Sweet Memories of Spain

After a long journey, we settled into our apartment in Alicante, Spain, where my daughter Camille had been studying. The following morning, we set out in search of a bakery. One of the many things I admire about European cities is the number of small food places that are seemingly squeezed into every block. Within a ten-minute walk from our place, we could step into five different yeasty-smelling bakeries. Our first stop, according to Camille, meant I needed to try coca, the quintessential bakery item in Alicante. I expected the crumble topping to include spices such as cinnamon and cloves, but it was very plain, mimicking its shortbread base. Along with a lovely cup of cafe con leche, though, this is just the thing to get the morning off to a winning start. Soon, however, I discovered the bollo, and this orbital airy, yeasted, delicately sweetened and infused with lemon bun became my morning staple. 

Even more than bakeries, what stood out to me were the charming tea houses we encountered. Two were in the Albayzin district of Granada, an ancient, Nasrid quarter which consists of narrow, winding, hilly streets. Intricately painted tiles, couches and seats close to the floor, and filo dough treats infused with rose and orange water and sprinkled with pistachios filled display cases. The fact that not one but two cats were in residence at the second tea house made our day. Both served delicious herbal infusions and spiced black teas as well as homemade desserts. I thought that I pointed to a wedge of almond cake, but it turned out to be a big chocolate chip cookie (a very good cookie!). 

The third tea house blew us away. Camille’s friend invited us to his parents’ house in Elche for a traditional lunch, which of course included ham and potatoes and eggs.  Leaving the table feeling like I would burst, I became distressed realizing he planned to take us out for dessert and tea. After what seemed like a long drive in the middle of nowhere, an oasis appeared. The tea house was multi-leveled, large and rambling, with cozy and funky fireplace-appointed rooms. Surrounding the house were beautiful gardens and lovely settings to have tea and a sweet. At one point we spotted six peacocks–in a tree–and this seemed perfectly normal. This magical tea house captivated all of us.

During the winter holidays in Spain, turron plays a huge role. This confection is made of honey, sugar, and egg white and can include chocolate or nuts. It is not quite a nougat, with a texture (to me) reminiscent of the filling in a See’s Candies’ butterscotch square. In other words, it is solid but not hard, and can have a smooth or somewhat grainy texture. Somehow I got caught up in the turron holiday buying frenzy, and joined a crowd of very energetic Spaniards, purchasing this confection in various forms in a shop claiming to be the oldest turron vendor in the city. We ate a lot of this over the next few days, and I brought some home for my Majorcan neighbor.

Another European practice that I appreciate in bakeries is how they wrap things to go. Yes, they do have flimsy cardboard boxes, just as we have here. However, they frequently use plain or festively printed paper to wrap pastries as if they were a gift, tied up with string or twine. Walking out of a shop with such a package swinging from my arm feels incredibly joyful. Such was the case after buying the cookies we planned to eat after our Christmas dinner. I believe all of them were made using either olive oil or lard as the fat, and they had little spice or anything else to make them stand out. Still, we inhaled them (and turron) that night.

Vowing to make the most of bakeries and tea shops is an easy 2022 resolution for me, wherever I am. My wish is that you will support such establishments as well, for the hardworking bakers and other employees, for giving us something to enjoy and to brighten our days, and to appreciate edible pieces of art, regularly.