Coffee culture is global and has become a bridge between nations and traditions. However, there can also be many differences from one place to another, because taking a drink is not exactly the same. coffee au lait in Paris than tasting it directly in a Latin American coffee town. In the same way, the way we drink coffee in our country has nothing to do with the customs of the United States. Something that goes beyond the way of preparing it.
In your newsletter Longer Tables, chef José Andrés has admitted that, as much as he loves the United States (where he has lived since he was 21), he still misses Spain. Above all, in those small things that are impossible to import and that can only usually be experienced locally.
One of them is what coffee means in Spain, in its many ways of preparing, serving and drinking it. Both in the United States and in Spain, according to José Andrés, we take coffee very seriously. However, the way to taste it is very different. While in the North American country it is customary to take it to go in large glasses, here we are more about sitting down and enjoying it. Often chatting with someone.
In his attempt to convey to the international public how we spend our money, the chef remembers the years when he lived in Barcelona, when every morning he drank coffee with milk at the Pinotxo Bar in La Boquería. A first drink of this energy drink that is followed throughout the day by a black coffee, a cup or a stain.
Nathan Dumlao
Of course, don't forget summer specialties like iced coffee or horchata. Nor the coffees with liquor, with carajillo as the big star. Although, if we talk about Spanish customs associated with coffee, it cannot be missed to accompany it with a sweet.
The Asturian chef explicitly mentions the xuxos (as he did in his day on the Drew Barrymore show) or the madeleines (which he describes as “similar to a muffin, with olive oil and lemon”), the Mallorcan ensaimada, the torrijas and the churros. Whatever it is, it is clear that, for us, coffee is associated with a moment of pause, relaxation and pleasure. And may it never change no matter how many Starbucks may come!
