Patatas Bravas Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Patatas Bravas sauce made of? ›

Bravas sauce (salsa brava) is easy to make with a few simple pantry ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, smoked paprika, and tomato paste! Perfect for drizzling atop hot fried potatoes to make delicious patatas bravas. But you'll find many uses for this delicious red sauce.

Patatas bravas are a classic Spanish dish that was created sometime after 1542 when the Spanish conquered the Inca empire and tubers became a more common food in Europe. The dish originates from Madrid where it became widely known as fried potatoes in a served with a spicy tomato sauce.

Patatas bravas, or spicy potato as it is translated, originates from Madrid and is a traditional Spanish cuisine typcially served to share. Patatas means “potato” in Spanish, and bravas is the sauce and lends to the term “spicy”. They make for a perfect start to a delicious meal with friends or loved ones.

Patatas bravas (Spanish: [paˈtatas ˈβɾaβas], also called patatas a la brava or papas bravas, all meaning "spicy potatoes") is a dish native to Spain. It typically consists of white potatoes that have been cut into 2-centimeter (0.79 in)-wide cubes, then fried in oil and served warm with a spicy "brava" sauce.

The “Patatas Bravas” are potatoes accompanied by hot sauce. In fact, its name comes from the spicy cayenne, which is essential in the sauce. Potatoes can be prepared fried, cooked in water, cooked in oil and even in some cases baked. It is a typical dish of Spanish cuisine, although its origin is really from Madrid.

Translated as the 'Spanish' sauce, Espagnole is a rich-bodied brown sauce. The sauce is the base of many other sauces, but perhaps most popularly, the demi-glace. Demi-glace is a time-consuming super-concentrated sauce popular in restaurant dishes.

Fist theory says patatas bravas were discovered after Spain conquered the Inca empire in 1542. Potatoes were not really popular at that time, and they were considered animals´food. People thought potatoes were poisonous but a thirty years war, made them have to eat it.

The dish dates back to 1542 after Spain concurred with the Inca Empire to bring back their agricultural produce, such as tomatoes. The people of Madrid, Spain, started preparing bite-sized fried potatoes dressed with served with spicy tomato sauce. Apart from Spain, this is also a familiar dish in other regions.

Bravas serves up traditional Spanish and modern tapas-style dining in Wine Country by James Beard finalists Mark and Terri Stark. Large plates to share, including paella.

Bravo/brava is an adjective with various meanings in Spanish. We use it when we want to say someone is brave or courageous. In some Spanish-speaking countries, however, bravo/brava is also used as a synonym for angry, mad or upset. This adjective can also help us describe the world around us by meaning rough or fierce.

What does taco mean in Spain Spanish? ›

Taco in Spain, mainly, is a curse, a swear word. It's really common, when kids say one of these words, to tell them “Niño, no digas tacos”. It's a kind of slang word.

However, brava is reserved specifically for women. Brava can also simply mean “good.” While bravo is the most popular form that is widely used for everyone regardless of gender outside of Italy, it is an alternate option if you want to showcase some grammatically correct Italian at the theater.

In Spain, fried potatoes are called patatas fritas or papas fritas.

The difference is regional. The word papa is used in most of the Americas, from Mexico to Argentina, although in some parts of the Andes, the word turma is also used. The word patata is used in Spain.

Andalusia: The Birthplace of Modern Tapas

In the 18th century, taverns, "bodegas" (wine cellars), and grocery stores all existed alongside each other in Andalusia. In the latter, wine was usually offered by the glass, and you could sample some of the foods sold there.

However, the famous Spanish sauce is made entirely from scratch and the aroma and taste are simply irresistible. The combination of roasted peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic, with toasted almonds and smoked Spanish paprika, results in a sauce that you'll demand an IV for.

Mojo verde sauce originates from the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of northwestern Africa. Traditionally, it's made with cilantro, cumin, garlic, vinegar, and olive oil and pounded in a mortar and pestle. It's herbaceous, garlicky, and bracingly acidic, and perfect for brightening up any smoked and grilled food.

"The potatoes probably come from Aragon or Galicia, the allioli from Catalonia and the spicy salsa from the Basque country. Bravas mix the many different cultures of Spain on one plate." And as the local saying goes: "They're so cheap, even the king can afford them."

Tomate frito is a very simple Spanish sauce made from sautéing tomatoes with onion, garlic, salt, and sugar, then puréeing it. Salsa de tomate is made with a similar method, but includes carrot and a little flour for thickening it. Also, the vegetables are strained out, leaving the sauce behind, not puréed.