04Experiences

The table

Rice, potato and jamón

The table changes from coast to plateau, and three dishes turn up in most cities. Paella is rice from the Valencia region. Its modern form goes back to the mid-nineteenth century in the countryside around the Albufera, the lake near Valencia. The base is short-grain rice, with chicken and rabbit or seafood, green beans and butter beans, and saffron for the colour. It is served in a wide pan, and the crisp layer at the bottom is part of the dish. A potato tortilla is an omelette of eggs and potato, often with onion. It is eaten at room temperature as a small plate, and it is one of the things most often ordered at a counter. Jamón ibérico is a cured ham, produced in Spain and also in Portugal, and hung in shop windows until it is sliced thin. Olive groves on the Andalusian hills sit behind this cooking: oil on bread before the main plate arrives. There is no single price to copy for a meal. The menu is on the bar door, and a pan in the market is paid for what is in it. In San Sebastián small plates crowd the bar. In Madrid the tortilla fills the windows. In Valencia, if the route passes through, paella is ordered on its own ground.