Tostada — the Go-to Spanish Breakfast
One of the most popular and economical breakfast dishes in Spain is the tostada. Basically, toasted bread drizzled with olive oil and usually topped with a sauce made from grated tomatoes. Depending on where you are in Spain, the description will differ from ‘tostada con tomate’ in Andalucia and Valencia, to ‘pan con tomate’ in the North and ‘Pa Amb Tomàquet’ in Catalunya.
Depending upon the cafe, tostadas will either arrive with the tomato sauce added to the toast or perhaps separately in a dish on the side. Use the knife, or perhaps fork, to stab holes in the toast to better absorb the olive oil and tomatoes, then sprinkle with salt to taste.
For a more substantial breakfast, tostadas are often offered with additional toppings such as jamón (Iberian dry-cured ham), queso (cheese), the best being Manchego, York (processed ham) and atún (tuna), or a combination of more than one of these. The more toppings, the more the price goes up! Choose a ‘media’ serving, so half a bocadillo (long crusty white bread similar to a small baguette) sliced lengthways, or ‘entera’ which is the whole (entire) bocadillo, so two slices.
The tomatoes should be grated with the skin discarded and the best variety are plum or roma which have a lower water content. An alternative is to just rub a fresh tomato along your toast. Of-course, a good quality olive oil will ensure the best possible flavour of your tostada.
