I’m not really sure why I’m trying in the land of bread and ham, but I’m doing my best to keep Passover in Spain. For those of you not following, Passover is the Jewish holiday celebrating when the Jews fled enslavement in Egypt, having no time to bring anything to eat except unleavened bread. So, hundreds of years later, we Jews commorate this victory by forgoing all bread products for eight days. There are virtually no Jews in Madrid, so no one really seems to get it. My señora, the woman I live with, is continually offering me pizza and cookies, despite my constant reminders that I can’t eat that right now. Which is how we ended up at Revuelta.
It was Holy Thursday, the Thursday leading up to Easter, and my señora insisted on taking me to get the best bacalao in Madrid before the famous Semana Santa processions. “Of course I want to try the best bacalao in Madrid!” I exclaimed, “Thank you so much!” Or, I mean, “Por supuesto quiero probar el mejor bacalao en Madrid! Muchas gracias!” It was very generous of her to offer to take me out to eat, and I was excited by this offer. Revuelta ended up being just around the corner from our apartment; we arrived quickly and had to push our way through the Madrileños for a coveted spot at the bar. “Two orders of bacalao!” my señora shouted. We prompty received our order, and I was absolutely horrified to see this:
Fried temptation
I hadn’t realized the bacalao would be BREADED and fried. It was Passover, and I was doing so well! I couldn’t break now–but it looked so good. I forced myself to turn to her and say I couldn’t eat it. She didn’t understand; I wasn’t sure I did either. It just looked so good. But I bravely tore away the fried casing and ate the bacalao inside. From what I tasted, I believe my señora that it’s the best bacalao around. The fish, which can easily become so dry, was tender and juicy. And, luckily, still had the leftover flavor of the fried outside. I can’t wait for this holiday to end so I can go back…!
My senora, Paz, or Peace, felt so bad that she insisted on ordering something I could properly eat. I chose the torreznos, or yummy little fried pork cubes. They’re not for everyone–they’re basically fried until they have an extremely hard, crunchy exterior, with soft, fatty meat inside. They’re a great little snack, though, and go quite nicely with some nice cold cerveza, more commonly known as beer.
Basically...fried pork fat
Revuelta hasn’t seen the last of me … I will get that bacalao!
Revuelta, La Latina, Madrid, Spain
