A Photo and A Story: Momma Lola's Spanish Cooking

As I was kicking back and watching Anthony Bourdain: Madrid the other night, I was thinking about Spanish food, naturally. Food is a large section of my brain.

When I was in Sevilla, I was in food heaven in so many ways. I NEVER made my own food because I had the wonderful opportunity to live with a host mom who cooked Katelyn and I 3 meals a day. Now, I don't mind making food. I actually really like it. But here's the thing, I would wake up in the morning with bread, croissants, fruit, nutella, peach juice, and tea on the table. Just waiting for me to consume. Then I would walk home from class for lunch and feast on lentil or white bean soup with sausage with a half a load of bread. Thhhheeennn for dinner I would HAVE TO (ugggh) come home for dinner or be called from my room by mama Lola yelling down the hall, "hiiijjjjjas, vamos a cenar" (basically, dinner is ready) and eat homemade french fries, some sort of meat, and you guessed it, more bread.

Typical breakfast

Life was very tough. I know, really. How spoiled was I?

Food in Spain is one of a kind. I have come to appreciate food so much more since my trip there. Spanish food is fresh, not made from powders or boxes, but from raw ingredients. The markets, for example, there are whole fish and seafood on display in one section and a place you can eat them in another section. Bam. Dinner is served.

Dinner anyone?

Another difference Spaniards have when it comes to their food is that it is typically smaller portions. I'm sure you've heard of tapas before, but tapas are like small bites or appitizers. Many people simply order 3 or 4 of their favorite tapas and eat them for dinner. When my mom and brother were in Sevilla, we met with a lot of my mom's old Spanish friends from her college days and all split 10 orders of tapas for dinner. That's just how they do things sometimes.

My personal favorite tapa is a croquetta. Momma Lola makes the best out there. Croquettas are comparable to mozzarella sticks. Ish... I'm pretty sure that they are breaded and fried potato and sometimes a hint of meat. I never ask, I just eat.

Small, bite size mozzarella stick looking things: croquettas

To sum it up, Spanish food is unique, fried, full of olive oil, and ridiculously tasty (especially if made by Momma Lola; you can find her at 21 Calle Fernando IV apartment 4A).

Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Pea soup (so much better than it sounds), fried cucumbers, and grilled meat? (it tasted good)

White bean and sausage (or any other meat) soup. Photo via Google

Last but not least, Momma Lola's special creation,

Strawberries with sugar and whipped cream- Momma Lola would literally buy these strawberries from a man yelling "FREEEEESSAAAAASSS de HUUEEELLLVVVAAA" on the street. Thank you, strawberry man, thank you.