Marvelous Merienda
Eating five meals a day has to be one of my favourite things about living in Spain. And my favourite of all those meals has to be the late afternoon snack, merienda.
Horchata y farton
Valencia's perfect summer pairing
The best antidote to help fight the days of suffocating heat in Valencia
is the delicious Spanish horchata. This
refreshing drink should not be confused with the Mexican
horchata or from other Latin American
countries, which is made with rice.
A sweet drink that must be served very cold, it is made from ground
tiger nuts (grown mainly in
L'Horta de Valencia), water and sugar. So it's naturally vegan too! 🌱
Despite being a Spanish recipe, its origins can be traced back to
ancient Egypt, where it was the drink chosen to serve those who were
invited to the funerals of the pharaohs. Then over time, it was
developed in Spain before the 1800s as a sweet drink, so it used to be
served with desserts.
It's worth going to Alboraia to taste what is meant to be the best
horchata in Valencia, accompanied by the
traditional fartons, a kind of sweet
bar-shaped sponge cake made of flour, water or milk, sugar, oil, yeast
and eggs.
What are tiger nuts?
They are actually not nuts, they are a root vegetable and are known to
be a super food. Tiger nuts are loaded with so many health benefits,
they're high in fiber, a great source of magnesium and rich in
potassium, among others.
In Spain, tiger nuts are mostly used to make
horchata, but you can also snack on them
for a super healthy snack. Their shape is kind of a circular form and
about the size of a raisin.
Make your own horchata!
Check out this recipe to make your own authentic Spanish horchata.