Spanish Junk Food

[ValenciaSon]

We all know Spain is good for great food. Is there any spanish junk food? I mean aside from the crap that is imported or emulated from the US.

[Brian]

It's not exactly "junk food," but I think that pipas from Spain are the best, especially Grefusito extra large kernels with the sea salt. mmmmm!

http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/brands/0000/4721/brand.gif

[ValenciaSon]

I always preferred kikos to pipas.

[cubix]

Well this was sort of American, but it was a different taste. It really wasn't as good as the american like version, I bought it for the packaging, typical consumer
http://photos-058.facebook.com/n13/239/50/1120470085/n1120470085_30041058_1880.jpg

Here is the grossest food I had while in Spain, it was at Tele Pizza, I didn't want to go there, but i was forced to. To begin with this small pizza costed 10 Euros, and it was dripping grease. This photo does not even show how much grease was on it.
http://photos-241.facebook.com/n13/239/50/1120470085/n1120470085_30041241_1062.jpg

[Alan]

A bit off-topic, but a really common lunchtime food in Scotland is deep-fried pizza and chips. Yes, DEEP FRIED PIZZA with CHIPS!

No wonder we're fat.

When in Spain, the unhealthy food I found was generally so because of high salt content and is nothing like the normal food here. Yes, there are McDonalds and the like, but I assume we're talking about non-imported junk. They can be known to eat a little too much bacon and a little too much cheese, but at least it's real bacon and real cheese. The actual salt content is probably much lower than here - it's just because I can taste it more.

But then, if you have a 20 minute lunch break, what are you supposed to do if you haven't taken lunch to work with you? You don't have much choice. In Spain, the lunch break can be 2 hours long. Food isn't something to be stuffed down your throat in 5 mins. It's to be enjoyed. And I don't enjoy fried pizza.

I love Spanish markets and supermarkets. I love seeing the fish counters and the meat counters, full of fresh food. They're not afraid to have fish lying out that have not been gutted and filleted. In fact, that's a good thing. Legs of animals hang from racks, and the smell of pollo asado wafts down the street. A typical meat counter at a supermarket in Scotland doesn't even have a proper butcher, opting instead for the Saturday boy. I made the mistake last week of getting some Salami di Milano chopped up for me, into very thin slices WITH THE WRAPPER STILL ON. I had to peel the outside of my salami slices myself. I should have expected that.

The junk food I have seen caters for the tourist market. Around the coast, the food tends towards a British/German high sugar, high fat, low cost model. You know, if there's a lot on your plate, it's worth it.

That's not really how mainland Europeans think.

[poncedeleon]

In the town centre in León (I've seen them in other cities too) there is a van that sells churros in paper cones. It stays open all night, and coming home from a night out in the early hours of the morning the smell is delicious.

Savoury junk food is not so good though, and take-aways don't really exist. Nothing to compare to a Glasgow chip shop.

[Alan]

We have sweet junk food too . . . never heard of the Mars Bar supper? :)

For those who don't know, it is possible and common among schoolkids in Scotland to buy a deep fried battered Mars Bar (known as a Milky Way in the US) with chips (or fries in the US). The whole thing is covered in salt and vinegar and possibly tomato ketchup or brown sauce. Mmmm!

Should be banned! Does Spain have ANYTHING like that?

[gary]

DEEP FRIED PIZZA
My Glaswegian friend returned home for a vist recently and ordered pie and chips for supper - he had forgotten that the meat pies are also reheated in the deep fat frier. He watched the guy behind the counter serve his meal and wrap it, paid for it and dumped it in the bin outside - said hed been away too long to stomach that particular delicacy!!

The current form of cullinary suicide in our town of late is my sons favourite late night after beer delight - cheesy chips - portion of chips sprinkled with copious amounts of grated cheddar then into the pizza oven to melt down. There is a time limit to eating it as it sets solid in about ten minutes depending upon the ambient temperature

[cubix]

We have sweet junk food too . . . never heard of the Mars Bar supper? :)

For those who don't know, it is possible and common among schoolkids in Scotland to buy a deep fried battered Mars Bar (known as a Milky Way in the US) with chips (or fries in the US). The whole thing is covered in salt and vinegar and possibly tomato ketchup or brown sauce. Mmmm!


