Food: Xocolat

A treat that's popular in Barcelona (as well as other parts of the world, of course) is hot chocolate. However, the hot chocolate they serve over there is much, much thicker than what you normally get here in the U.S. It's less of a liquid and more like heated chocolate pudding, and it'll be a bit strange the first time you try it. While I did sample some "xocolat" from the fast food chain "Dunkin Coffee" (what "Dunkin Donuts" calls itself in Spain), the real deal was found in a little hole-in-the-wall cafe off La Rambla...

Spanish people often have hot chocolate with churros, the oily fried-dough concoction that's also becoming more common here in the States. This cafe didn't have serve any accompaniments save a small piece of candy, but the xocolat itself was exceptional - impossibly rich, thick, and with intense chocolate flavor. I was a bit suspicious when they started with a powder, but since they add steamed condensed milk, the whole thing ends up turning into ten different kinds of delicious.