originally the dish was made of locally grown rice with chicken and rabbit and saffron. But these days seafood is also used in many varieties of paella.
Tortilla de patatas:	A very popular dish, it is a Spanish egg omelet with fried potato. It is no ordinary one though as the potatoes are fried in olive oil and left soaking with the scrambled egg for up to an hour to acquire the desired consistency.
Churros:	Also referred to as a Spanish doughnut it is a fried horn-shaped breakfast or tea time snack, served with hot chocolate drink.
Sepia con alioli:	This is a tourists’ favourite - fried cuttlefish with garlic mayonnaise.
Ensaladilla Rusa (Russian Salad):	Yes, as it implies it is a potato salad dish of Russian origin but quite popular in Spain.
Mariscos:	Shellfish.
Calamares en su tinta:	Squid in its ink.
Caracoles:	Snails in a hot sauce.
Fabada asturiana:	Bean stew from Asturias.
Gambas al ajillo:	Yummy and spicy - prawns with garlic and chili.
Gazpacho Andaluz:	Feeling hot? Have this cold vegetable soup.
Aceitunas, Olivas:	Olives, often served for nibbling.
Lentejas:	A dish made from lentils with chorizo sausage and/or Serrano ham.
Pimientos rellenos:	Peppers stuffed with minced meat or seafood.
Potaje de espinacas y garbanzos:	Chick pea stew with spinach. Typical of Seville.
Patatas Bravas:	Boiled potatoes which are fried potatoes and served with a patented spicy sauce. You have to be brave to attempt this fiery dish!
Bocadillo de Calamares:	Fried battered calamari served in a ciabatta sandwich with lemon juice.
Empanadas Gallegas:	Galician Meat or tuna pies which are very popular in Madrid.
Boquerones en vinagre:	Anchovies marinated in vinegar with garlic and parsley.

Tour highlights

14 Nov :
George, our producer, lands in Madrid and checks into Hotel Urban as scheduled. He says everything went smoothly without a hitch. The city is rich in history, heritage and culture and is impressive and there is a festive atmosphere. He goes in search of what could possibly be called Spain's national dish - the paella. He finds it everywhere of course - the city (as he notes) is full of restaurants.

15 Nov :

Morning is for a tour of the Royal Palace. He is immensely impressed by the Royal Palace and its artifacts. This is followed by lunch at what is believed to be the world's oldest restaurant - Casa Botin (Sobrino de Botín). George is quite tickled by the fact that Ernest Hemingway, the famed author, used to dine at Casa Botin. Its antiquity is awe inspiring he adds as it is housed in a 16th century building in the old part of Madrid.

Dating from 1725 this restaurant has been certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest restaurant in the world. The restaurant is also mentioned in the book Fortunata y Jacinta by Benito Pérez Galdós (published 1886-1887). Besides Hemingway, the famed artist Goya is believed to have worked at Casa Botin before becoming a painter.

In the evening George and the group he is with fly to Vigo, the port city on the west coast of Spain.

16 Nov :
George finds Vigo picturesque (see his Twitter updates). If you have not heard about the city you will be amazed to learn that it is the largest fishing port in Europe and is the home port of the world's largest fishing company Pescanova. Naturally, the European Fisheries Agency is also headquartered here. PSA Peugeot Citroen has a large plant here too.

At Vigo George's group visit ANFACO, an association of the industry that does research and offers many other services to their members. They also tour Cuca, which is a 75 year old company known for the high quality of its products. Cuca is into canned fish and shell fish and has an annual turnover of 25 million euros. It is ranked one of the best for its sardines. All fish, cockles and mussels are manually processed to maintain a clean product. Each mussel is handworked to remove the hairs on it. Other companies use machines which is not 100% effective. Cuca's mussels contain far lesser sand than others due to their processing techniques.

If morning was all work the afternoon is for rest and relaxation at the Hotel Balneario de Mondariz, where they are staying. This Vigo hotel provides a superb spa of thermal baths with mineral-medicinal water and George and his group make the most of it! Reinvigorated they are all set for an early start next morning.

17 Nov :
An early start to the day indeed! At 5.30 am a visit to the Vigo fish auction – one of the largest in Europe and the world. (See George’s post on twitter)

Port of Vigo is considered the first fishing port for human consumption in the world. It maintains a very stringent quality control and special one at that. No fresh or frozen seafood is sold without guaranteed traceability (that is, they can trace the fish consignments as to who brought them in, when, and how did it arrive at point of sale).

