In the coming weeks, the nostalgia of autumn drives us to seek the first sweatshirt, the leaves announce the colors of the season, and universities across Spain become witnesses to new gatherings and learnings. A “new course” that, when we talk about travel, points to Alcalá de Henares for many reasons.
And indeed, besides being a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, the city in the Community of Madrid was the first city designed and built as the seat of a university.
The cornerstone of a region that contributed decisively to the development of the Spanish language, but also to a cuisine that speaks of history and curiosities. A perfect reason to escape to this historic jewel located about 45 minutes from the center of Madrid, which you can reach by Cercanías or aboard the Cervantes Train, available on selected dates.
Alcalá de Henares: What does knowledge taste like?
In Cervantes’ times, vegetables and fruits were eaten on Fridays, a palomino on Sundays if money allowed, and duelos y quebrantos on Saturdays. This dish, associated with moderation and wrapped in a certain mystery, appears in the pages of Don Quixote, though many identify it with a combination of scrambled eggs with bacon, chorizo, or brains.
Centuries later, the gustatory mysteries still envelop Alcalá de Henares, that city open to the future but that never abandons its origin and tradition. And gastronomy is the best ritual to travel through time via the palate and the warmth that radiates from the streets of this UNESCO World Heritage city.
We could start the evening by ordering a tapa, an icon that, more than gastronomy, symbolizes a social act and leads locals and visitors to “go for tapas”. This custom can become a “tapas crawl”: going from bar to bar and trying various bites that accompany the drink, from juicy bravas to mini hamburgers. Then, if there’s still room, the menus of restaurants that are worth visiting open up if you drop by Alcalá de Henares.
