Typical Madrid food

La typical food of Madrid It is as delicious as it is varied. They are dishes that have been passed down from generation to generation, making both Madrid residents and diners from all over the world who visit the city enjoy them.

As with many other places, there is a wide variety of food and restaurants en Madrid. As for these, you have all kinds of them and, with respect to the first ones, they are delicious tapas, but also of more elaborate dishes and consistent. Without further ado, let's show you the typical food of Madrid.

What are the typical foods of Madrid?

The typical dishes of Madrid are based on all types of raw materials ranging from fish to legumes, including meats and sausages. Some of these recipes are striking for their simplicity, since they are Snacks. On the other hand, others require a careful and slow preparation, in addition to being very old.

The latter were made in the ancient taverns, inns and inns, some of which are still open today and continue to offer them. But another feature of Madrid gastronomy is its ability to adapt dishes from other regions. Keep in mind that the city welcomes emigrants from all over Spain and it is logical that you also assimilate their typical dishes. Next, we are going to see the main preparations of typical Madrid food.

Madrid stew

As its name indicates, it is the typical Madrid dish par excellence. Gastronomy experts point to the origin of the recipe as rotten pot La Mancha. But, in any case, it already appears as a dish in texts from the 17th century.

Its base is the chickpeas, to which are added vegetables, meats and various types of sausages. Among the latter, chorizo, blood sausage or bacon and, with respect to the previous ones, chicken or beef. In addition, it has potatoes, carrots and bones from the beef and pork itself. As you will see, it has similarities with other stews from the Iberian Peninsula, for example, the mountaineer or the maragato.

And like the latter, it is taken into account several "overturns". That is, separating the ingredients into three dishes that are eaten separately. First the soup made with the ingredients is consumed, then the stew itself and, finally, the meats. However, currently, in restaurants these last two "turns" have been unified.

Calamari sandwich, a classic in typical Madrid food

As simple as it is tasty, the calamari sandwich is a classic of Madrid gastronomy. All you have to do is take a walk around the Plaza Mayor to see the huge number of tourists who enjoy it. Its preparation couldn't be simpler.

The previously cut squid are coated in flour and fried in olive oil. Then you just have to insert them into the open bread in two halves. However, there are also more elaborate preparations. For example, the one that adds spicy tomato sauce or mayonnaise. Furthermore, it is a very common recipe also in other areas of Spain such as the Basque Country o Cantabria.

Madrid-style sea bream

It is a less well-known dish than the previous ones, but equally exquisite. However, it already appears in recipe books from the 18th century and is much older, as it is described in the Good Love Book of the Archpriest of Hita. It is Baked sea bream with vegetables and prawns, all seasoned with a broth made from the sea bream's own bones. However, in other variants, it is accompanied by a sauce made from breadcrumbs or bread crumbs.

In the past, bakery ovens were used to prepare it and it was consumed a lot in Christmas, when it was common on the tables together with a soup prepared with Almond milk.

Callos a la madrileña

It is another of the dishes par excellence of the capital's gastronomy, although, with variations, it is made throughout Spain. The basis of the recipe is cow gut, which is chopped and stewed accompanied by chorizo, paprika, blood sausage and serrano ham.

The origin of this dish is unknown, but, without a doubt, it is very old since it is already mentioned in the picaresque novel Guzman de Alfarache de Mateo Alemán, published in 1599. Likewise, as happens in so many cases, it was a dish of the popular classes that, over time, also passed to the wealthiest. In fact, the exclusive restaurant Lhardy He already offered it in his letter in the mid-19th century.

Gallinejas, another traditional dish in the typical food of Madrid

Although their name may lead to confusion, chickens have nothing to do with poultry. Is about lamb or goat tripe, so, like the previous one, it is a dish that not everyone likes. Specifically, they are pieces of the intestine and the mesentery along with a gizzard that has been popularly called a "button."

To make it, you have to clean the viscera very well and then fry them until they are just right. This is done without oil because they release their own fat. Furthermore, they are usually served accompanied by chips. It is such a popular recipe that it is sometimes even sold in cornets to eat it while walking.

Patatas bravas (spicy chips)

It is another recipe for typical Madrid food that stands out for its simplicity. It is simply potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce. However, according to experts, the authentic brava sauce It is made with wheat flour, onion and spicy paprika. In any case, to prepare the dish you have to cut the potatoes into large pieces and fry them in olive oil. Then the aforementioned sauce is added.

Potatoes bravas have achieved enormous popularity both because of their low cost and because of how easy they are to prepare. Due to this, they have spread all of Spain. Likewise, there are other recipes with this ingredient that are also delicious. For example, the Aioli potatoes.

Starry eggs

It is one of those dishes adopted by the capital to be part of the typical food of Madrid, since it is prepared throughout Spain. In fact, its origin could be in the Duels and losses of La Mancha gastronomy. Likewise, one of the restaurants that made this dish their watchword was Lucio House, whose founder was from Avila.

They are also called broken eggs and this will give you an idea of ​​what the recipe is like. In effect, these are eggs fried in olive oil that are broken by stirring them. However, in other places they are not stirred, but rather left to fry until the tip appears, although the yolk must remain liquid. Then They are served with fries, ham or another type of sausage. In any case, it is a dish that must be eaten hot, otherwise it will pass.

San Isidro donuts, the sweets in the typical food of Madrid

Donuts are one of the quintessential recipes of Madrid pastries. You can find them at any time of the year. But they are made, above all, around the festivity of San Isidro Labrador, which is celebrated on May 15 and is the patron saint of the city.

If we are to listen to the legend, they were popularized thanks to a street vendor known as Aunt Javiera. She came from Fuenlabrada to sell the donuts that she prepared at her house and they were delicious. They were so successful that, soon, other merchants began selling their own creations. And, to be more successful, they claimed to be relatives of the old woman.

Another proof of its great popularity is that there are four varieties of donuts. The so-called "dumb" ones are the simplest, while the "smart" ones have a sugar bath melting. On the other hand, those from Santa Clara are covered with a dry meringue and the French ones are coated with almond kernels.

Crown of Almudena

We could also mention the recipes as typical of Madrid pastries. of batons and churros. But we prefer to talk to you about the Almudena crown for being less known outside the capital. And yet, it is very famous within the typical food of Madrid. As its name indicates, it pays tribute to the Virgin of the Almudena, patron saint of the city and you can find her in pastry shops on the occasion of her festival, which is November 9th.

Unlike other recipes that we have presented to you, this one is quite recent, dating back to the late seventies. It was then when the pastry chefs guild of Madrid called a contest to create a sweet in honor of the Virgin. And the winning recipe was named Corona de la Almudena to remember the one with the image.

It also bears resemblance to the roscon de reyes, since it is a round bun made with fermented dough and anise that is filled with pastry cream, cream or truffle, painted with egg and baked. Such is the success of the Almudena crown that, on the designated dates, all the pastry shops in the city have them in their windows. In fact, according to the pastry chefs' guild itself, around November 9th, About 380 units of this candy are sold.

In conclusion, the typical food of Madrid It is as tasty as it is varied. We have shown you many of their typical dishes. Some are genuine from the capital, while others have come from different regions of Spain and they have adapted. But, in all cases they are delicious. Dare to savor them.