What happened to my sangria on my Spanish Camino?

Yes, Spain has great food and drink, but you probably have some misconceptions and myths.

Let’s look at the famous trinity of Sangria, Paella and Churros.

Everyone knows all about those, right. Wrong. Time to bust some food myths.

Sangria

Spaniards drink sangria sometimes. A giggly gaggle of friends may order a couple of jugs at a bar for a bit of fruity fun. However a lot of bars don’t make alcoholic sangria ( like with brandy), and they rarely soak the fruit overnight.

What you may get in a bar Spain as sangria, is red wine, diluted with slightly sweetened fizzy drink, with fresh fruit afloat in the bubbles. To drink like a local, ask for tinto de verano, meaning summer red wine, slightly sweetened soda, lemonade or even Fanta, ice, and a slice of lemon.

Mmm, that’s refreshing and makes a change from the una Clara con limon.

Paella

I was bitterly disappointed the first time I had it Santiago de Compostela. My mistake, Galicia is not the place for paella, Northern Spain is the place for hot soups, and sturdy meat dishes, not a delicate Paella.