In Spain, we love to start the day with a traditional Spanish breakfast. Spanish breakfast foods are part of our culture the occasion is the perfect opportunity to enjoy discussing the coming day with friends and family. But what do Spanish people eat for breakfast?
I’m Javier De La Hormaza, founder of Basco and a professional Basque Country chef. I’d like to share with you my top 5 traditional Spanish breakfast foods, in no particular order. Each is relatively easy to prepare (with a little help from Basco) and all are utterly authentic and delicious.
Spanish Fried Breakfast
It’s not only the British who like a fried breakfast in the morning, the Spanish adore a fry up, too. My recipe is a sure-fire winner with anyone who wants to kick off the day with a hearty meal. It only takes 10 minutes to prep and 20 to cook and it is well worth it. It’s not too dissimilar to an English fried breakfast, but with some important upgrades with Spanish ingredients.
For this recipe for a Spanish fried breakfast, I switch out English bangers for fried soft cooking chorizo, bacon for grilled smoked pancetta, black pudding for Morcilla Spanish black pudding and the egg for a crispy fried duck egg. Served with slices of baked potato, fried bread and grilled tomatoes with thyme.
Together the taste combination is a sensational start to your day. You can follow my recipe for a Spanish Fried Breakfast here.
Fried duck Egg with Sobrasada Sausage
Want a quick, satisfying and delicious traditional Spanish breakfast? My Fried Duck Egg with Sobrasada Sausage can be cooked from scratch in 10 minutes and really hits the spot. If you haven’t heard of Sobrasada sausage, it is a traditional soft, chorizo-style sausage from Mallorca made with ground free-range pork, sun-dried paprika, salt and other spices. The national sausage of the Balearic Islands, Sobrasada isn’t cured in the traditional way, but preserved using local paprika and then aged for a little time.
Sobrasada takes a Spanish egg breakfast to a whole new level of taste. The cured sausage has a wonderfully soft and spreadable texture which I fry to bring out its unique flavour. I spread the fried Sobrasada onto a slice of toast before frying a duck egg in the same pan until the whites are crisp but the yolk still runny, then serve with fresh thyme, salt and pepper. It’s so simple and simply delicious.
You’ll find my quick and easy recipe for Fried Duck Egg with Sobrasada Sausage here. Enjoy!
Pan Tumaca
At first glance, you might mistake pan tumaca for bruschetta. That’s totally understandable, however, there are differences and to explain, we need to rewind a few centuries. Pan tumaca, (pa amb tomàquet being its proper name) is one of the earliest Spanish breakfast foods which was originally eaten by peasant farmers. It came about mainly due to the fact that because bread was baked just once a week, when it went stale, tomatoes were used to soften it and add flavour.
Pan tumaca can be eaten as part of a traditional Spanish breakfast, or as a starter or side dish. You’ll find it in regions including Murcia, Valencia and Andalucía, but it is the Catalans who claim to have invented it. My recipe for pan tumaca is reassuringly simple and involves grating large ripe tomatoes and spreading it onto thick slices of sourdough drizzled lightly with oil, toasted in a pan then rubbed with garlic. A little espinkle of salt and drizzle of olive oil finishes it nicely. Give Pan Tumaca a go with my recipe here.
Spanish Scrambled Eggs with Black Pudding
Of all the hearty traditional Spanish breakfast foods, this Spanish egg breakfast recipe is one of the quickest and most delicious. Spanish Scrambled Eggs with Black Pudding combines silky scrambled duck eggs with Morcilla de Burgos – an authentic Spanish black pudding that contains rice – thought to be a Moorish influence – and originates from the Castilla y Leon region of northwestern Spain.
My preferred Morcilla de Burgos is artisan made by a family business since 1930 and has a real depth of flavour. First, I lightly beat duck eggs, add a little milk and season them. I then fry slices of morcilla until crispy and toast slices of sourdough. I then melt butter in the pan, add the egg mixture and stir slowly until slightly runny. Spread the morcilla on the toast and top with eggs. Tastes sensational and here’s the full recipe!
Churros con Chocolate
Traditional Spanish breakfast foods aren’t all savoury. My final recipe is for a classic Spanish sweet snack that’s often eaten at a Spanish breakfast time or as an afternoon snack. Churros con chocolate date back to the 16th century when Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez brought the mysterious delights of Aztec chocolate back to Spain. Churros con chocolate have been a firm Spanish breakfast favourite ever since.
You’ll often see them sold by street vendors. In fact, I distinctly remember as a young boy rushing back to my grandma’s with them wrapped in newspaper and dipping them in hot chocolate. Fond memories.
For my recipe, I make a silky hot chocolate made from Toblerone to dip the churros into. The bits of nougat add a cheeky crunch and wonderfully nutty flavour. To dip into, a choux-style pastry piped through a star-shaped nozzle to create long fingers, which I fry I oil and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Lie the sound of it? Of course you do, and here’s the recipe.
If you’re in a hurry, you can cheat a little with our authentic pre-made and frozen churros which are ready in just 3 minutes.
