A Typical Day of Eating Spanish Cuisine in Salamanca

¡Hola! I am just finishing up my first week in Salamanca, and it has been an incredible experience so far. I have had lots of fun, made some great friends, and have had endless opportunities to practice my Spanish. I have noticed many differences between Spain and California, and one of the biggest differences is the food!

Meals are at different times, there is many more sweet foods, and I am always snacking.

Here is a sample of what I usually eat in a typical day:

8:00 A.M- El Desayuno (Breakfast)

Breakfast is usually very sweet, and smaller than American breakfasts. I eat a slice of bread with nutella, and a glass of orange juice.

10:30 A.M- La Merienda (Snack)

Everyday, we have a 30 minute break in between my language classes. My friends and I head to a bakery to pick up some coffee, and a pastry.

11:00 A.M- Trip to the mercado (market)

Today, my class visited the local market. There were many types of fish I have never heard of before, and lots of meat. Jamon (ham) is very popular here, and there was lots of it sold at the market.

1:30 P.M- El Almuerzo (Lunch)

After class, my roommates and I head back to our house for lunch. We typically eat lunch with one of our host sisters, Wendy, who is 12 years old. We ask her about her life in Spain, and she teaches us Spanish vocabulary. Our host family cooks us something different everyday, today we had spaghetti. Pan (bread) is always served at meals. In California, we rarely have bread with our meals, but I am happy with the new addition to the table!

5:00 P.M- ¡Tapas!

My friends and I decided to head to a tapas restaurant to try out the famous tiny meals. We ordered paella, a rice and seafood dish, and patatas con salsa. Little did we know, salsa means sauce, not spicy tomato stuff! The potatoes were very different than we expected, but delicious none the less.

5:30 P.M- Food Lessons

At 5:30 we headed back to the school for lessons about Spanish food. We learned about different Spanish foods, and where they originate from. We also had a discussion (en Español) about the differences between food from our countries and Spanish food.

9:00 P.M- Cena (Dinner)

Tonight, our host family made us Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup, and pollo (chicken). I enjoyed the Gazpacho and it was really fun to try real Spanish cuisine.

11:00 P.M- Poste (dessert)

There is many helado (ice cream) shops in and around the Plaza Mayor. I often buy an ice cream to eat while I am hanging out with my friends in the Plaza Mayor. Tonight, my friend Niamh and I decided to try chocolate con churros, a very popular (and delicious) dish in Spain.

Stay tuned for more adventures from my language camp in Salamanca, Spain!

Do you have any suggestions for foods I should try during my travels? Share them below!

Allie Larman is 15 years old and lives in Berkeley, California. Her goal during his language program in Salamanca, Spain is “to learn and try Spanish dance styles such as Flamenco while I am in Salamanca. I practice American dance at home, and I hope to broaden my dance horizons.” Follow Allie’s adventures in Spain on her weekly blog post updates.