Merienda: the merriest of meals

If Carlsberg made non-dairy milk, it would be horchata. It’s sweet, refreshing and has a dedicated pastry to dunk in it. What is not to love? It’s a regional speciality of Valencia, and ornate horchaterias decorate the centre of town. Come 7pm, they are alive with gloriously glamorous Senoras, who gather to catch up on the gossip and take merienda, a marvellous late afternoon meal.

Spain has five official meals a day.  Meal number four, filling the all important hours between lunch and dinner is merienda. It can be sweet, it can be salty, for me it’s a bit of a naughty hour….

Here is a post paella Sunday merienda, we opted for a medley of ice cream, churros and hot chocolate and a glass of horchata and a fartón (pastry). This delicate drink is made from chufas (tiger nuts, which grow beneath the ground and are actually tubers rather than nuts) mixed with sugar and water. Surprisingly it has a definite nutty and milky quality. Quite the enigma, horchata even has it’s own legend, that King Jaume I (The Conqueror) referred to it as pure gold on grounds of it’s sweetness and texture. Brilliantly it has a special accompanying pastry, rather like a lighter version of an iced bun designed especially for dunking into it. It’s unique, satisfying and a lovely ritual.

So if you happen to be in Valencia late afternoon you could do far worse that get yourself to an horchateria. I hope you chance upon a group of well dressed Seniors, holding court and enjoying life. In summer it’s the most reviving of meals. And don’t be shy to dip your fartón, it’s only natural.

 

Fork notes:

• Here's a breakdown of the Spanish eating day:
• Desayuno breakfast, decidedly small, a little pastry or tostada with coffee
• Almeurzo 11am snack, often a baguette with tortilla or jamon, a beer or coffee, no shame here for a beer before midday, respect
• Comida three course lunch, naturally, between 2-4pm, bread, wine, coffee
• Merienda 7pm-ish, could be salty, could be sweet, you decide!
• Cena 10-11pm, a lighter and often social dinner, tapas or maybe hot chocolate and sweet things in front of the tv

• You can have horchata in granizada form (posh slush puppy) or without sugar
• The fartóns also vary, they can be filled with cream, or chocolate, or at the famous Horcateria Daniel in Alboraya (the birth place of horchata), they have a plethora of pastries and you can even see the chufa plants growing in the surrounding fields
• In town, I’m a fan of Horchateria de Santa Catalina