Bread, in all its varieties, is a basic food and a very important component of human diets.

It runs through our lives so much that, sometimes, it leaves the kitchen to enter the universe of language. For this reason, there are many expressions that contain references to bread.  

In our previous posts, we learned the meaning behind some of these expressions, such as ser más bueno que el pan (being a very good person) or estar de toma pan y moja (being very attractive).

Today, we would like to explain what is behind the expression más largo que un día sin pan (longer than a day without bread). If you prefer to read this article in Spanish, please click here.

In Spanish, being longer than a day without bread may stand for two different things. The first one is the most commonly used one. It is employed to describe something that becomes tough due to its long duration.

For example, a bad day at work can last longer than a day without bread.

The second meaning of this expression is applied to people. If someone is longer than a day without bread, then it means he or she is very tall. For example:

Mi amigo Juan es más largo que un día sin pan. Mide casi dos metros.

If you want to learn more about the close relationship between Spaniards and bread, we invite you to discover our learning programs in Spain.

For Spaniards, as well as for other people around the globe, the holidays are a time to celebrate with the family. Special dinners with a lot of guests around the table, Chistmas carols, and long soirées become the perfect plan for many.

However, Spain has some traditions that make this time of year something special. In this post, we invite you to explore the 10 most typical Spanish holiday habits.

Read it in Spanish by clicking here.

1 – Lottery draws

Some of the most eagerly expected events these days are the Christmas Extraordinary Lottery Draw and the Child’s Lottery Draw. The first distributes more than 2 billion euros in prizes. Its TV spot is already a classic and it is a tradition to buy different numbers for the raffle and split them among friends and family.

On December 22nd children from San Ildefonso School sing the numbers that come out of the raffle and their corresponding economic compensation. The second event takes place on January 6th, bringing the thrill back to those who were not lucky enough to get the “Gordo” in the previous lottery draw.

2 – Setting up the Nativity Scene

The nativity scene or Belén is a miniature reproduction of the place where Jesus was born, in Bethlehem. In many houses, it is a tradition to work together as a family in the decoration of this element.

Pouring some wood dust to imitate sand, creating a river with aluminum foil, and placing each figurine are part of this age-old practice.

3 – Family dinners

Another must during the holidays in Spain, as in many other countries, are family gatherings. It’s the perfect moment for travelling, going back home, and having a special dinner with our beloved ones. Some of the plates that are always present contain seafood or suckling pig. Cava and champagne are the most typical beverages. And as a dessert… nougat!

4 – Turrón, turrón

Without any doubt, nougat or turrón is an essential winter sweet. There many kinds of it: with nuts, chocolate, cream, fruit-flavored…

However, the most popular ones are made with almonds. Both the soft version (a sweet dough) and the hard one (with bigger pieces of almond and a white wafer) are always on the Christmas table.

5 – The King’s speech

On Christmas Eve, all the Spanish media attention is focused on the King. From the Zarzuela Palace, the monarch reviews the most important happenings of the year and sends his best wishes to all Spanish citizens.

6 – Collecting aguinaldo

Even though this is becoming an obsolete tradition, some villages still preserve it. During these festivities, children practice Christmas carols and sing door to door, asking for some pocket money at the end of each song.

7 – Gifting a flor de Pascua

The flor de Pascua (poinsettia) is a sign that winter time is already here. With low temperatures, this plant blossoms and shows all its splendor. With its shiny red leaves, this is the perfect gift to decorate our houses for the holidays.

8 – The 12 bell chimes, better with grapes

This is probably one of the most popular Spanish holiday traditions. Every New Year’s Eve at midnight, families gather around the TV to watch as the clock from La Puerta del Sol, in Madrid, strikes 12 times.

Each time the bell tolls, Spaniards eat one grape, continuing until they finish all 12 of them. Once this ritual is over, they welcome the new year with all kinds of celebrations.

Even though the origin of this tradition is yet unclear, all the existing versions point at it being a gesture to attract good luck for the incoming year.

9 – Eating Roscón de Reyes

One of the top holiday foods is the roscón de Reyes (Epiphany cake). It is a sweet dough shaped like a ring and filled with candied fruit slices in different colors. Traditionally, the inside is stuffed with whipped cream and there are two surprises in the interior: a figurine and a bean. Whoever finds the bean will have to pay the price of the roscón.

10 – Santa vs Three Wise Men

Some of the most popular characters around this time of the year are Los tres reyes Magos (the Three Wise Men). Riding their camels, Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthasar come from the Far East to visit all children’s houses each January 6th.

If the kids have behaved well through the year, they will receive presents from the Three Wise Kings. However, if they haven’t been good children, they will get coal instead.

Every January 5th, big parades take place on the streets. Escorted by their pages and camels, the Three Wise Men give candies to the children that go to see them. Back at home and before going to sleep, it is the right time to leave some water and food out for the Three Wise Men and their animals to restore some energy before continuing with their long trip.

Early morning on January 6th, all the presents will be under the Christmas tree. Many times, it is helpful to leave a shoe of each member of the family around to help identify for whom is each gift.

Even though Santa is getting more and more popular in Spain, the Three Wise Men are still the most popular gift-givers in the country. However, many households are visited by both of them.

Now that you know how Spaniards celebrate the holidays, come learn Spanish in Spain during our your vacations and join the Spanish festivities!

