Sobremesa is the word for what happens after you finish eating in Spain, and once you get it, everything clicks. It's why a Tuesday lunch turns into a three-hour situation. It's why Spanish restaurants feel so unhurried. It's why the best part of a Spanish meal has nothing to do with the food. In this episode I break down what sobremesa actually is, why it's sacred, and what it tells you about how life in Spain really works. The meal is over but no one leaves. And guess what? That's the whole point.

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Tortilla española is just eggs, potatoes, and oil. That's it. And yet somehow it's Spain's most important dish… on every menu, in every bar, and the source of passionate debates over whether it needs onion or not. In this episode, I break down what tortilla española really is, why it's everywhere, the great onion debate (it's real), and how to eat it the way Spaniards actually do. This is Spanish food at its simplest and most essential.

If you want more Spain content: subscribe to my Substack here, follow me on Instagram @martibuckley, and visit my blog at www.travelcookeat.com.

Spain is bigger, stranger, and more interesting than most people realize. The Basque Country, Cataluña, Andalucía, Galicia …they all cook differently, speak differently, and don't always agree on what "Spain" even means. In this first episode of Spain Explained, What is Spain?, I dive into why "Spanish cuisine" is kind of a myth, what it really means to be Spanish, and why understanding this changes everything about how you experience the country. This is where we start.

If you want more Spain content: subscribe to my Substack here, follow me on Instagram @martibuckley, and visit my blog at www.travelcookeat.com.