Wondering around on a Sunday afternoon is always fun in Spain. Sundays are a leisure day for the Spaniards and also a day to go out and eat, drink, and enjoy the afternoon before returning to an evening at home. It is a great day to spot where all the locals go to get tapas and drinks. On a recent Sunday stroll, we came to Bar Las Teresas and popped into a very busy bar for a few tapas.
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| Jamón in Bar Las Teresas |
Bar Las Teresa is a typical Sevilla tapas bar that is highlighted with jamón hanging from the ceiling and instead of a chalkboard menu, it has posted signs everywhere behind the bar with choices and costs for a standard tapa or ración. The walls are covered with religious and matador posters and it is a great place to see locals and tourists in the same space.
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| Arroz con Carne |
Most places in Sevilla have a Sunday special of "arroz" or rice. When we found a place at the bar, a huge pan of "arroz con carne" was calling out to us from behind the bar and it was immediately ordered. You have not had great rice until you have had Spanish rice. Something that I have noticed about all the menus in Sevilla is that if they have a rice dish on them, the rice part of the dish is always listed first, not the ingredients in the rice. The rice is always featured first and it should be as it is the star of the dish. It is smooth and creamy and almost has a risotto type of consistency. It soaks up all the flavors of the meat, spices, and broth that it is cooked in and makes you want rice for every meal.
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| Salchichon Trufado |
Our next selection was a tapa of Salchichon Trufado. This is the first sighting of anything with truffles in it and the musty, earthy smell of the truffles hit our noses the minute the plate was in front of us. This sausage was amazing and it had just the right amount of sausage to truffle flavors.
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| Atmosphere in Bar Las Teresas |
One of the great things about Spain is that the people are friendly and we found that it is easier to talk to them, especially about food. Case in point, a older gentleman who saw me staring down a dish in the display case of tapas. He asked me if I knew what it was and then started pointing to all the different dishes and telling me all the names and ingredients in Spanish. All of them, he assured me were "muy bueno" and the one I originally asked him about he ordered from his friend behind the bar for me. After writing the name on a napkin, I was excited for my sample of Mojama de Atún.
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| Mojama de Atún |
He explained that this particular type of tuna is only found in Andalusia and that it comes from Huelva. After it is caught, it is salted and dried. They serve it thinly sliced and marinated in olive oil. It is extremely tender and has almost a smoky flavor from the olive oil. It was one of the best fish dishes that I have had in Spain. I was extremely thankful that this man told me about this wonderful Andalusian dish.
Our Sunday afternoon was a success in terms of trying new tapas and speaking some Spanish. I am looking forward to trying some other new tapas bars and sharing them with you.
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