Traditional Food in Salamanca-
Salamanca’s arguably most well-known dish is ‘Hornazo’, originally the consumption of this meat pie was only at the end of the Easter celebrations, however it is now commonly seen all year round. The main ingredients of the dish include pork, chorizo, eggs and cured ham/bacon. The pie has a distinctive diagonal grid pattern on the top and inside the ingredients are layered.
‘Paloma’ is another typical dish of Salamanca, which consists of fried wheat crust wrapped around a portion of Russian salad. This dish is usually served cold and is best enjoyed in spring and summer.
Traditionally baked at home for Christmas and other festivals, ‘perrunillas’ are golden, round shaped cookies made with almonds. Another traditional sweet treat is ‘doughnuts of Ledesma’, these doughnuts are known for their very small size (no larger than a coin) and their dry consistency.
Traditional Fiestas in Salamanca-
Named Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2002, Salamanca hosts a range of festivals all year round. To start the year off, ‘Reyes Magos’ festival takes place on the 5th and 6th of January. A huge parade called ‘Cabalgata de los Rayes Magos’ snakes through the city’s streets on the 5th of January during the evening hours, then on the 6th the equivalent of Christmas day is held with gift giving and a grand family dinner.
Held on June the 12th ‘San Juan de Sahagun’ celebrates Salamanca’s patron saint who is said to have performed miracles within the city. There are bullfights, eating, drinking and a grand firework display over the Tormes River.
Salamanca’s must sees-
‘La Catedral Nueva’ of Salamanca is located on the hilltop next to the Old Cathedral, however, the new Cathedral isn’t actually that new, and construction began back in the 16th century, whereas the Old Cathedral dates back to the 12th century. Since construction of the Cathedral took almost two centuries to complete, the building shows a combination of Gothic, Plateresque and Baroque architectural elements and for this, the building was then declared a national monument by royal decree in 1887.
‘Casa de las Conchas’ which literally translates to ‘House of Shells’ was built in the 15th century and was a home to Talavera Maldonado, a Knight of the Order of Santiago. The most stand-out feature of the palace is the façade decorated with carvings of scallop shells; over 300 shells sculpted from sandstone are on the outer walls of the building.
Although you may have heard of ‘Plaza Mayor’ in Madrid, ‘Plaza Mayor’ in Salamanca is much less well known but equally as charming. At the heart of the city, the ‘Plaza’ is an elegant square lined with arcaded buildings with uniform design and within the ‘Plaza’ there is a Royal Pavilion and the city’s Town Hall. Historically, the square has been the centre of many fiestas as well as hosting bullfights until the 19th century and now it is a lively hub for Salamanca’s nightlife.
Salamanca’s ‘Casco Historico’ (Old Town) is where the majority of the city’s most popular attractions are located and is doubtlessly worth a visit! Another landmark of the city is ‘Puente Romano’ (Roman Bridge) which dates back to the first century and it still has more than half of its original stone arches still intact. Another must see site of Salamanca is ‘Convento de las Dueñas’ which is an interesting example of Moorish-Christian architecture and was founded in 1419 as a convent for Dominican nuns.
Slang and Dialect in Salamanca-
In Salamanca, Castilian Spanish is the only language spoken, may that be in the streets, or in a business setting. The quality of Spanish that’s spoken in Salamanca is to a very high standard and the pronunciation is quite easy to understand (unlike the Andalusian accent!).