Common Spanish Menu Items

COMMON MENU ITEMS

A la plancha: Grilled

A la roteña: ‘Rota style,’ meaning baked fish prepared in a stew of tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, black pepper, and wine

Aceite: Oil, usually Olive Oil

Aceitunas: Olives

Adobado: Marinated

Agua: Water

Ajo: Garlic

Almejas: Clams

Arranque: traditional Rota specialty, a sauce made of tomatoes, stale bread, garlic, oil, peppers, and salt, usually served with bread

Arroz: Rice

Atún: Tuna

Bacalao: Cod

Bebidas: Beverages

Bocadillo: Sandwich made with a large crusty bread bun, topped with meat, cheese, and/or tomatoes

Boquerones: Sardines

Café Con Leche: Coffee with frothed milk

Carne: Meat

Cebolla: Onion

Cerdo: Pork

Cerveza: Beer (the most common is Cruzcampo, a cheap beer tasting similar to Pabst Blue Ribbon)

Champiñón: Mushroom

Chocos or Sepia: Cuttlefish, a kind of squid

Chorizo: Spiced Sausage, can be fresh or dried

Con: With (as in: con queso, with cheese)

Croquetas: Fried Miniballs, filled with cheese, fish, ham, or veggies

Crudo: Raw

El Postre: Dessert

Ensalada: Salad

Espaguetis: Spaghetti

Fideos: Noodles

Filete: Steak (beef or pork)

Frito/ Fritas: Fried

Fruta: Fruit

Gambas: Prawns, or very large shrimp

Gazpacho: Fresh Tomato Soup, made with garlic, peppers, vinegar, olive oil, and bread—all pureed and served cold. Sometimes topped with cucumbers, egg, or jamón.

Hamburguesa: Hamburger

Helado: Ice Cream

Hielo: Ice

Huevo: Egg

Jamón: Cured Ham, very thinly sliced. Jamón serrano is cheaper and fattier. Jamón iberico is more expensive, lean and flavorful.

La Sopa: Soup

Lomo: Loin

Lubina: Sea Bass—a rich, white fish

Montadito: Small Sandwich, a roll or toast topped with meat, cheese, and/or tomatoes

Paella: fancy dish of rice mixed with a variety of seafood, meat, vegetables, and saffron seasonings

Pan: Bread

Papas: Potatoes (usually sliced or cubed and fried)

Perrito: Hot Dog

Pez Espada: Swordfish

Pimientos: Peppers

Pollo: Chicken

Pulpo: Octopus

Queso: Cheese (There are numerous varieties, but Manchego—cured sheep cheese—is the most common.)

Salado: Salted

Salmonete: Red Mullet Fish (not salmon)

Salsa: Sauce or Gravy (not typically spicy)

Sin: Without (as in sin carne, without meat)

Solomillo: Tenderloin

Té: Tea

Ternera: Beef (or Veal)

Tortilla: Omelet of potatoes, eggs, and olive oil fried and then slowly cooked to make a soft and delicious dish that looks like a pie, and can be served whole or by the slice.

Urta: Rockfish (Rota’s local specialty)

Vino: Wine (Red is Tinto, White is Blanco)

Zumo: Juice (usually available in naranja, pina, melocotin, or manzana, which is orange, pineapple, peach, or apple.)

The above info is an excerpt from the book 'Welcome to Rota,' by Lizann Lightfoot. The book provides more details on many of these dishes, including recipes!