Well, as most of you know, I was quite the picky eater before I moved to Spain. In the last year and a half I have probably tried more food that I wouldn't have ever thought of trying in the 23 years before I moved here! From reindeer meat (in Germany), sheep stomach stuffed with intestines (in Scotland) and octopus (here in Basque Country). The past few weeks have given me the chance to add a few more odd foods to the list.
Morcilla - this is a typical Spanish 'tapa' or as we call it here 'pintxo'. I've always heard about it but have never had the guts to try it. And guts is exactly what you need because the main ingredient is...drumroll please...pig's blood. It becomes eatable when they mix in onions, rice and other spices. Final opinion? Quite tasty actually, unless you think about what you're eating.
Txipirones en su tinta - now this one is just yucky. Translated it means 'squid in their own ink' and when you think about squid ink what color comes to mind? BLACK. I think we normally shy away from food that doesn't look tasty but this dish definitley is not pleasing to the eye whatsoever. Cuts of squid are placed on a plate and covered with a thick, dark sauce. Not appealing at all, this is a food that is very popular in Basque Country and something I have heard about since I arrived but have never thought to try. The other day my friend Miles and I decided to work up the courage to try it. Besides from turning your teeth an ugly color before you wash it down with some wine, it was actually tasty. I think if I had eaten it before seeing it I would have liked it even more, but now since I have tried it once, if I order it again I will know that scary as it looks, its actually a yummy pintxo.
Rape - Yes. I ordered a 'rape', which in all senses felt completely wrong. In Spanish it is pronounced rap-eh but still, reading it, it seems like the most incorrect thing to ask for. This delicious fish is actually an Angler fish in English and somehow the translation is just off the wall. I haven't ever ordered this because it's not served in too many places but for an end-of-year dinner, us teachers went out to dinner and it was on the menu. I decided that since I am in such a food testing mood lately that I might as well go crazy and ordered one. An easy fish to eat, I would for sure order another rape, but would prefer to just order an Angler fish haha.
Well, those are the latest additions to the odd food list. Hopefully it inspires you to go eat something weird this weekend!
Besos (with black teeth from the txipirones en su tinta)!
Amanda
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