GROSSSS... Que Asco

[gary]

Savoury junk food is not so good though, and take-aways don't really exist. Nothing to compare to a Glasgow chip shop.

You can get a latenight kebab in Rambla de Raval in Barcelona

To the un-initiated a (British high street) donner kebab consists of thin slivers of meat slices from what can only be described as a huge elongated lamb burger that rotates permanantly infront of a gas-driven spit. It is served in a pitta bread with salad and hot chilli sauce. It is eaten mainly on the walk on the way home as most women will not allow one in the house because of the smell and the fact that as you never eat one sober you will spill the chilli sauce on the furniture - and it will never come out.

Interestingly there are Kebab "restaurants" in the style of McDonalds and KFC in spain where you can go in and sit down to a donner - a completely alien concept to the average Brit

http://donerkebab.acw2004.fr/viandeweb.jpg

[poncedeleon]

I lived in Glasgow for two years, and I've heard much talk of deep fried mars bars but never met anyone who'd tried one. One of my favourite chip shop specialities in the UK is steak and kidney pudding, though I've never seen one outside Lancashire.
http://http://www.puddingclub.com/images/twh/steak_pud.jpg

[gary]

One of my favourite chip shop specialities in the UK is steak and kidney pudding, though I've never seen one outside Lancashire.

Me either - only in Lancashire - in fact its about the only thing that makes going to Blacpool worthwhile!!

[Polly]

Ok the deep fried Mars bar / Milky Way is as disgusting a thing as I've ever heard described. A candy bar would be a passable treat frozen, but to deep fry one and serve it with gravy? ewwww!


The deep fried pasty - or rather empanada - I saw in Gibraltar aren't generally available for sale in my part of the US, either (though may very well be elsewhere) - I was tempted to get one -- until I saw it was deep fried. I love the regular Cornish pasty, (authentic pasty with beef & swede (rutabaga) ) available here, in some parts of the States, but I just couldn't stomach the smell of the deep fried ones - nor the typical deep fried English fish & chips (which I used to love) anymore either.

I saw "Pipas" in the bodega for the first time yesterday -- but as these came from Mexico, I'm wondering if they were the same thing as described, here? "giant kernals" were mentioned which makes me think the writer was referencing the large kernal dry roasted corn, coated with seasoning? Here that would be called "Corn Nuts" (brand name) but the "Pipas" I saw here were a tightly rolled, deep fried (to a crunchy-puff) and seasoned cornmeal tortilla. I almost bought some, just to see what they were like -- but thought better of the experiment.


In the vein of deep-fried "specialities" - none of which I will personally eat -

Here in the States, we have numerous snackfoods (sometimes they're passed off as hors d'ouvres!) available to hasten heart blockages & move along hardening of the arteries:

Beer-battered & deep fried gigantic onions -- often known as the "Bloomin' Onion" because the enormous bulb is cut into an open flower or bloom - can be tasty hot -- but soon loose their appeal, as the thing cools off and the pounds of grease trapped between the petals coagulates. Not as tasty as the traditional onion ring -- but has a much quicker delivery of potentially harmful trans-fat!

Battered & deep fried cheese curds: a speciality product of Wisconsin, where I currently live.
Why anyone would feel the need to take something that is a product of animal fat, coat it in a thick beer batter, then drown it in more (hot) animal fat, is beyond me -- but they do. there are two kinds of cheese curds: cheddar & mozarella. Fresh mozarella curds (without the batter & dip in the fryer) are known as "squeaky cheese" Squeaky cheese I'll eat - not the cheese curds, though.

I also recently heard of a dessert that is now making the rounds at county fairs across the US: The deep fried Twinky.
Twinky - for those of you who don't already know - is the quintessential American junk food. an oblong yellow spongecake, impregnated with vanilla flavored vegetable shortening. (always sold in pairs, or "twin pack")
Apparently, something mystical occurs when the pastry hits the hot oil. The creamy white vegetable shortening filling liquefies, enveloping the sponge cake with vanilla flavor. . . The cake itself softens and warms, nearly melting, cinside a deep-fried crust.

I dont think I've eaten a Twinky since I was perhaps 10 years old. Popular urban legend has it - they've a shelf life of up to 25 years!

