Eat like a Spaniard

While in New York, I happened to land upon the most amazing discovery (at least in my opinion). Right in Soho, there exists a tiny little place called Despaña, which is a Spanish grocery and eatery that sells and serves traditional Spanish food and ingredients.

There’s chorizo, Serrano ham that gets sliced right off the bone, and authentic bottles of olive oil and wine. There’s a little cafe area in back that serves tortilla and bocadillos, and you can even find Cola Cao, turrón, and – NOCILLA!

When I studied in Spain my junior year, I lived with a host family, and we ate Nocilla for breakfast every single day (along with a cup of Cola Cao).

Nocilla is similar to Nutella; it’s basically just the Spanish version. It’s quite a bit sweeter too, as half is chocolate and half is hazelnut, instead of them both mixed together. This type of spread is typically eaten for breakfast (never dessert), served spread on top of a toasted piece of baguette or whatever slice of bread you have on hand.

While I didn’t have this for breakfast – at least not yet – I couldn’t wait to dig into it. I picked up a demi baguette at Trader Joe’s, spread a little Nocilla on it, and happily reminisced about all things Spain.