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Spain-Best food in Western Civilization?

post #1 of 50
10/28/09 at 10:09am
Thread Starter 
I've never been to Spain but I was watching Anthony Bourdain's TV show and he did a show on Spain and he raved about Spain so much and said it is the best country for food in Western Civilization.

Bourdain even said that the food of Spain was even better than in France which took me a surprise since he is an expert on French food. When I was in Paris last year, I was so blown away by the food, I had thought I reached my nirvana of gastronomy. I've tried Spanish food in America and enjoyed it but my feeling is that it's not the same as in Spain since French food in America does not taste like the food in Paris which is so astoundingly amazing. But now, I am curious about Spain. Has anyone eaten in Spain and made comparisons to other countries in Europe?
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post #2 of 50
10/28/09 at 12:28pm
I've eaten in some small towns in Spain on business trips, but I have no other European countries to compare to. Being from New Mexico, I'm accustomed to a lot of spicy and very flavorful foods, whereas I found much of what I had in Spain to be more bland. To be fair, there were a few dishes that I enjoyed very much, but overall I think I was expecting something different.
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post #3 of 50
10/28/09 at 1:04pm
Quote:
I've tried Spanish food in America and enjoyed it but my feeling is that it's not the same as in Spain since French food in America does not taste like the food in Paris which is so astoundingly amazing.
Most ethnic foods are a lot different when you are actually in the country of origin. E.g. China, Italy, Mexico, etc.
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post #4 of 50
10/28/09 at 1:26pm
Sadly never been to Spain, but I very much love the Italian kitchen. Pizza and pasta...
Few things beat a well made Hungarian Goulash soup as well. Yummy!
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post #5 of 50
10/28/09 at 1:42pm
"Subjectivity! Subjectivity!", screams Mr. Subjective.
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post #6 of 50
10/28/09 at 2:24pm
well, fwiw the guardian recently had a story about the 50 foods of the world one should have tried, and where to find them. I noticed a large number of spanish dishes recommended (more so than I expected). there were the usual suspects - chinese, french, italian; there were some one-offs - german sausage, new york deli sandwich, and the like; but there were a few interesting spanish things recommended...
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post #7 of 50
10/28/09 at 2:25pm
Subjective to say the least. I don't know what is so special about Spanish food.
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post #8 of 50
10/28/09 at 2:29pm
we do the best food in the world.
Sunday roast, yorkshires and all
bangers and mash
all day breakfast
Chicken Tikka (ironic that this is deemed a british dish eh)
steak pie and mash
cornish pasties

oh I could go on
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post #9 of 50
10/28/09 at 2:38pm
knowing Bourdain, he made the statement for shock value.


in my humblest of opinions, Spanish food really doesnt hold a candle to French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, or Mexican food!

I spent 3 months in Spain, and was far from impressed with the overall cuisine. Of course there were some nice restaurants, but everything from the top fine dining to the street cafes didn't tickle my fancy
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post #10 of 50
10/28/09 at 4:44pm
You really can't say there's a "Spanish cuisine" as such. There are many regions in Spain and each one has its own specialties and cooking style. In any case it has nothing to do with the Mexican or South American food you might be expecting. No spicy food over here.
However which makes Spanish food different from French is that we use no animal grease like butter, mostly olive oil.

I wouldn't dare say Spanish food is "da best" in the World, but it can hold its own to Italian or French. It all depends on who prepares it, how it's done, and also in which part of Spain you're eating. Food in Catalonia has little to do to food in Andalusia or the North Coast. Also a paella eaten in Madrid, even at any of the finest restaurants for this dish, isn't the same as eating it in Valencia, where this meal comes from, cook by an expert housewife They make it way better than at restaurants hehehe.
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post #11 of 50
10/28/09 at 5:02pm
Went to Spain this summer (Portugal actually, passing through Spain). Only thing 'Spanish' I like is the Tapas thing (Pintxos?) and I like the Dutch version better . Not into the Paella thing and that's all I can think of atm. Now Portugal... that is something else, had some great meals there.
I like the French food, it is not really special in design but focuses more on quality of the food. (I'm cutting some big corners of course).
Italy is probably the best source for good Western dishes, pizzas / pastas.
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post #12 of 50
10/28/09 at 6:04pm
Bourdain probably said that because of elBulli and Etxebarri, both of which are on his "13 places to eat before you die" list.
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post #13 of 50
10/28/09 at 6:09pm
the best? i doubt it some stuff is yummy though

most id wager its just that america somewhat has a reputation for awful food (cheap crap but vast amounts of it) that the real thing and of a decent quality will in comparison be wonderful

can you not order proper stuff directly from spain there? or any local specialist shops that would have?
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post #14 of 50
10/28/09 at 6:10pm
basque food is the best in the world, and I hate the basques, FWIW. It is the perfect combination of traditional spanish and french...

also for the record provincial spanish food is what he is talking about...

basque/galicia/cataluña/andalucía... food in madrid is not overwhelming
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post #15 of 50
10/28/09 at 6:11pm
I have been to Spain. Their food is great but by no means the best. A little overblown. I love trying all kinds of ethnic foods, from thai to indian from mediterranean to mexican. They all have their uniqueness and the variety is what makes it so interesting.
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