Eating at the oldest restaurant in the world
Nestled in the heart of Madrid is one of Ernest Hemingway's favourite restaurants, Restaurante Sobrino de Botín.
First opened as an inn, the landmark eatery was founded in 1725 by French cook Jean Botín and his wife. It is the world's oldest restaurant, as officially recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records.
The existence of the building which currently houses the restaurant dates back to 1590.
Today, Botín is famed for its rustic Castilian cuisine, including succulent roast meats fired in an oven that's close to 300 years old.
The restaurant's name was changed from Casa Botín to Sobrino de Botín ('nephew of Botín') when Mrs. Botín died and her nephew took over. It is now owned by the González family.
Botín has four floors and the air of a traditional Spanish tavern. There are three dining rooms: the bodega ('cellar'), the Castilla room, and the Felipe IV room.
The most famous dishes here are the cochinillo asado ('"roast suckling pig") and the cordero asado ("roast lamb").
The restaurant receives suckling pigs from Segovia and lambs from Sepúlveda three to four times per week.
Both the lambs and pigs are roasted in the original wood-fired oven, which is nearly 300 years old and made of cast iron.
Crispy skin on the outside, tender meat on the inside, the suckling pig is served with a side of roast potatoes.
Hemingway was a glutton for Botín's sucking pig, so much so that he immortalised it in The Sun Also Rises. From the book: "We lunched upstairs at Botín's. It is one of the best restaurants in the world. We had roast young suckling pig and drank rioja alta."
Clams Botín, another popular dish, features a house sauce of onion, hot chilli pepper, garlic, dry white wine, paprika, tomato purée, and laurel leaf.
Have you ever been to Spain?
Written by Brittany Fowler. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz. Hero image credit: Restaurante Botin/Facebook