[ValenciaSon]

When I was in Spain, pipas were the sunflower seeds sold in kiosks and concession stands. The movie theaters always displayed a warning stating that pipas were not permitted in the theater because consumers leave the shells on the floor. Of course after the movie ended and the lights were brightened, thefloor was nearly covered with those pipa shells.

[ValenciaSon]

Beverage-wise, has anyone tried a soft drink known as Tri-Naranjus? I loved it as a kid, which was the last time I was in Spain. Is it still around?

[gary]

Beverage-wise, has anyone tried a soft drink known as Tri-Naranjus? I loved it as a kid, which was the last time I was in Spain. Is it still around? I remember an orange drink which i remember being called TriNa from my childhood (in England) - was it in a teardrop shaped bottle? It never caught on here at the time, I think because it wasnt as sweet as most orange drinks and the nation had a sweeter tooth then.

Update:Found this picture... the top was green as I remember it...
More scrotum than teardrop..ooer...?

http://62.15.226.149/img/auto41//274132.jpg

[Alan]

Is this it?

61

[gary]

Is this it?

61
Probably - Im in my early 50's now so I remember the old scrotal bottle!

Apparently if you have one (a bottle not a scrotum) theyre going for €40 on ebay!!

So all the MacDonalds plastic give-away crap will be worth something one day...or so my mum says!

[gary]

Battered & deep fried cheese curds: a speciality product of Wisconsin, where I currently live.
We have deep fried Cheese - usually cheddar and coated in breadcrumbs or wrapped in a filo pastry parcel, its served in one or two restaurants I have been to, usually with cranberry sauce - its very nice but I can feel my ventricles tighten just thinking about it!.

Locally people do shallow fry cheese in a frying pan

[ValenciaSon]

The bottle I recall was shaped like Alan's bottle image but the name was written in full as Tri-Naranjus with red paint, sans label.

[ValenciaSon]

One slightly unhealthy treat I spotted at our county fair was Oreo cookies dipped in batter, deep fried and coated with confectioner's sugar.

[Marina]

Pipas are unpeeled sun flower seeds that have been dried and salted. We used to eat them when I was a kids/teenager all the time. I suppose the general idea is that as one has to peel them they take long to eat and in general kept us busy for a while. I don't have pipas often now a days but the other day Ben and me went out for a drink with a friend of ours and they placed a bowl full of them in our table, they are addictive, in the end we had two lots!!! I don't think children have pipas like we used to. Instead they have lots of what they call "chuches", which are sweets with all shapes like bananas, strawberries and other things, which of course we also ate as children but as often as they do now a days. They also have all sort of similar things to chetos, that again I also used to have as a teenager but they are not appealing anymore. http://www.3deseos.net/images/pipas.jpg
Pantera Rosa Funny to see the pantera rosa picture, as I don't like chocolate, I didn't have "Tigretones" or "Bollycaos" which were the kind of bollo that everyone else atetintera Rosa and sugar Donouts were the only "cakes" of that style that I use to eat. I loved Pantera Rosa!!!
Churros It is true that churros are not the most healthy meal, they are made of a dough with flour, sugar, water... and then deep fried. However they are great after a night out partying as they are very energetic and help to settle down the stomach in case one had a little bit too much to drink. They are usually eaten with chocolate
http://elcastellano.blox.pl/resource/Churros..jpg
Fried XXX ( XXX = pizza, mars bars) I can't think of anything similar that is commonly fried in Spain except, croquetas, empanadillas and some sweet things; like churros or rosquillas. But they are much more appealing to me than fried mars with savoury souce (sounds awful) or fried pizza. In the case of the pizza I suppose the origin is to make the most of cold pizza from the previous day. Once in EngladI had little mash potato fried cakes, which came from the mash that was left from the previous day, I suppose is the same idea but the result is quite different as this cakes were actually quite nice.
Kebaps It's only been four or five years since the donner kebap explosion, therefore I wouldn't list it as a Spanish thing because this kind of food comes from Turkey or Greece. However at the moment is one of the greatest junk food apart from Mc Donals.
Trina o Trinaranjus are the same, it was called trinaranjus when I was small but they change the name for marketing reasons I guess. The good thing about trina is that it does not have bubbles as Fanta, now a days is common to have trina with copas (spirits) instead of Fanta or Coke.
ValenciaSon This is not about junk food but I'm amazed that you haven't been back to Spain since you were a child. Are you planning to visit???

