Ordering in Spanish

Ordering in Spanish by Mark Gough

Breakfast:

Café con leche (letchay): milky coffee
Zumo de naranja (Thoomo de naranka): orange juice:
Pasteles: Pastries.
Pan con tomate: This is bread or toast topped with pulped tomatoes olive oil and salt. Very classical Spain and very lovely.

Lunch:

Menu del dias: The menu of the day. You can eat well for about 1000 pts (£4) in Spain at lunchtime with three courses and a jug of wine. Usually salada or gazpacho (chilled tomato soup) or prawns followed by carne (meat), entrcote (veal), solomillo ( steak), lomo (pork), cordero (lamb) and chips.
Fish dishes are calamares (squid), gambas, (prawns), merluza (hake) or pez espada (swordfish).
Pudding with be ice cream (helado) or crème caramel (flan).

Tapas:

Una tapa is a small portion, una racion (rathion) is a larger portion.

Tortilla: Onion and potato omelette. A good all-rounder.

Boquerones: Anchovies (a la vinegre – in vinegar and garlic) are superb. They’re not like anchovies over here – not salty at all. Boquerones fritos (fried) are like whitebait, and again a lovely snack with a glass of sherry. Try them at the bar alongside the river in the Triana district of Seville and watch the sun go down.

Bacalao (backalow) is cod - sometimes salt cod.

Gambas a la planch: Fried prawns with rock salt.

Arroz: Rice.

Pimientos fritor: Fried peppers. These are fried in salt and lemon juice and are superb.

Pimientos rellenos: Stuffed peppers. Try these at La Giralda tapas bar in Seville.

Albondigas: Meatballs.

Bocadillo (bocadeeyo): a sandwich.

Jamon: (Hammon) This is the cured dried ham, similar to Parma ham.