Having finally moved to Madrid a few months ago (hi everyone!!), imagine my shock and horror when upon asking for milk, I get given some yukky carton of 'lets-go-camping-for-a-week-UHT-alternative.

What's the story?!

Nowhere aside from El Corte Ingles seems to sell fresh milk and certainly organic milk... strange no? and how on earth would dutchies in Madrid cope???

Before someone replies: "whats the difference?": Well A bit of UHT in yer coffee or tea is one thing but with cereal?! uugghh!

...And not even Uri Geller can make yoghurt from UHT milk! Poor little bacteri...

Milk. Rant. Over. Start. On. Basil.

My kingdom for some fresh basil!!

... there I was a few weeks ago, trying to be nice boyfriend, thinking I would make something nice for my girlfriend, who would be back after her first day on her MBA course and I needed some basil to make some pesto... But 3 different shops later, mumbling "er.. Albahaca? Al-Baa-Haca?! Basilicum? Basillll? Um... Dime Bar?" and all 3 shop keepers looked at me like I had just arrived fresh from the alien express charter. Even the big humongeous Natura Si store girl gave me a jar of dried basil!!! Nooooo! She told me it would be easier in Barcelona!! Now Barcelona might have cutting edge design, fashion and stuff but we're talking just some humble fresh basil!!!!

It's not me, I assure you... a few days later, my girlfriend went out to some markets trying to score some basil (it's got to that stage!) ...no luck!

H E L P !

If you're an Italian/Veggie/Aspiring Chef, how do you live in Madrid without Basil? (well in the winter anyway!) Answers on a postcard too...

Hmmppf!

Hey dakang, the "hipermercados" (Carrefour, Alcampo, etc...) also have fresh milk.

I am no dutchie but have no problem with the "tetra brik" milk here. I do skim only and find it just as good as the skim I got stateside.

Though I have never looked for it, basil = "albahaca" in Spanish, is that wnat you have been asking for at the markets you have tried?

Saludos,
jer...

Yes tried Albahaca, but even then I got strange looks (maybe the shopkeeper wasn't native and didn't know what Albahaca was???)

I seem to like the fact that something so prevalent in other countries (UK, Holland, Ireland, Turkey, hell even India!!) is so hard to get here in a local shop ... but yes, I'll see if there's a Hipermercado cerca Tribunal...ta!

Me too, dakang, me too!!! I can just about "do" UHT milk in coffee, but no not ever on cereals! And what about that lovely glass of cold milk with dippy eggs and soldiers!!!! We are lucky here in Lanzarote, about 5 years ago we began to get fresh milk from Gran Canaria, but it does tend to have already gone off in the summer by the time it reaches the supermarkets!!!

As far as fresh basil is concerned, sometimes the larger supermarkets sell it in little pots, which I buy and promptly plant in the garden. Other than that have you tried the plant nurseries?

quote:

originally posted by madsue:
[qb] Me too, dakang, me too!!! I can just about "do" UKT milk in coffee, but no not ever on cereals! And what about that lovely glass of cold milk with dippy eggs and soldiers!!!! <snipped>[/qb]

The UHT process appears to differ greatly among countries. In the UK, it tastes disgusting (to me) but in Spain and in Mexico it�s really nice.
It�s also more practical than fresh milk in hotter climes.

People rarely appreciate the following point, but it�s true: the food you like is the food you�re used to. You can verify this for yourself by eating something you don�t like for a few weeks.
The same applies to music, by the way, but that�s another thread... Stephen

Fresh albahaca does exist here in Madrid. I know because I made pesto a couple of months ago and one of my friends, a complete foodie, had me scurrying all over Madrid to find it.

Unfortunately, I do not recall where we finally found it. Try the gourmet food section at El Corte Ingl�s. If you are near any of them, I have also seen it prepackaged and sold in Carrefour. I understand what you mean when you say you got strange looks asking for albahaca. I got the same when I asked for fresh ginger. Jenjibre. One guy asked if such a thing even existed. Fortunately the girl working at the fruter�a was a little bit more enlightened and explained to him what it was.

As far as the milk is concerned, I am with jer and Steven on this one. It�s no different than the skim milk I was used to in the states.. and for the hotter climate, it lasts much longer than fresh milk...

Hope you have luck finding that basil!!

The mercado in Tribunal/Barcelo has all that fresh stuff, don't ask me to remember the names of the shops, I just know where I go, it took a while and a few inspirational beers to find the best places. The place I mentioned before on another thread (the one about meat) is called Julian and it's on C/Gravina a couple of doors down from La Bodega Angel Sierra in La Plaza de Chueca, and they're pretty damned good on the veggie front.

>As far as fresh basil is concerned, sometimes the larger supermarkets sell it in little pots, which I buy and promptly plant in the garden. Other than that have you tried the plant nurseries?

Yeah!, we got some basil in a little pot from Al Campo at Pio XII. We managed to grab a bit off it for one curry before it expired

Dime Bar? D-I-M-E B-A-R

Yes, you do have to be a bit quick with those silly pots from the supermarkets! But they do grow if you remember to water them (and transplant them from the little pots)!!!!

>if you remember to water them

Ah, water! I knew there was something else I should do, apart from eat them!!
The pot didn't taste nice!

Hi there,
I've found basil and mint in tiny triangular plastic packs at El Corte Ingles. They are expensive though and very small.

The best thing to do is get some seeds and plant your own.

Ginger is always available at any Chinese food store. I like the one in Plaza Mayor but I hear that the mamoth Chinese market beneath Plaza Espana is amazing.

As for the milk, I hate milk except in coffee, so I am okay with the UHT. And no, Stephen, I don't plan on drinking it for a week to get myself used to it. I have calcium pills so my bones are all set!

Candela

I evven buy fresh milk in smaller places like supersol, near the yogurt.

Wow! Lots to go on, thanks all.

however I have a picky lil' point:

As far as the milk is concerned, I am with jer and Steven on this one. It�s no different than the skim milk I was used to in the states.. and for the hotter climate, it lasts much longer than fresh milk...


I beg to differ! , skimmed milk tastes awfully watery me thinks... and for cooking its not so versatile.

And in the friendliest possible way, I dont agree with the hot climates/UHT argument: In Italy fresh milk is the norm and I have just been told, in Egypt also. So there!!

But anyway...enough about that, thanks for all the tips! :ks:

Forgot: planting basil definately the way forward, but I was thinking of waiting until March to sow...

Laidback gets the prize for remembering the dime-bar reference!!

>Laidback gets the prize for remembering the dime-bar reference!!

Woo hoo!! What is it, what is it??????