Eating Out in Salamanca

The food of Salamanca, Spain is a lively mix of exotic flavors and spices. The ingredients used are generally determined by what is available locally. Moorish and Jewish influences have long had a strong impact in the culinary specialties of Salamanca, especially when it comes to desserts and pastries.

Typical Foods

Roast is extremely popular in this city. Suckling pig as common for a roast as goat. However, pork is the main specialty meat here by far. It is found in almost every dish. For example, Hornazo is a typical Salamancan pie filled with ham, bacon, pork, poultry, a hard-boiled egg, and chorizo, a spicy sausage. Another dish, mostly made around Easter, includes meat, chorizo, egg, and lemon. Farinato has sausage, lard, spices, sausage, and fried eggs. Cheeses are also plentiful and locally made in Salamanca.

Desserts are creative and plentiful. Try the amarguillos (almond cookies), mazapanes, or bollo maimon (a very fluffy cake) to experience the Moorish influenced desserts. Also delicious are hojaldres, or puffed pastries, almendras garrapinadas, or candied almonds, and roscas, a sweet, doughnut-like pastry.

Wines are diverse and range from rich reds to light whites. Be sure to try a variety of wines while in Salamanca, they are basically all excellent. The two major areas where grapes for wine are grown ar Ribera del Duero and the Sierra de Salamanca. It is a great city for wine lovers to visit.

Restaurants

There are restaurants for people on any budget, from exteme luxury and extremely expensive, to cheap, cozy, local hangouts. For a luxurious culinary experience visit Chez Victor. Fresh, local, and traditional ingredients are used in modern, artistically prepared dishes. This place is classy, upscale restaurant with corresponding prices, of course.

For traditional food, you can try out several good places in the city. La Hoja, El Meson, and Patio Chico are all nice options. La Enana is an inexpensive place with juicy grilled meats.

Tapas bars are famous in all of Spain, and Salamanca has its fair share of them. They are located all around the city, but are especially popular around the central, downtown area. El Acedes, La Bodega, El Bosque, and El Trillo are just a few of the many places you can visit. Tapas are essentially various appetizers and fingerfood that you can try along with a drink of course. It is definitly something you should do in Salamanca, as it is what Spain is known for.