Breaded squid is often called: Calamares a La Romana. They are one of the most popular tapas in Spanish cuisine. There is a long tradition of eating it in the northern regions of Spain, from the Basque Country to Galicia. The dish is not like calamares a la andaluza from southern Spain, i.e. squid covered in flour and deep fried, or with Rabas, i.e. fried squid tentacles from northern Spain, including Cantabria or Astruia. The most famous story about the origin of this dish dates back to the 16th century, when Roman Jesuits from Portugal, traveling around the world to spread Christianity, also reached Japan. Although spiritual influences were not popular in Japan, culinary influences were. Vegetables, fish and seafood prepared by these missionaries during the fast were covered with dough due to their higher nutritional value, which made it easier to survive the long fast. In Latin, this cake was called "tempora ad quadragesima". To this day, in Japanese cuisine the word tempura comes from the Roman Jesuits, while in Spain it is called squid in batter from the Roman Jesuits, i.e. a la romana.
Calamares a la Romana what does it mean?
