La tortilla española
Ahhhh!!! The Spanish tortilla … This tasty dish calls to mind such wonderful memories from España 🇪🇸 and the magic of tapas bars there. Stopping in for tapas with my great friends and colleagues, Celia and Itza, during an academic conference for a much needed vinito (wine), a plate of amazing aceitunas (olives), manchego cheese and of course Jamon Serrano! (Cured ham). Good times!
Both my daughter, Rachel, have also spent quite a bit of time in Spain and we’ve fallen in love with this simple Spanish staple you can find in almost any cafe or supermarket in Spain. I have gone to more than 1 cooking class by top Mediterranean chefs in Spain and the main secret of a delicious Spanish tortilla is a good olive oil and copious amounts. I mean more than you would ever even think to cook with in any meal. The results are certainly worth their weight in olive oil 😉
HISTORY OF THE SPANISH TORTILLA
Although seemingly an unassuming Spanish tapa (small plate), served in almost every restaurant and bar in the country, the Spanish Tortilla ‘de patatas’ (made with potatoes) has an interesting history.
Interestingly enough, one of the main ingredients of the Spanish omelet—potatoes—isn’t actually native to Spain at all. In the 15th century, Spanish explorers brought the first potatoes to Europe from South America. It wasn’t until 2 centuries later that the ‘patata’ is embraced by Spaniards.
Today, the Spanish tortilla can be found in any bar or restaurant in Spain and has come to be considered emblematic of the country much like Apple pie is to the United States.
But what are the origins of the Spanish Tortilla?
Food culture offers two possibilities that are colorful and amusing. The first states that a prominent Spanish general, general Tomás de Zumalacárregu, was passing through Navarra during the Carlista wars in the early 1800s. Legend has it that when he was visiting a house in Navarra, the housekeeper had nothing but three ingredients in the kitchen and she whipped him up a Spanish tortilla.
Another version of the origins of this curious omelette states that the general served the Spanish tortilla to his troops during the siege of Bilbao in 1835 because it was both nutritious and easy to make. Food culture suggests that both stories may be true as they are seemingly interconnected. https://socarratnyc.com/blog/food-culture/origins-spanish-tortilla/
Maria Reyes Baztán notes that In the late nineteenth century, nationalist elites and nation-state agents used the omelette to promote the “Spanishness” of the Spanish cuisine and to project an image of a highly diverse but united country. Who would think that a simple omelette could play a role in nation-building? However, here in America we embrace the symbol of apple pie to represent prosperity and national pride.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14701847.2021.1939529?scroll=top&needAccess=true
The Spanish tortilla is different than the traditional Mexican tortilla that is so popular in the United States in that it is made of three simple ingredients – eggs, potatoes and onions and not the flour or corn tortilla.
It’s very simple to whip up and its certainly worth the effort. You’ll have a delicious high protein meal or snack for the week 😋
The recipe below is inspired by the recipe that my good friend Celia from Granada Spain sent me. I used 7 eggs instead of 4 but everything else is the same.
INGREDIENTS
4 -6 medium to large potatoes, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup of milk (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6-8 extra-large or jumbo eggs
HOW TO MAKE THE SPANISH TORTILLA
- Cook onion in olive oil in hot nonstick frying pan
- Add sliced potatoes
- potato and onion mixture should fill the pan
- Cook 10-15 minutes until almost caramelized
- Beat eggs in a bowl
- Add milk
- Strain potatoes and onions and leave the oil in the pan
- add potatoes and onions to egg mixture
- Season with sea salt
- Stir egg mixture gently and let sit 15 minutes covered with aluminum foil
- place egg mixture in nonstick medium sized frying pan and cook 3-4 minutes on medium
- loosen sides with spatula or wooden spoon to check if cooked.
- To flip, place a clean plate on top of the tortilla covering the widthof the pan; flip onto the plate and slide back into frying pan.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes more and Voila! It’s done. You can use a toothpick or knife to check if its done (some prefer it a little runny)
- Garnish with parsley (optional).
Some people like their tortilla a little runny in the middle. Others like their eggs fully cooked. You can adjust it to your liking keeping in mind that it will Cook a little after taking it off the heat.
NEED TO PACK A LUNCH?
The Spanish tortilla is the perfect lunchbox meal. It can easily be packed away and it can be served room temperature or warm.
You don’t know how exotic and international I feel when I sit on my jumpseat on the airplane and open up up my Spanish tortilla served with jalapeño stuffed olives, feta cheese and dates. Mmmmm…
This recipe was inspired by
