If Cities Could Speak

Cojonudos - honey-soaked pastry heaven The living room smelt of coffee and chinchón after lunch. I inhaled the smoky, aniseed-laced scent greedily. I didn’t partake in the drinking of the chinchón (an anise-based spirit from the Spanish town of the same name) and my post-lunch coffee was decaf, as I’m still breastfeeding. What I missed in terms of chupitos and caffeine, though, I made up for in food. In April last year my trip to Madrid was marked by pregnancy-related dietary restrictions and anxiety. This time, I could eat with carefree abandon…and I did.  On our first day we ate cojonudos from the local take-away shop - small, dense, honey-soaked pastries powdered with icing sugar that melts on your tongue. We ritualistically buy a box each time we’re here and I like eating them with a strong coffee to cut through the richness. For weekend breakfasts we had churros that were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and fat, oily porras (the churro’s bigger cousin) dipped ...