[ValenciaSon]

Hola Marina,

You know I would love to go back to Spain for an overdue visit. I have relatives over there who keep asking when am I going. I haven't been to Spain since my family took me on vacation in 1977:eek:. It just occured to me that the last time I was in Spain, you and Ben were babies! Anyway I spent some time in the army, then university, then getting married, more university, job hunting, then buying a house, then having kids, etc.. Well you can see how life intervenes. I want to go to Spain after my youngest son is at least 5 years old. I want him to appreciate the trip. My wife is currently looking for a new job so we will have to wait also, until that stabilizes.

[Marina]

Unfortunately life is like that sometimes... but I see that you have a genuine love for Spain so I'm sure you will make it eventually!!!!

[Riojana]

I used to eat Pipas "Facundo", they were sooo salty and we ate sooo many that our lips went red and numb.
My husband doesn`t like them, he calls them "bird seed". But my children do and try to eat them as fast as I do.

[Polly]

Locally people do shallow fry cheese in a frying pan

Would that be like a queso flameado? In certain (only the authentic) Mexican restaurants, we can get a lovely appetizer of queso fresco (like a very fresh mozerella) melted down under the broiler in a shallow iron skillit & topped with a small portion of chorizo & some mild jalepeno slices, then topped with a shot of triple sec & set a-flame tableside by the server. A bit greasy...but Yum!

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-03-Wed-2006/photos/apps2.jpg


Here, are the disgusting beer-battered cheese curds:

http://static.flickr.com/21/37506374_98d96e61e4.jpg?v=0

[gary]

Would that be like a queso flameado?
More like the battered beer curds but in slices and without the batter, you might call it 'rustic'. Shallow fried cheese (in a frying pan/skillet) is not something anyone would put forward as delicious in a cullinary discussion( or even admit to ever preparing!). My wife has been known to eat it - it was her dads favourire at breakfast, my frield Col also enjoys it as an occasional 'treat' - both their fathers were miners. I originate in Leeds a city 20 miles away and I had never heard of it - maybe its a miners thing....

[ValenciaSon]

To all those living in Madrid or very familiar:

I remember as a kid going to Madrid to visit an aunt and in her neighborhood there was a store that was soley dedicated to making and selling fresh potato chips and nothing else! The chips were awesome. Are those stores still around?

[Brian]

It's quite funny that this thread is becoming one of our most prolific discussions ever! ;)

Trina is really good stuff, and I agree with Marina that it's better because there's no carbonation in it.

While we're on the subject of junk food, I will add that napolitanas de chocolate (http://www.feriavilbonet.com/pacfren/napolitanas.htm), easily purchased at any panaderia, are pure heaven! It's a pastry with flaky, layered crust with a chocolate filling. They're quite fattening, but very, very good.

[cubix]

I had some awesome Flan when I was in Spain, it tasted awesome with some Café con leche. Though I thought it was odd because it was square, and all the flan I've ever had in my life has been round ;D

[Netsirksmada]

I had some awesome Flan when I was in Spain, it tasted awesome with some Café con leche. Though I thought it was odd because it was square, and all the flan I've ever had in my life has been round ;D

The pizza I had in Madrid around the Reina Sofia was square too...

[timg]

While we're on the subject of junk food, I will add that napolitanas de chocolate (http://www.feriavilbonet.com/pacfren/napolitanas.htm), easily purchased at any panaderia, are pure heaven! It's a pastry with flaky, layered crust with a chocolate filling. They're quite fattening, but very, very good.

Mmmm! the perfect breakfast - orange juice, napolitana de chocolate and a coffee.

[viajero]

Are these like chocolate croissant? They look just spectacular!

I can't wait to get over to Spain - there are so many culinary adventures that await!

[Edith]

We all know Spain is good for great food. Is there any spanish junk food? I mean aside from the crap that is imported or emulated from the US.

Only one thing comes to mind: Bimbo!!! ;D ;D ;D

Es el peor de lo peor, jejeje



http://images.ciao.com/ies/images/products/normal/139/product-147139.jpg


Saludos

Edith

[Brian]

Are these like chocolate croissant? They look just spectacular!



