Spanish Dispatch
Forget What You Know About Tortillas: In Spain, They’re Omelets
Spanish tortillas are egg-citing — this is their origin story and why they became a staple
The food people eat can reveal a lot about them. At times, it can even tell you more than they are willing to admit to themselves.
With la cucina povera, or “the cooking of the poor,” Italians have found an art form in turning just enough into plenty. Even at home, the French expect a particular degree of sophistication and thoughtful pairing in their meals. They refer to it as la cuisine bourgeoise. Germans favor the heartiest of foods, served in the most literal way.
Spanish cuisine, much like the Spaniards themselves, is sincere and unpretentious. People here wear their hearts on their sleeves — not in a naive, wide-eyed manner, but with a hardheaded resolve that says, “This is me; take it or leave it, but let’s not waste our time playing games.”
Is it any wonder, then, that the food Spaniards eat presents itself truthfully, with no pretense of being anything other than what it is? No local dish exemplifies this better than the tortilla, an omelet made with eggs, potatoes, and sometimes onion, cooked to firmness in olive oil.
