We all know that Spanish cuisine is one of the most delicious and rich. Each region presents plenty of fantastic local dishes and ancient traditions that just wait to be discovered by first-time visitors.
Among hundreds of unique food specialties, it is not easy to orient. Those who do not arrive informed just wait to taste the two top symbols of Spain, which collect the best Iberian flavours and mix them in an amazing way: paella and sangria.
The sangria is a typical Spanish drink made using red wine, fruits and various types of spirits. The name derives from "sangre", a word meaning "blood" that refers to its dark red colour. Each Spaniard make it in a different way, using homegrown products and inventing variants of all kinds. You might even find a "spicy" sangria, a strawberry sangria or a weird white sangria, made with white wine that confers it a transperent colour. But how can you prepare the perfect traditional sangria?
The ingredients you need are a bottle or red table wine, various fruits (like oranges, limes, apples, peaches and strawberries), spirits (Brendy, Sherry and/or Porto), some tablespoons of sugar and spices, especially cinnamon. The procedure is easy: cut the fruit in slices and mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Dissolve the sugar over a low flame and make a syrup before adding it to the drink. The most important thing is to let the cocktail sit for a few hours, at least two to blend all the flavours in the perfect way. Then... get ready to taste your sangria! The amazing taste will certainly surprise you for its intensity. But drink carefully: Sangria has a 4-12% alcohol content!
The history of sangria is controversial. Some suppose it was invented by Romans thousands of years ago, when they conquered the Iberian Peninsula and planted vineyards on its territory. As water could contain bacteria and was not a safe drink, they started to prepare alcoholic drinks such as the Hippocras, made with sugar, wine and spices. Instead, other believe that its origin dates back to the 19th-20th century, specifically in 1964, when the Spanish pavillion presented the Sangria for the first time at the New York World's Fair and made everybody fall in love with it, especially Americans.
If you are going to visit Spain soon, do not forget to taste this tasty drink! Perfect with tapas, tortillas, paellas and fish, it will accompany your meals in a very special way. In a restaurant, remember to not mistake it with the "tinto de verano", another local drink made with red wine, which can be sometimes offered as a sangria if mixed with fruits and lemon soda when it is served.
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© Alice Pilastri