Fishing is not the only thing that Vigo is famous for, lots of cruise carriers visit the port too bringing tourists to nearby Mondariz, one of the most important hydrotherapy centres of Spain and well-known for its medicinal qualities. George and his group tour Spain’s premier mineral water company Aguas de Mondariz. The company has been bottling mineral water since 1877. The company’s activity runs parallel to that of the spa Balneario de MONDARIZ, which is considered the most modern spa therapy centre in Galicia, located in the river Tea valley.

If you are a seafood fan then surely Spain and in particular Vigo is the place for you. You enjoy the food in any of the many restaurants on the old cobbled streets of Vigo. Lunch was at El Soriano with ICEX officials, then off to the airport to take the flight back to Madrid.

Dinner in Madrid is at Balzac on Moreto Street, a winner of a restaurant – good food, good service. When in Spain you enjoy the ambience too and soak in the culture as you relish the cuisine.

18 Nov:
Off to Andalucia in southern Spain to the city of Cordoba on the super fast train AVE Madrid-Cordoba. It was once the capital of the Roman province of Hispania Ulterior Baetica and later by the 10th century was the capital of the Ummayad Caliphate. It is today one of the most extensive UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Cordoba tour starts with a visit to olive fields, olive mill, and olive oil tasting at the Nunez de Prado, the olive oil producer in Baena. Felipe Nunez de Prado’s family has been producing olive oil at this site since 1795. They continue to use traditional methods of production and organic methods of growing the olives.

19 Nov:
The day starts with a tour of Agro Sevilla, the olive exporter. Romans called the olive the tree of Minerva and olives today are an intrinsic part of Mediterranean and particularly Spanish culture. So it’s hardly surprising that the world’s largest producer, packer and exporter of olives, and one of the leading exporters of olive oil is Agro Sevilla of Spain. Established in 1977 in Andalucia it has under its fold nine olive and seven olive oil cooperatives representing more than 5,500 growers. Olives are picked by hand to avoid fruit damage and the most advanced technology is used to process and pack them. Agro Sevilla’s products are sold in more than 40 countries in five continents.

Lunch is in Estepa in a restaurant called El Balcon de Andalucia. Estepa is an ancient village with a history dating back more than 2000 years and was reported to have been an important outpost of Carthage way back in 208 BC. It has a gripping history having been invaded and settled by the Romans and the Moors (Arabs) at different points in time. It was reconquered by King Fernando III in 1241. All influences can be seen in the area which makes it an interesting tourist attraction.

Later in the evening George and his group get to experience a Tapas dinner, which reflects the lifestyle and culture of the Spaniards. And what is Tapas? Literal meaning is ‘cover’ or ‘lid’. It consists of small bite-size snacks or appetizers taken with a drink before the main meal. Some of the traditional Tapas dishes are tortilla (omelet), albondigas (meatballs) and calamari (squid). Originally Tapas started out as simple, straightforward dishes served cold (eg, olives and cheese) or warm (eg, fried squid). They have now evolved into more intricate items. More than the cuisine Tapas represents a style of eating, a process where people have the time to converse with each other and get to know each other better.

Here are some pictures taken at the olive oil mill showing hand picked olives waiting for processing, the granite crushers, traditional oil vats (which are not used anymore), and the end result - pure olive oil.

20 Nov:
George’s Spanish tour winds down with a tour of Cordoba and the grand old mosque, popularly called Mezquita. It is today a Roman Catholic cathedral housing the diocese of Cordoba. It has a chequered history dating back to 600 AD when it was a Roman temple. During the era of the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba it was refashioned as a mosque over two centuries starting in 784 AD. After the Spanish Reconquest a Gothic cathedral was built into the center of the large moorish building and so it remains today – a church, but still called a mosque.

Then it is back to Madrid on the super fast AVE train. The following day on 21 Nov the group disperse to their respective destinations – Bahrain, Dubai, Egypt and Saudi Arabia – with good memories and a whole new awareness of olives, olive oil, Spain’s seafood industry and the powers of its mineral water spas.

Muchas gracias to ICEX and all those who made the tour such a wonderful and informative experience. Buena suerte and adios.