The tortilla controversy

All great countries have things that represent them, France has the Eiffel tower, the US has the Statue of Liberty, India has the Taj Majal, Spain has the tortilla de patatas, the potato omelet.

The tortilla is a dish that all Spaniards have tried and love, from the cold and rainy winters in the North, to the blazing hot summer days in the South, all around Spain. There are diverse ways to prepare this dish, but they all contain the same main ingredients, which are:

⦁    Eggs

⦁    Potatoes

⦁    Olive oil

⦁    Salt

It is a remarkably simple dish, but there are different opinions about what is the proper way to prepare it. There is a big rivalry between the people that like it with onions, and the cave-dwellers who say that onions do not belong in the tortilla. It’s almost like pineapple on pizza for Italians, and every Spaniard has their own opinion. There is a smaller, less conflictive division between the people who like the eggs to be runny, and the people who like it to be as solid as a brick. All well-known chefs prepare the tortilla runny, but if you go to an average neighborhood bar you might find them to be quite dry, which is why if you want to try a real Spanish omelet you need to go to a restaurant.

The tortilla was invented in 1798 in the western province of Extremadura, and it later spread as a simple and cheap food option among lower classes. It was in 1835 when it became a well-known dish after an Army General, in search of an easy and nutritious way to feed his soldiers, came across this amazing dish.

There is an award for the best Spanish tortilla each year. The restaurant that got the award in 2023 is the Cañadío from Santander, their version has, in fact, onion and is runny. Here is a link to some more information along with the recipe, in case someone wants to take a small bite off Spanish culinary culture.

We have made a kahoot!!!!

Eduardo Vivas Nicolau and Pedro Díaz del Río Andronov / S4EN Enrichment / EEB1 Uccle