Spotlight On: Spanish Sabores

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1. Who are you?

My name is Lauren Aloise, and I’m a Spain-based, American-born food and travel writer and food tour operator. I write about food, wine, and travel on Spanish Sabores and am a director of the company Devour Spain which offers food tours, tapas tours, and wine tours in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Malaga. I currently live in Madrid, but travel as much as possible. You can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

2. What is your site ‘Spanish Sabores’ about?

Spanish Sabores is a website that strives to show off all of the amazing culinary travel destinations within Spain, and sometimes elsewhere too. I write mainly about my own culinary themed trips, though sometimes I have other food loving expats share their tips. I aim to inspire people to travel to Spain, and to visit lesser known cities and regions when they do. This country is so much more than paella and sangria— I wan’t people to see that!

3. What is one food tip you would give about Madrid?

It’s really hard to give only one! But something I often recommend to foodies is to visit the Mercado de la Paz and to try the tortilla (Spanish potato omelette) at Casa Dani. I adore visiting traditional markets wherever I go, and the Mercado de la Paz is great. Casa Dani is an institution (and a dying breed), a super traditional, authentic bar where you squeeze in next to people from all walks of life for a beer and a tapa. And their tortilla is magical— it melts in your mouth!

4. What is one travel tip you would give about Madrid?

Eat and drink your way around town. That’s what the locals do! Madrid doesn’t have a long list of ‘must-see monuments’. There’s no Eiffel Tower, no Colosseum. But that’s a good thing, because when you start to wander around this city, stopping for a beer, a coffee, or a tapa or ice cream whenever the mood strikes, you’ll fall head over heels in love!

5. What is the best thing to eat in Madrid?

That is truly impossible to answer. Madrid is a melting pot and you can find foods here from all throughout Spain. When you visit you must try things like stewed bull’s tail, vermouth and olives, cured meats and cheeses, stuffed mushrooms, fried cod… the list goes on! There are so many things to taste, which is why I started my food tour company. The smaller portions we serve on our tours let people taste (almost!) everything in one whirlwind morning or evening.

  Blogger, Food Tour, Madrid, Spain, Spanish Sabores