It might seem that the “food truck culture” is growing so fast in Barcelona (and Spain): food street festivals which let us travel the world through food are getting really popular lately, and even events which are not directly related to food count also with that “food truck area” for the attendants who want to eat something at some point (for example, music or art festivals).
But before those kinds of “cool food trucks” (to say it that way) got its popularity, we actually have had the most famous food truck in Spain installed in the Spanish popular culture since many decades ago: the CHURRERÍAS.
Food trucks in New York City and food trucks in Spain
If we think of an iconic food truck, we automatically come up with this: the food trucks in New York city. These mobile restaurants are probably linked to the dynamic lifestyle in the city: food trucks offer what many workers which leave the office for a little break are looking for: “whatever it is, but fast” (ok, not everyone, and there are also “healthy” meal options ;-)). Also the ice cream food trucks play a lead role in the food truck scene in NY (and in the United States, in general). I remember how delicious ice cream was at the Big Dipper in Missoula.
But what about this historic food truck in Spain called “Churrería”? It also obeys some social laws in the country: it is on a Sunday morning or a Saturday evening when they get most clients. And this has a reason to be: it is on a Saturday afternoon/evening when you go for a walk in the city and you might stop by to eat some churros as a merienda (meal between lunch and dinner). And on Sunday, there is this ritual in which someone in the family wakes up a bit early and goes to buy some churros to have a different breakfast on Sundays (in that case churros are eaten along with hot chocolate).
So in the end it’s our food habits and culture which end up defining this food truck scene (and we picked up these two as an example).
Most famous food truck in Spain: “Churrería” and its origins
But let’s focus on the most iconic food truck in Spain, the “churrería”. Because even though you can eat chocolate con churros at a bar, there are these “churrerías ambulantes” on the street (and also in street markets and amusement fairs).
The origins of these food places is not clear, one hypothesis dates back to the nineteenth century: cities and little villages hosted the fairground men and it is said that they were the ones who shared this easy recipe. And it only took flour, water, salt and oil to cook what we know today as “churros”.
What you will find in this iconic food truck: porras, churros, crisps…
They usually sell churros in the most delicious variations: covered in chocolate, filled with cream, or even covered in chocolate AND filled with cream. And besides churros, they also offer homemade crisps. In case you want some hot chocolate to accompany your churros, they usually have it too.
And if after reading this article you got hungry, there are surely some “churrerías” near you (or coffee shops where you can try them, for instance, at Petritxol street).
But if you prefer to keep reading about some other ritual related to food, here is our suggestion: The ritual of buying chestnuts in the street. A Catalan tradition which is also based on that “food truck” ancient culture :-)
