Spanish cuisine is very rich and full of delicious dishes. However, one of its most emblematic dishes is also one of the simplest, the Tortilla de Patata (potato omelette) or Spanish omelette. It is simple to prepare and has simple ingredients.

From the basic recipe, there are many variations, both in the way of cooking the ingredients and in the egg curdling. The most common additional ingredient is onion, and the preparation with onion is even more popular than the simple recipe with only potatoes.

It comes the most funny and stressful part of the preparation, we recommends doing it with help of the lid of the pan if you don’t have a special skirting “tortillera”.  Flipping the omelet is an art and you you will have to repeat the process a couple of times until the inside is cooked through.

Potato is a soothing food for skin problems, contains more starch, a product with emollient, soothing the skin. This property makes the potato can be used to combat a lot of stomach problems. In external use, can be applied the potatoes to combat pain, to reduce the inflammations or to heal the wounds.

Also apply the slices potato on the affected body.  In a same way the potato treatments can be applied on the aching articulations affected by rheumatism in order to calm the pain, arthritis or osteoarthritis. Potatoes ca also be used to combat treat acne. In the Cooking Classes Mallorca at Open Kitchen Mallorca we cook the potatoes for the best Spanish tortillas.

Edible properties of potatoes

Potatoes are rich in Vitamin C, have detoxifying properties, but this vitamin is located under the skin of potato, manu of it gets lost after cooking. They are specially rich in carbohydrates that are, together with sugar, the energy source for the correct working of our body.

Sa Pobla in Mallorca new potato export

Higher than normal temperatures and very little frost have led to the export of potatoes starting much earlier than usual and to excellent forecasts because of the abundance of potatoes of very good quality.

Sa Pobla will be exporting between 17,000 and 22,000 tons of potatoes to the UK, Scandinavia, eastern European countries such as Poland and also to Germany.  The accelerated growth of the potatoes has been due to higher temperatures over the past few months and has also helped to bump up the price during the first weeks of export
If you are interested in our spanish cooking courses, check our online calendar of Mallorca cooking classes for upcoming workshops or send us an email if you are a group and you want us to make it for you. More information at www.lonja18.com

History of the Spanish Omelette

As happens with the birth of so many other dishes, the clues to the first Spanish Omeletare diluted among legends, old recipe books and history books.

There is a popular legend about General Tomás de Zumalacárregui, probably the most widespread. According to the story, it was this general who invented the potato omelette in 1835 as a quick and easy way to feed his troops during the Carlist Wars. However, little of this legend has been confirmed, much less documented.  

In the “Semanario de Agricultura y Artes Dirigido a los Párrocos” (1798) a ‘Carta sobre el pan de patatas’ (Letter on potato bread) is published, which refers to a preparation devised by the learned Mr. José de Tena Godoy y Malfeito.

Apparently, in search of nutritious and cheap food in times of famine, de Tena invented a kind of bread or pancakes made with potatoes, flour, salt, and yeast and mixed with eggs, with the peculiarity that these were cooked in a frying pan instead of in an oven.

Potatoes came from America

The potato was not known in Europe until the first Spanish conquistadors brought it from America. But unlike other products such as tobacco or cocoa, it was far from being a success. Chronicles say that it arrived more as an exotic item than as a nutritious food.

if we leave the potato aside for a moment, it is said that, both in Spain and in America, the first references to the origin of the omeletare very old. 

The Chronicles of the Indies are well known, in which, as early as 1515, there seems to be a record of recipes with dishes based on “omelettes made with eggs of different birds”. Of course, once again, we are faced with an unproven legend.

There are probably many more legends and the origin of the Spanish omeletis still uncertain today. What seems clear is that it was born sometime in the late sixteenth century, probably simultaneously in the Netherlands and in the communities of converted Jews that still existed in Spain, as a humble food, for survival. 

And this is how it remained, on the fringes of “cultured” cuisine, at least until the second half of the 19th century, when it was codified (around 1890) and acquired the name of Spanish omelette.

Nowadays there are as many potato omelettes as there are cooks, bars, restaurants, recipes, tastes and diners. Ingredients can be added to the basic recipe, such as onion, peppers, chorizo, mushrooms or soy sauce.

There are variants of this omelette that include other ingredients, such as the Tortilla Paisana, which in addition to potatoes and egg, includes chorizo, red bell pepper and peas.

Traditional Spanish Omelette Recipe

Ingredients 

½  cup extra virgin olive oil  

3 medium russet potatoes (about 1 ½ lb.) peeled and cut into ¼” slices

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)

7 eggs

1 tsp. salt

Preparation 

Heat oil over medium heat in a 10″ nonstick skillet and add potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes, potatoes should not turn brown. 

Then add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent and the potatoes are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. 

Carefully scoop the potato and onion into a colander, reserving a tablespoon of olive oil. Set the potatoes aside until cool.

In a bowl, beat eggs and salt. Add the cooled onion and potato mixture. Stir until well combined.

In the same skillet over low heat, heat reserved oil and add egg and potato mixture. Cook, without stirring, until the eggs begin to cook through and the underside begins to turn slightly brown about 10 minutes. 

Carefully slide the omeletonto a flat plate and invert it back into the skillet to fully cook the omelette.

Continue cooking the omeletuntil fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Serve on a plate either warm or cold.

If you want to learn how to cook a GOOD tortilla de patatas join us for our Spanish cooking masterclass in Palma de Mallorca. Every day, book now here!