Take the homesickness out of your pantry!
Rosa misses the fish and fresh seafood, horchata, anchovies and churros with chocolate ; Toñi, the fried tomato of a specific brand ("dude, here's a tomato!"); Isabel, the Serrano ham; Julia, The manchego cheese and Guillermo, fresh cheese from Burgos. Laura longs for the Campurrianas ; Maria, mushrooms and the Nenuco colony . Helena is missing custard apples and artichokes.
They are some of the thousands of Spanish expatriates who, for one reason or another, live outside our borders. What they miss are Mediterranean products and national brands that sometimes have equivalents in their host countries, but they never taste or smell the same as in the land itself.
Products that fill Spanish supermarkets and traditional stores, to which few pay much attention when they find them daily on top of the shelf . However, those who live abroad turn their eyes to those marks with nostalgia, looking forward to eating the usual dishes once again (especially those palates that do not get used to new things, sometimes too exotic) .
For this reason, the Spanish flavor flies thousands of kilometers thanks to online stores that send all kinds of native products (and not just food) wherever they are in demand. ** Your Spanish Corner ** is one of them, and the hope for those who try to make lentils taste like always: a chorizo, rice and ribs.
Live!
Your Spanish Corner has been in operation for four years and its goal has always been to become "the typical Spanish corner, the typical place to find any product of always ", Jessica R., one of the team members, explains to Traveler. They have achieved it: Specially sell to Europe countries (its main clients are from Germany, the United Kingdom and Austria), but also to Australia either USA . The shipments are daily, exceed one hundred per month and are aimed at both individuals (especially twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings, but also older people) and small bodegas, delicatessens and Spanish establishments abroad.
How could it be otherwise, olive oil, coffee, sausages, cookies and other sweets are the most popular foods, all of them from well-known brands, " the ones that anyone finds in the supermarket of Spain ". In this virtual supermarket there is no shortage of canned food, wine, cleaning and hygiene products, ** paella pans, fans, combs and even Catholic products (crucifixes, images and statues of saints) **. The objective is to promote (all) Iberian customs and traditions.
Dipping the churro: an inalienable pleasure
A VERY COMFORTABLE SERVICE
With a few clicks and in a matter of days, anyone can receive the products they want at home thanks to an online store open 24 hours a day, without the need for a family member to pay expensive shipping . For example, "if you place an order over 100 euros for Germany, shipping costs will be less than 6 euros , which is often what the neighborhood supermarket charges you for taking your groceries home," says Jessica.
She explains that, although in other countries there are establishments that sell Spanish products, they do not usually have all the possible variety and are usually found in large cities, which forces buyers to travel kilometers or not to do so due to laziness if they live in the outskirts.
To the rich manchego cheese
The anecdotes are not lacking. On a certain occasion, a group of Spaniards who were going to spend New Year's Eve in Ireland a large order to prepare a party . They bought all kinds of starters, cheeses, ham, sausages, paella, nougat, mantecados, grapes and even party favors. Jessica admits that the experience was somewhat stressful, because they don't usually have assignments of this magnitude, but also a lot of fun. Customers pooled a fund to pay for the order, but it took a long time to fund it. " Time was running out on us and in the end it arrived on the same day 31 in the morning ".
On another occasion, a Murcian who lived in Malaga (an immigrant in his own way) made them a request for michirones , a typical Murcian stew that is cooked with a type of large beans and various condiments, and which is usually difficult to find anywhere else in Spain.
the sea in your mouth
The oldest customer of this online store is 78 years old She and she is German, but she lived many years in Tenerife, so every month she asks for a whole list of products that accompanied her for years and that now she misses back in her native country. According to Jessica R. she is not the only foreigner who does it . In fact, "even though it may seem like a lie", more or less the number of expats and foreigners placing orders is at 50%.
Spanish gastronomy attracts and creates a strong bond, not only among the natives but also among those who visit our country and are captivated. Although for expatriates there is nothing better than a good stew from grandma, have a bottle of condensed milk at home (you know what brand) will always be a good and handy alternative.
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