Blanca Valencia

10/08/2026

I still remember the thrill of receiving an email from the National Gallery of Ireland asking me to participate in a Spanish themed evening.
Years later I have finally developed a full tour of Spanish food and drink that encompasses 17th century Madrid and Seville, water vessels and Saint Rufina, the kitchens of Velazquez and of course the banquet of Murillo’s the Prodigal Son.
The tour was followed by a wine tasting showcasing not only Spain’s most important grape varieties like Verdejo and Tempranillo, but also San Isidore “lemonade” and aloja or mead which in this case was showcased through the fabulous product that is Kinsale Mead Co.

Thanks to all who came and made this event a success.

The concert of Baroque music in the time of Murillo performed by , RTE Lyric presenter and his crew transported to another era.

Thanks National Gallery of Ireland Embajada de España en Irlanda for such a rich evening.
Thanks to Yvonne Kennedy for the photos and the wonderful dinner The Pig's Ear DUBLIN 💙 est.2008

21/07/2026

Dear friends I will be hosting an Spanish food in art followed by a wine tasting as part of A Spanish Evening at the National Gallery of Ireland on July 30th at 5:30 pm.
From water carriers to 17th century wine cocktails there is something for everyone.

Spending time in the Gallery's beautiful library researching this tour has been a treat.

The tickets are sold out (sorry!) but there are plenty of other activities on the night like a tour of Murillo's The Prodigal Son series and Baroque music by Vlad Smishkewych, the brains behing Limerick's early music festival and the voice of Vox Nostra on RTE Lyric.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1618–1682), The Prodigal Son Feasting , 1660s
Diego Velázquez, Kitchen Maid with the Supper at Emmaus, 1616-1617
Gris, Juan, A Guitar, Glasses and a Bottle, 1913
Zurbaran, Juan de, Santa Rufina, 1630s

At Link in Bio.

21/07/2026

Part II of things to eat, drink and see in Mallorca is less about eating (though there's meat and pea stuffed empanadas and a €25 seafood lunch you shopped for and was cooked to order) and more about the island's often overlooked charms: a foundation built by Spain's answer to Rockefeller, a fruit vendor who could get you fined for buying a mango, and Miró's studio exactly as he left it but full of replicas.


At Link in Bio

07/07/2026

27/06/2026

Palma ❤️

13/06/2026

You know it’s summer in Dublin when you spend an evening at Taste of Dublin
-Hanging out with Erica Drum👩‍🍳 🥁 D E E | Irish Food + Drink ☘️ ❤️
-Food for thought stage Lovin Dublin

-standout dish of pork belly tomato curry achara
-nonalcoholic beers ❤️ Fierce Mild
-testing new beers O'Hara's Irish Craft Beers gluten free Santina Kennedy
-divine Mexican sauces Mi Amor Salsas
-cookery demo beetroot h**p brownies Hey Pesto! hosted by Erica Drum👩‍🍳 🥁

06/06/2026

There are dreamy meals that are unforgettable. Kate Zaharra in Bilbao is one of them. Kokotxas, pimientos del pais, besugo and the best garbanzos with lobster.
Part of a girlie weekend in Bilbao/ Getxo organized by my friend Arantza!

30/04/2026

My substack last week was about color palettes.

Throwing shade on Spanish Cooking

How to tell if your gazpacho’s been massacred by a Thermomix and four other color palettes that exemplify the best and worst of our cuisine.

Colors, in general give us so much information (except in the case of croquetas).

Paint names have whimsical and playful names so I wanted to name dishes to see the spectrum of colors in different categories like the food of Galicia, rice and gazpacho.

Read At Link in Bio or https://blancavalencia.substack.com/p/throwing-shade-on-spanish-cooking

18/04/2026

Have you ever wondered about the use of food in Spanish cinema?

Food is not there to seduce the audience but to unsettle it. It poisons, chokes, humiliates and in some cases highlights political or regional affiliations.

On my Substack: terrorist meals, disgusting pisto, mediocre garbanzos and choking hazards in Torrente, Fe de Etarras, Los Mejores Años de Nuestras Vidas and many more!

Read at Link in Bio or https://open.substack.com/pub/blancavalencia/p/the-worst-meals-in-spanish-cinema?r=6ed94&utm_medium=ios

07/04/2026

March food wrap up 🫒

pistachio romesco with calcots and daliesque oyster with olive spheres (one of my favorite Elbulli inventions) in Barcelona
dreamy meal in Dublin
perfect black ink risotto with Dublin Bay prawns with on the way to watching Spanish movie Sirat in Dublin 
Mounds of legumes at the
Morcilla and chickpeas at the legendary chatting with two local ladies armed with shopping trolleys and an enviable wealth of knowlegde
Plated gilda with orange at with the Irish crew
Fried fish and vermouth
Best bocata de jamon and pan de cristal (the best I have ever tried) at
Japanese heaven .barcelona in Barcelona
Traditional Catalan food with old friend Racó d’en Cesc
Date night with spectacular food Dublin
Lots of schnitzel in Vienna
Too many cakes and pancakes
Creative fun food
Almundler galore in Vienna with the family