Breakfast, snacks and sandwiches

For breakfast you're best off in a bar or café, though some hostales and fondas will serve the "Continental" basics. The traditional Spanish breakfast is chocolate con churros - long tubular doughnuts (not for the weak of stomach) with thick drinking chocolate. But most places also serve tostadas (toast) with oil ( con aceite ) or butter ( con mantequilla ) - and jam ( y mermelada ), or more substantial egg dishes such as huevos fritos (fried eggs), which are not a typical Spanish breakfast but do tend to be on offer in tourist areas. Tortilla (potato omelette) also makes an excellent breakfast.

Coffee and pastries ( pasteles or bollos ) or doughnuts are available at most cafés, too, though for a wider selection of cakes you should head for one of the many excellent pastelerías or confiterías . In larger towns, especially in Catalunya, there will often be a panadería or croissantería serving quite an array of appetizing baked goods besides the obvious bread, croissants and pizza.

Some bars specialize in bocadillos - hearty French bread-style sandwiches with a choice of fillings. If you want them wrapped to take away with you, ask for them para llevar . Incidentally, be careful not to use the word "sandwich" to order a bocadillo , as an Iberian sandwich is usually on sad, processed white bread - often with ham and cheese or something with a lot of mayonnaise.

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