In March, large pallets of beautiful, red, juicy strawberries suddenly started appearing in the mercados and fruterias throughout Sevilla. These are not the large but pale, hard and practically flavorless strawberries you can get year-round in supermarkets in the the U.S., but fresh, delicious, succulent berries that taste like, well, strawberries! The difference? They are in season and only found in season, which not only makes them seem more special, but creates an urgency to enjoy them while we can – in smoothies, desserts, spinach salads, and just by themselves by the handful!
Perhaps nothing signifies the joy of seasonal food in Spain, however, than the return of the snails – caracoles in mid-May. From one day to the next, signs pop up in front of seemingly every bar and restaurant in the city: Hay Caracoles!, basically, “We have snails!” And as one walks by the many tables sitting on the sidewalks outside each restaurant, one sees bowl after bowl of these special, seasonal delicacies being enjoyed by people of all ages. By the end of the month, they will be gone, and so will the signs indicating their availability, put away until next year.
Enjoying foods only when they are in season not only makes enjoying them feel special, it makes for tastier, more nutritious, more environmentally friendly food that is better for you and better for the earth. Soon we will see the arrival of cherries, peaches, and apricots that we will enjoy while they are at their peak of freshness. Then we will say goodbye until next year, knowing that they will be worth the wait!
Email us and you could be enjoying seasonal foods in Spain by next season!