If someone has ever told you that you estás de toma pan y moja (to take bread and dip), congratulations! That is actually a compliment. Another version of the same saying is estás para mojar pan.

Read this article in Spanish

This expression is used in Spain to positively value someone’s physical appearance. In other words, you are a beauty!

To better understand the origin of this expression, we must look at gastronomy. Bread is such a basic food for Spaniards that they even use it in their sayings.

Have you ever tasted a dish so delicious that you wish it was never over?

In these cases, it is almost a sin to miss a drop of it. To leave the dish completely clean, we have our eternal ally: bread.

All in all, dipping a piece of bread in the dish indicates that food has an amazing flavor.

This is not the only case in which we use expressions related to food to describe different kinds of people. For example, ser más bueno que el pan (being better than bread) means being a very good person.

If something is pan comido (or eaten bread), then it’s very easy. In order to earn your bread (ganarse el pan), however, you will have to work very hard. In Spanish, babies come with a bread under their arm (un pan debajo del brazo). That is to say, they are a blessing.

Another example of using food to comment on someone’s good looks is the expression estar como un queso (be like cheese). This culinary synergy between beauty and food runs deep in the Spanish culture.

Discover more common Spanish expressions with bread by watching our video:

Have you ever tried the famous Spanish ham croquettes?

Why not make them yourself?

Read this article in Spanish

Today, we’re going to put on our aprons and start cooking!

First, we’ll need to get the ingredients together:

To make the croquettes

• 200 g Serrano ham (Spanish cured ham or jamón)
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 100 g flour
• 100 ml olive oil (or 100 g butter)
• 1 L warm milk

To batter and fry them

• Flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Breadcrumbs
• Olive oil

Is everything ready?

Before we begin, I’ll tell you that in Spain we usually use olive oil to coat the pan, but if you can’t find any or prefer not to use it, you can use butter as a substitute.

Let’s get to work!

We’ll start by making the croquette dough.

Mince the onion and garlic and cut the Serrano ham into small pieces. Heat the oil (or melt the butter) in a frying pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook until golden, then add the Serrano ham.

After a few minutes have passed and the ham takes on the flavor of the onion and garlic, add all the flour and sauté everything together. Be careful! It’s easy for the flour to burn, so you’ll have to stir the mixture constantly to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Shortly after you add the flour, slowly and gradually pour the warm milk into the pan. Keep stirring! It’s very important to stir constantly as you add the milk to prevent lumps from forming. Once you’ve added all the milk, let the mixture cook until it forms a thick paste (keep stirring this whole time!).

When the dough is ready, transfer it to a flat dish and let it cool.

(If you want your croquettes to come out as good as a Spanish grandmother’s, spread a bit of olive oil over the surface of the dough, just to prevent a crust from forming.)

When the dough is cool enough to handle, cut it into pieces and roll them into even-sized log shapes.

Once you’ve made all the croquettes, prepare a plate with flour, a bowl with the beaten eggs, and a plate with breadcrumbs.

Roll each croquette in the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs (in that order), then fry them in hot oil.

When the croquettes are golden brown, take them out of the frying pan and…it’s time to eat!

Hats off to the chef! 

What’s the most typical Spanish food?

Tortilla de patatas!

Today we’re sharing a recipe to help you bring Spanish flavors to your table. So get ready, step into the kitchen, and…it’s tortilla time!

Read this article in Spanish

Before we begin, let’s run through the ingredients we’re going to need:

• 700 g (about 25 oz) potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 6 medium/large eggs
• Olive oil
• Salt

Now that we have the ingredients handy, we can get started.

First, peel and wash the onion and potatoes. Dice the onion and cut the potatoes into thin slices.

When you’ve got that ready, pour a thick layer of oil into a frying pan and heat it up on the stove. Once the oil is hot, turn the heat down to low and fry the potatoes with a bit of salt. This way they will get cooked all the way through without burning. Be patient, this may take 25-30 minutes, depending on how thick you cut the potato slices.

Before the potatoes are done, when they’re just starting to turn golden, add the onion to the frying pan. That way you can cook everything at the same time without burning the onion.

After you add the onion and everything is frying, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt, and beat the eggs.

When the potatoes and onion are done frying, take them out of the oil, let the excess oil drain off, and add them to the bowl with the eggs, along with a bit more salt.

Mix everything together and let the mixture sit for a few minutes to give the potatoes time to absorb the eggs.

Meanwhile, prepare a frying pan to continue with the second part of the tortilla making process. You can use the same pan as before, just pour out almost all of the olive oil. If you prefer, you can use a clean frying pan and add a tablespoon of oil, moving the pan around so the bottom is completely coated.

Put the frying pan on low heat and pour in the mixture of eggs, potatoes, and onion.

Little by little, you’ll see the egg start to cook and the tortilla will begin to take shape. Make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan by using a spatula around the edges and base of the tortilla. It will probably start sticking to the pan.

Before the egg cooks completely, put a large, flat plate (big enough to cover all or almost all of the frying pan) over the tortilla and flip the pan upside down with the plate underneath. Lift the frying pan off the plate and put it back on the stove, then slide the tortilla (cooked-side up) off the plate and into the frying pan to let the other side cook a few more minutes.

When the tortilla is as cooked or as runny as you like it, turn off the burner and flip the tortilla out of the frying pan once more.

Your tortilla de patatas is ready!