Typical foods for la cena in Spain?

Question

I have to do a project on las comidas of Spain. I am having trouble finding a lot of information about la cena. I know that it's pretty late compared to most cultures, and it's smaller than la comida, their main meal of the day. What are some typical foods for la cena? Is it the same as la comida, except for with smaller portions? Any input would be helpful. Thanks!

Answer 1

Check out this website http://www.tienda.com/food/index.html

You can also ask this question of Penelope Casas Spanish food expert here: http://www.tienda.com/reference/askpenel...

Answer 2

For me is not the same as "la comida". The dishes are simpler and easier to digest, like some salad or "tortilla de patatas" (Spanish omelet), or some meat or fish. We hardly ever eat pasta, vegetables or legumes for dinner.

Answer 3

La tienda is a great site for buying Spanish foods and kitchen products, but that isn't really going to answer this student's question.

A lot of people in Spain go out for Tapas early in the evening (early being a relative term...around 7 - 9:00)  and maybe share a couple of tapas.  Tapas are mostly very small plates (about 5" diameter), with small portions of whatever.  They started out as just a slice of ham and cheese on a  plate that was put on TOP (hence the word tapa - spanish for something to tapear or cover ) of a glass of beer to keep dust, sand and bugs from falling into the glass.  It has grown to a regular meal or appetizer that everyone partakes of, almost like many people used to have a cocktail hour in the US or British people have tea in the late afternoon.

For a lot of people, that is enough, just a couple of tapas, and then on to a night of dancing or whatever.  That was all I ever did, and I lived there for a year.

My understanding is that if you go out for a formal cena, it's pretty much like a lunch (comida).  There's a soup course, which can be soup, beans, rice dish, or pasta dish, then the main course, which is a meat or eggs, and a potato of some sort, salad may come after that, though vegetables are not what we're used to, in the US, and a dessert, which is usually some fresh fruit, or flan or mousse.  True pastries are not eaten after the meal, but for snacks (and if you ever go there, the pastries and chocolates are incredible!!!), followed with a cup of cafe, and most Spaniards will drink their cafe solo at that hour.  (black)

And you won't see any natives eating paella at cena.

go to a Spanish cooking site.  I can tell you that typically, a macaroni dish will have salsa de tomate, which resembles good, old-fashioned Ragu old world style sauce.  Bean dishes would include, a Cocido Madrileño, lentil soup, habas.

Main dishes of sunny-side up eggs, veal, pork cutlets, (very simply prepared), fried fish, with potatoes would be Ensaladilla Rusa, Papas Fritas (french fries), Patatas Bravas (fried chunks of potato with a spicy sauce, sometimes mayo based), or Patatas Aioli (with garlic mayo sauce).  Mashed or baked are pretty much unheard of there, though you might see something like a mousse of potato at a really fancy restaurant.

I don't really know if they serve these things in smaller portions that and afternoon meal.  I actually think that if you really eat Spanish style, you'll find yourself really full all day.

Toast and coffee in the morning, a bocadillo at 11ish, big comida at 1 or 2, snack at about 5, then tapas, and a large dinner...maybe a snack later?  I'd be tipping the scales at about 500 in no time eating like that!

Answer 4

Hi Kel, a little bit of information about la cena directly from Spain.

Usually we people have dinner (cena) from 21.00 hours and so on. And we haven't got typical foods for dinner. As you say, you can consider it as the same as lunch (comida), but in smaller portions.

Many people have for cena salads; or fried eggs with potatoes; or meat (pig); or pizza; or soup. That's what you could call "typical". It's less common, for example, to have fish or more complex food.

As you see, nothing extraordinary.

If you want to know more, just ask.

Answer 5

Well, I guess that every single family have their own way to have dinners. In my case: sometimes just fruits and yogurts, sometimes omelette with cheese and ham or maybe a sandwich. But if you are going out for dinner to a restaurant you can go for a big steak or fish or maybe pizza.

I guess the main rule is to avoid heavy food like fabada, cocido, etc.