 |
Quixote's Kitchen |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
Culinary Tours
Madrid is considered Spain's melting pot; recipes & influences from across the country have entered its kitchen.
From your luxury hotel, find out why Madrid is renowned for its art, nightlife and warmth...
Get with the locals and “de Madrid al cielo”, denoting its proximity to paradise, explore the best-kept secret among European capitals!
Take a bite into the mystery of Spanish gastronomy from its heartbeat: Madrid.
5 Star Luxury accommodation, private tours, hands-on lessons, field trips...read more!
Highlights of Madrid’s Gastronomy
Itinerary: Melting Pot of Spain – Madrid
The "City that Never Sleeps", Madrid, will be the focus of your decadent journey into the mystery of Madrileñan cooking.
This intense and comprehensive hands-on culinary tour will provide a snapshot into Madrid’s cuisine along with the hallmarks of Spanish cuisine:
DAY 1: Sunday – walking tour + dinner
DAY 2: Monday – field trip MercaMadrid + cooking lesson + tapeo
DAY 3: Tuesday – churros con chocolate + cooking lesson
DAY 4: Wednesday – field trip Museo del Jamon + cooking lesson
DAY 5: Thursday – Field Trip Segovia + cooking lesson
DAY 6: Friday – Field Trip Aranjuez & Chinchon + bodega + cooking lesson
DAY 7: Saturday – Adios + Checkout! UP
DAY 1: Sunday – walking tour + dinner
Check in then meet the rest of the group mid-afternoon to go for a walking tour of old Madrid. Do some shopping (or enjoy a siesta) before you meet again for dinner!
DAY 2: Monday – field trip MercaMadrid + cooking lesson + tapeo
Fieldtrip to MercaMadrid, the 2nd biggest fish market in the world! Head back to enjoy the first cooking lesson. A four-course meal with wine accompaniments follows.
Rest, then meet again for by typical “tapeo” (night of tapas) in Madrid’s local haunts.
DAY 3: Tuesday – churros con chocolate + cooking lesson
Wake up to a delicious typical breakfast of “churros con chocolate” the typical breakfast pastry dipped in cup of steaming hot chocolate. Then head out to enjoy your second cooking lesson. A four-course meal with aperitif, wine and sweet wine accompaniments follows.
You will end at about 5PM for the day.
DAY 4: Wednesday – field trip Museo del Jamon + cooking lesson
Start with a tour of “Museo del Jamon” and tasting of the various types of Jamon Serrano (if you enjoy Italy's prosciutto you'll love Spain's jamon serrano!). Then enjoy your second cooking lesson. A four-course meal with aperitif, wine and sweet wine accompaniments follows.
You will end at about 5PM for the day.
DAY 5: Thursday – Field Trip Segovia + cooking lesson
Visit the the nearby town of Segovia the two-thousand year old city with a majestic aqueduct for today's lesson.
Typical dishes of cochinillo (roast suckling pig) and cordero asado (roasted lamb) cooked in wood ovens until crisp & tender will be learnt & savored!
Stroll around the beautiful town with its splendid example of Romanesque art & gothic cathedrals dating as far back as the 12th century.
Return to Madrid & end at 8PM for the day.
DAY 6: Friday – Field Trip Aranjuez & Chinchon + bodega visit + cooking lesson + scenic drive
First we're off to the Royal site of Aranjuez to taste its famous strawberries and asparagus. Then visit the oldest bodega of the regional liqueur, Chinchon, and a meal in the famous Meson Cuevas del Vino (wine caves) still in its original 350 year old building.
Return to Madrid for an afternoon break followed by a meal at an exclusive restaurant with certificates for the successful passing of course participants.
The night ends with a beautiful drive around Madrid at nighttime.
DAY 7: Saturday – Adios + Checkout! UP
The cost is €3,500 US pp based on double occupancy. Sign-up.
The cost includes luxury accommodation, breakfasts, lunches and most dinners as well as entry fees & transport to cooking route scheduled events. UP
This single province region revolves around the city of Madrid, the country’s capital since the 16th century and first founded by the Moors in the 9th century. Its historic and artistic legacy equals or surpasses many other cities.
Its museums are among the best in the world with the relatively new Reina Sofia and Thyssen collections beginning to rival in popularity those of Prado’s.
Its beautiful architecture, recuperation of centennial squares and buildings are a pleasure to the eye. Not surprisingly, it is a magnet for drawing foreigners & Spaniards alike.
Madrid is best known as the city that never sleeps. You can find traffic jams at 8PM or 5AM…and it’s not from people heading to work!
Madrid is open and endearing and welcoming to newcomers. And, the variety of individuals co-exist peacefully, a real life reflection of it’s old & new quarter. UP
Highlights of Madrid’s Gastronomy
Since Madrid was made capital of Spain, recipes and influences from all regions of the country have entered its kitchen. But this gastronomic melting pot also has a few regional specialties.
Typical dishes include the delicious asparagus from Aranjuez, the Sopa Castellana (garlic soup), Cocido Madrileño (stew served in three courses course: the broth, the vegetables and legumes, and finally the meat), and the Tortilla de Patatas (a fantastic dish of onions, garlic, potatoes and egg evolved from the Jewish “latkes”).
Of course, to visit Madrid is to visit a fish & seafood haven. MercaMadrid, the biggest fish market in the world (after Tokyo’s), is where the fish arrives fresh every morning to feed the capital. The incredible diversity gives birth to some fantastic dishes to be eaten as tapas or main courses. Some specialties are baked sea bream or sea bass gallinejas.
Madrid is a city that never sleeps, so, don’t despair, you can eat whatever you want whenever you like! UP
You just need to remember a few simple rules to eating in Spain and you’re set!
-
Breakfast is light, not much more than a bun and some coffee.
-
Lunch is the main meal of the day. It is eaten from 2-4PM; but some meals can start at 2 & go until 7!
-
Dinner is eaten as early as 9PM or as late as midnight depending on time of the year and whether it’s a weeknight or weekend. The average dinner time starts at 9:30/10:00.
-
Tapas are eaten before lunch or dinner or could even include a night of tapeo: the Spaniards version of the pub crawl but lighter on the alcohol and heavier on the protein. You move from bar to bar eating a tapa and a small glass of wine.
-
Coffee is always served after dessert & before the “copita” (a shot of liqueur to be sipped after the meal & aid with digestion).
-
Wine is drink of choice with meals; “tinto” (red) being most common.
-
Many dishes are to be shared reflecting Spain’s open & very social culture.
-
Every meal is a celebration!! UP
|
 |
||||||||||