Indeed, they are, mi amigo. :)

[ValenciaSon]

Is Bimbo like Wonder Bread? For those who don't know, Wonder Bread is like the most processed sliced, white bread in the US.

[Edith]

Is Bimbo like Wonder Bread? For those who don't know, Wonder Bread is like the most processed sliced, white bread in the US.

Yes it is. Wonder Bread and Bimbo have got the texture of Kleenex tissues. I can't eat this kind of processed, soft bread, I just can't. It makes me gag. The quality of the bread was one of my major pet peeves during my travels to the U.S. and to Mexico, even though I got to know lots of other local foodstuffs which I really loved. In Mexico they've got Bimbo too; it's a culinary nightmare if you love real bread. Even its pan integral is revolting. Indigenous people become diabetic by eating processed, starchy foods like this (the Pima Indians of Arizona and Sonora have got some of the highest rates of adult-onset diabetes in the world).

At one point I decided to forego bread altogether and I subsisted on corn tortillas for a while because I was truly desperate. There is nothing wrong with corn tortillas, though. I love the smell of cornmeal being heated on a comal.

We were in rural Arizona at that time. The meat we got at Safeway's was great and so were the vegetables, but the bread... ugh! I'm not a health freak but I do love good food and I definitely prefer crunchy, whole-wheat bread, which is just sooo unlike Bimbo or Wonder Bread! ;D

Saludos

Edith

[cubix]

From my quick research, bimbo looks to be a type of sweetened bread, if I understood this correctly

"Bimbo
Con una gran trayectoria y con presencia en México, en Estados Unidos y en doce países de América Latina, la marca Bimbo ha sido generación tras generación la favorita de chicos y grandes. Siempre dinámica e innovadora, ha sabido conquistar el paladar de millones de consumidores a través de sus líneas de productos.

Los versátiles panes de caja blancos e integrales, elaborados con harinas de trigo seleccionadas.

Pan Dulce Bimbo, todo el sabor del tradicional pan mexicano para disfrutar en el desayuno, como parte del lunch escolar o para merendar.

Bimbo Kids, un delicioso y nutritivo pan, elaborado con mantequilla, huevo y leche creado para los más pequeños e ideal para complementar y equilibrar su dieta diaria.

En todas sus líneas, Bimbo pone especial cuidado en brindar productos higiénicos, frescos, deliciosos y con un alto valor nutricional.
"

[Polly]

The pizza I had in Madrid around the Reina Sofia was square too...

That's how pizza is supposed to be cut ... those pie wedge cuts are an invention of somewhere else - not something the Neopolitans gave us. The smaller squares ( always square cut at family pizza restaurants across the U.S. Midwest by the way -- but not at the big pizza chains) make for better portion control , too!

[ValenciaSon]

In New York the regular pizza is sliced (triangular) and the sicilian pizza which has a thicker crust, is cut into squares. I think the italian presence in New York does bring a credible amount of authenticity. It definitely isn't influenced by Dominos (yuck!).

[ValenciaSon]

Unfortunately life is like that sometimes... but I see that you have a genuine love for Spain so I'm sure you will make it eventually!!!!

Well Marina we are making progress! My wife found a job with ESRI. I found a job with CSC. My kids grow older. So we are looking at the summer of 2007 to go to Spain. We are still debating issues like duration. I want 3+ weeks and my wife is concerned that we won't have the leave accrued from our jobs. I want to do Galicia, Barcelona, Valencia (porque es obligatorio por familia) and Madrid. I think I may have to break this up to several trips because I want to go to the other places you and Ben have mentioned such as El Escorial, Asturias and that magical wine town Ben mentioned.

Me tendre que mudar alli.

[Marina]

You are more than welcome:D

As always I recommend that you focus in a Couple of areas or maybe one area per week so you have enough time to explore little places not only the most turisty bits.

[ValenciaSon]

You are more than welcome:D

As always I recommend that you focus in a Couple of areas or maybe one area per week so you have enough time to explore little places not only the most turisty bits.

Well today was my wife's first on her new job with ESRI and she tells me that she may very well get sent to Europe several times a year. I'm trying to convince her to learn spanish. Do you know any goold web sites where she could start?:rolleyes: