Spain Explained

Marti Buckley
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Spain Explained is the podcast for people who want to understand Spanish culture, Spanish food, and Spanish traditions beyond the guidebook basics. Hosted by award-winning author and cook Marti Buckley, who's lived in Spain since 2010, this show unpacks the concepts, rituals, and quirks that make Spain… Spain. Whether you're planning a trip to Spain, obsessed with Spanish cuisine, dreaming of moving there, or just curious why lunch can last four hours, this podcast translates the untranslatable. Each episode dives into one single part of Spanish life, from sobremesa to siesta, café con leche to jamón ibérico, and explains what it is and why it matters. Marti is the author of cookbooks including The Book of Pintxos and Basque Country, writes for Condé Nast Traveler, The Telegraph, and Food & Wine,, and founded the International Society for the Preservation and Enjoyment of Vermouth. She's your insider guide to Spanish culture, Spanish daily life, and Spanish food traditions. This podcast is about understanding why Spain works the way it does. Perfect for Spain lovers, travelers, expats, and anyone who's wondered why Spaniards eat dinner at 10pm. New episodes weekly covering Spanish food culture, daily life in Spain, regional traditions, and the quirks of living in Spain.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    What is Gazpacho? (EP 16)

    Gazpacho looks like the simplest thing in the world. Blended vegetables, tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar. But did you know it spent centuries with no tomato, no red color, and no place in any serious cookbook? This episode gets into all of it.  In this episode learn what gazpacho actually is and how it varies across Spain, from the classic andaluz to gazpacho manchego, which is a completely different dish that Sancho Panza was eating in Don Quixote and bears almost no resemblance to what we know today. We go deep into the history, including how the dish spent centuries being considered too humble to write down, how the tomato entered the picture later than most people think, and how one of the earliest recognizable written recipes for tomato gazpacho turned up not in Spain but in a Virginia cookbook in 1824. We talk about the 1880s Madrid trend cycle that accidentally saved the recipe from obscurity, the Real Academia Española's definition that still fuels arguments today, and how to actually make a good one, including why the olive oil is structural, not decorative, and why bad tomatoes are the one thing you cannot work around. If you want more Spain content: ∙ Subscribe to Marti's Substack at https://substack.com/@martibuckley ∙ Follow her on Instagram @martibuckley ∙ Visit her blog at travelcookeat.com.

    19 min
  2. You Might Also Like: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    1 DAY AGO ·  BONUS

    You Might Also Like: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    Introducing Esther Perel: The REAL Reason You’re Struggling to Find Love (Fix THIS to Build Chemistry in Real Life) from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty Today,  Jay Shetty welcomes back Esther Perel to unpack a growing tension in modern relationships: in a world more connected than ever, why so many people feel deeply disconnected. Esther reframes dating struggles as something deeper than love itself, pointing to a broader loss of real-life social practice. Without the everyday interactions that once taught us how to approach, connect, and handle rejection, dating now feels like a high-stakes performance instead of a natural progression. What was once built through play, curiosity, and gradual connection has been compressed into a single moment of pressure, turning love into something overwhelming rather than something we can explore. Jay and Esther explore the illusion of connection in the digital age, where texting replaces talking and screens replace presence. Esther explains how this disembodied way of relating strips away the elements that create real intimacy, like eye contact, tone of voice, touch, and shared energy. While it can feel like we are communicating more, we are often losing depth, nuance, and emotional resonance. This shift has shaped a culture that avoids friction and discomfort, yet still feels more anxious, lonely, and exhausted. In trying to make relationships easier and more efficient, we may be losing the very experiences that give them meaning. In this episode you'll learn: How to Build Real Connection Offline How to Turn Dating Into Discovery, Not Pressure How to Be More Curious Instead of Judgmental How to Create Attraction Through Presence Not Perfection How to Ask for What You Truly Need How to Build Trust in Small, Consistent Moments How to Balance Independence and Interdependence How to Stay Open to Love Without a Checklist If there’s one thing to hold onto, it’s this: nothing about love is broken, you’re just being asked to approach it differently. The world may have made connection feel more complicated, but at its core, it still comes back to showing up, being present, and allowing yourself to be seen without needing to get everything right. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty JAY’S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe   Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast  What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 01:11 Why Is Gen Z Dating Less? 04:23 The Disappearance of Physical Connection 06:26 Living in a Fully Contactless World 09:54 Connected, Yet Deeply Disconnected 12:01 Dating in the Age of Surveillance 14:11 Why Real Connection Feels Harder Than Ever 17:07 Why Love Falls Flat Without Friction 18:41 The Missing Skills No One Taught Us About Love 24:35 The Hidden Power Struggles Shaping Modern Relationships 27:05 The 4 Pillars of Relational Intelligence 30:07 Have We Lost the Ability to Problem-Solve? 32:38 How to Know If You Can Really Trust Someone 36:44 From “Me” to “We”  38:27 Should You Make a Dating Checklist?  41:04 Why Dating Feels Like a Full-Time Job 43:00 The Pressure Behind “Intentional” Dating 47:50 When Love Doesn’t Speak Your Language 50:25 Why Talking to AI Feels Easier Than People 55:16 The Trap of Wanting Love to Feel Effortless 56:35 Is Love Supposed to Be Hard? 57:58 Why Wanting Love Isn’t “Cringe” 01:02:43 Codependence vs Healthy Love 01:07:09 What Actually Keeps Desire Alive? 01:10:26 Breaking Down Viral Relationship Myths   01:17:38 Esther on Final Five Episode Resources: Website | https://www.estherperel.com/  YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@estherperel  Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/esther.perel/  Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/estherperelofficial  LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherperel  TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@estherperel_official  Substack | https://estherperel.substack.com/  Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. 28 APR

    What is the Camino? (EP 15)

    Every year, hundreds of thousands of people walk across Spain to reach a single cathedral in the far northwest corner of the country. Some of them are religious. Some of them just want a really, really long walk. The Camino de Santiago has been pulling people across Europe for over a thousand years, and right now more people are doing it than at any point in recorded history. What's the deal with the scallop shell? What are the major routes? What is it actually like to walk over 500 miles across Spain? In this episode, Marti talks about her experience on the Camino Francés in 2006, from the boots, the blisters, and the pilgrim hostels to the strangers who become friends by nightfall. This episode also goes into the history. Legend says it starts in 813 AD, when a hermit noticed strange lights in a forest in Galicia and a king traveled from Oviedo to investigate, becoming the first recorded Camino pilgrim. It covers the medieval golden age when 250,000 people a year were crossing the continent on foot, the plague and the Reformation that nearly ended the whole thing, and the bishop who in 1589 secretly removed the relics of Saint James from the cathedral crypt to protect them from English attack, died without telling anyone where he'd hidden them, and left the mystery unsolved for three hundred years.  If you want more Spain content: ∙ Subscribe to Marti's Substack at https://substack.com/@martibuckley ∙ Follow her on Instagram @martibuckley ∙ Visit her blog at travelcookeat.com

    28 min

  4. 21 APR

    What is a Churro? (EP 14)

    Churros are another one of those foods that reveals everything about Spain's regionality. This episode breaks down what churros actually are, where they come from, and why a food this simple produces this much regional passion. You'll learn the differences between churros, porras, and tejeringos, how oil temperature and dough technique make or break the whole thing, when people actually eat them across Spain, and why one of the country's most beloved foods almost never appears in a Spanish cookbook. If you want more Spain content: ∙ Subscribe to Marti's Substack at https://substack.com/@martibuckley ∙ Follow her on Instagram @martibuckley ∙ Visit her blog at travelcookeat.com.

    21 min

  5. 14 APR

    What is Flamenco? (EP 13)

    Flamenco is one of the world's great musical traditions: a singing art so emotionally raw it can feel like possession, a guitar technique unlike anything else on earth, and an extremely expressive dance vocabulary. It developed in Andalucía through centuries of deep cultural mixing, and it has been evolving, absorbing, and reinventing itself ever since. This episode breaks down what flamenco actually is: the three components of cante, toque, and baile. We get into the origins, which are genuinely complicated and still debated, the role of the Gitano community, and possible origins of the word "flamenco". You'll also learn how cafés cantantes turned flamenco into a profession in the late 19th century, what happened to flamenco under Franco, how Paco de Lucía and Camarón de la Isla changed everything in the 1970s, and what palos are and why learning to distinguish them takes years. Plus: duende, the most important and most untranslatable concept in flamenco, and contemporary artists keeping the form alive. If you want more Spain content: ∙ Subscribe to Marti's Substack at https://substack.com/@martibuckley ∙ Follow her on Instagram @martibuckley ∙ Visit her blog at www.travelcookeat.com.

    19 min

  6. 7 APR

    What is Pan Con Tomate? (EP 12)

    Pan con tomate literally means "bread with tomato". It is just four ingredients. Bread, tomato, olive oil, salt. (Ok, sometimes a little garlic, too). But this simple dish is NOT to be underestimated. It forms the backbone of breakfasts, and in Cataluña and surrounding regions is even served with a meal instead of regularl sliced bread. This episode breaks down what pan con tomate actually is, where it came from, when and how Catalans eat it, and why a dish this stripped-back became so culturally significant. You'll learn the proper technique, the ingredient debates, what makes Catalan bread culture different, and why the tomato variety matters, A LOT. If you want more Spain content: ∙ Subscribe to Marti's Substack at https://substack.com/@martibuckley ∙ Follow her on Instagram @martibuckley ∙ Visit her blog at www.travelcookeat.com.

    15 min

  7. 31 MAR

    What is Merienda? (EP 11)

    Spain has five meals a day. You probably only know three of them. Merienda is the fourth, the officially sanctioned afternoon snack that happens somewhere in the afternoon, right in the gap between a 2pm lunch and a dinner that won't start until 9 or 10. It sounds simple. Until you look closer. What should I eat for merienda? Why should I do merienda? Why the obsession with ColaCao? This episode covers what merienda actually is, why it exists, and what the word itself tells you about how Spain thinks about food and time. We also get into the history of what people actually ate, because what Spanish kids had at 5pm in any given decade is basically a timeline of the country's economy: postwar bread with olive oil, the ColaCao era, the bocadillo years, industrial bollería, and where things stand now. Marti Buckley has been living in Spain for 15 years and has strong feelings about merienda, ColaCao, and the fact that adults here still drink it without apology. If you want more Spain content: ∙ Subscribe to Marti's Substack at https://substack.com/@martibuckley ∙ Follow her on Instagram @martibuckley ∙ Visit her blog at www.travelcookeat.com.

    16 min

  8. 24 MAR

    What is Vermut? (EP 10)

    Spain has an entire time of day named after a drink, which just goes to show how essential vermut, or vermouth, is to understand Spain. This episode, hosted by Marti Buckley who just happens to be the co-founder of the International Society for the Preservation and Enjoyment of Vermouth, breaks down what vermut actually is, where it came from, and the ups and downs of Spanish vermouth culture over the years. This is a life-changing episode…you'll learn what makes vermouth actually considered vermouth, as well as the difference between Italian, French, and Spanish styles, and how a drink invented in 18th century Turin became one of Spain's most enduring social traditions. We cover la hora del vermut, why you want yours on tap, what exactly a vermuteke is, and why ordering a vermut de grifo or a marianito on a Sunday morning is one of life's best moments. If you want more Spain content: ∙ Subscribe to Marti's Substack at https://substack.com/@martibuckley ∙ Follow her on Instagram @martibuckley ∙ Visit her blog at www.travelcookeat.com.

    14 min
See All (17)

About

Spain Explained is the podcast for people who want to understand Spanish culture, Spanish food, and Spanish traditions beyond the guidebook basics. Hosted by award-winning author and cook Marti Buckley, who's lived in Spain since 2010, this show unpacks the concepts, rituals, and quirks that make Spain… Spain. Whether you're planning a trip to Spain, obsessed with Spanish cuisine, dreaming of moving there, or just curious why lunch can last four hours, this podcast translates the untranslatable. Each episode dives into one single part of Spanish life, from sobremesa to siesta, café con leche to jamón ibérico, and explains what it is and why it matters. Marti is the author of cookbooks including The Book of Pintxos and Basque Country, writes for Condé Nast Traveler, The Telegraph, and Food & Wine,, and founded the International Society for the Preservation and Enjoyment of Vermouth. She's your insider guide to Spanish culture, Spanish daily life, and Spanish food traditions. This podcast is about understanding why Spain works the way it does. Perfect for Spain lovers, travelers, expats, and anyone who's wondered why Spaniards eat dinner at 10pm. New episodes weekly covering Spanish food culture, daily life in Spain, regional traditions, and the quirks of living in Spain.

Information

  • Creator
    Marti Buckley
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Spain Explained

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