Torrijas, A Delicious Sweet That Is Great To Eat Any Time Of The Day

Torrijas, a delicious Spanish sweet that is great to eat any time of the day, but is especially popular for breakfast! It is a very old dish that is eaten during Lent and is said to have originated in the South of Spain to make use of stale bread. There are many variations of torrijas, but the two most common are topped with cinnamon and sugar or drizzled with honey.

This “sweet” is traditionally eaten during Lent, the 40-day period before Easter. It is believed that torrijas originated in Andalucian convents during the XV century as a way to use up stale bread. Although today it is associated with the cuisine of Madrid, it is a popular breakfast food all over. The British might call torrijas bread pudding, while the Americans would probably see it as a Spanish variation of “French Toast.”
　　
Although torrijas are a popular breakfast food, they can be eaten any time of the day. There are many variations of this treat – some soften the bread by soaking it in wine, while other variations use milk or water and honey. In Spain, the typical bread would be a French-style baguette, but today pan de molde or white bread, such as Wonder bread can be used. Most variations serve it with sugar and cinnamon.
　　 
Ingredients
　　
4-6 Slices of Stale White Bread
　　
3/4 cup Milk
　　
1 Egg
　　
Vegetable Oil for frying, such as Canola or Corn Oil, NOT olive oil
　　
1/8 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
　　
Sugar and Cinnamon
　　
Honey
　　
Serves Four.
　　
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
　　
One important thing to take in account when you want to make torrijas is that you have to use one day old bread, yes yesterday´s bread. If you use fresh bread it will not absorb enough milk and you will get low quality torrijas.
　　
You have to prepare in a big pot milk with sugar to bathe the bread.
　　
Use a lot of sugar to make sweet torrijas.
　　
Some people use red wine or white wine in this point instead milk, the arecalled "torrijas borrachas" (drunk trorrijas).
　　
You have to cut a big slices of bread. When you have the sliced bread, then you put it on a big plate and pour the prepared milk.
　　
Let the torrijas drain the milk.
　　
The syrup is made with water, sugar and lemon juice, lemon and orange skin and one stick of cinnamon.
　　
Boil the water with sugar, juice from a lemon, and one lemon skin and orange skin.
　　
Add the cinnamon stick if you like.
　　
Yo can do this while you are frying the bread slices.
　　
Put the fried torrijas into a tray and pour the syrup in it, the torrijas will drain the syrup and in a few hours they will be ready to be eaten.

Everything That One Would Expect To Know Spain's City Of Culture - Valencia

Valencia is the third largest city in Spain. It is a melting pot of the traditional and the modern, and home to a very friendly and warm population. From a tourist's perspective, the city and its outskirts have lots of tourist attractions, stunning beaches, museums, culture and arts, and in short, everything that one would expect to see and experience in a vacation hotspot. Reaching there is quite easy as Valencia is well connected by air and road to all major towns and cities in Spain as well as other European countries.

The Pinedo Beach is more secluded with golden sand dunes and vegetation that allows visitors to relax with a good book, bathe in the sun or swim in crystal blue water. It is just south of the yacht port where the yacht club has a restaurant and offers dinghy sailing, sailing or wind surfing. The beaches are brought together by a seafront promenade which is the Paseo Maritimo or port.

Next would be to visit the countryside of Valencia and the beautiful mountains, canyons, gorges, and a jewel of nature the hot springs that is located 90 km north of the city. The natural hot springs is at 77 degrees all year around. The natural hot springs is in a lagoon where you can go swimming, snorkeling, discover the caves, or just enjoy a picnic.

The one spot may be to visit the Bellas Artes Museum where history and culture come together with the collections of famous Spaniards artists. The paintings of Juan Valdes Leal, Luca Giorand, Thomas Yepes, Augustin Esteve, and Alanso Cano along with drawings, sculptures, or artifacts from the 16th century. The museum has three floors of galleries to view and this is a place to visit if you enjoy fine art along with history.

One may be to celebrate in the festivals held every year. A festival which takes place in March consist of a nighttime parade, a procession; the offerings of flowers to Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Forsaken); and the famous Night of the Fire; on which ugly and humorous cardboard figures are burned. On July 25th the National holiday which celebrates the patron Saint of Spain with parades and fireworks. The last festival takes place in August is the La Tomatina Fight Festival where thousands of people join in to throw over 240 thousand pounds of tomatoes at one another in the largest food fight.

The last is to visit the magnificent the Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas that was built during the 15th century and is the National Ceramics Museum with pieces from Picasso, pieces of Chinese porcelain and exhibits of a Valencian kitchen.

One of the major highlights of Valencia is its festivals, most of which are celebrated in the summer months, starting February to June. This includes February carnivals, the Las Fallas festival in the following month, Holy Week and Easter celebrations, Corpus Christi in the month of June, and the San Juan bonfires in June end. The 'Tomato Warfare' in Bunol every summer and fireworks in Paterna in August are other notable festivals.

Regarding other must-visit places, the first on the list is the magnificent Valencia City of Arts and Science, which includes the L'Hemisfèric Planetarium, the leisure complex Palacio de las Artes Reina Sofia, the artificial marine world Parque Oceanográfico, and the treasure cove of information and artifacts, the Museo de las Ciencias Principe Felipe. Also, it is worth visiting the Miguelete Tower, offering a panoramic view of the city, Nicolau Primitiu Library, Palacio de la Música, the music palace, and Palacio de Justicia.

Historic edifices of interest include Antigua Universidad de Valencia, the 18th century hall - Ayuntamiento - the World Heritage Site of Lonja, Puente del Mar - the 400 year old sea bridge - and the main port, Puerto de Valencia. The small town of Sagunto, on the northern outskirts of Valencia, has some ancient Roman edifices and ruins.

For shopping, Plaza Redonda and Plaza de la Virgen would be ideal. Also, it'll be a nice experience to walk around the historic square at the heart of the city's Old Quarter, Plaza de Manises, or to savor the sight of Plaza de Toros, the 19th century Valencia bullring.

No visit to Valencia would be complete without a visit to the city's some extraordinary museums, especially if you are somebody who loves history and archeology. The famous museums in the city include Museo de Ciencias Naturales, Museo de Prehistoria y Arqueologia, Museo de la Ciudad, Museo Taurino, and San Pious V Museum.

For those who love sea, the beaches, and water sports, there are plenty of those along the Valencia coastline. The coastal resort of Benidorm, the charming Alicante - to the south of Valencia - and Balearic Islands - east of Valencia - including the island of Ibiza with its 50 beaches, offers more than one would expect from a beach tourist destination.

After your walk through time back to a day when things or all around different you may want to sit back and relax in your apartment or hotel room. Valencia has plenty to offer for every budget, depending on what you want to spend and where you would like to have your accommodation. There are many beach front hotels and apartments as the Mediterranean coast is a major tourist industry in Spain. You may need to be willing to pay a little more for accommodation that are closer to the beach, but if you want a little piece of history and do not mind a walk or a drive, then accommodations that are a little farther inland may be the economical choice for you. If you choose to stay farther in the city, you will not be disappointed as Valencia has much to offer as a modern metropolis.

When you have your accommodations and your bags unpacked the city of Valencia will be waiting for you to explore. It is a wonderful city with rich history, kind people and great food. You will definitely want to try a paella or two, maybe even three while you are there. You will have a holiday to remember when you leave this wonderful city.