Herbal tea
We enjoy the light sherry they have in Seville called manzanilla. However we ordered a manzanilla in one bar and wondered why it took them so long to pour a glass of sherry. They bought out a herbal infusion elaborately prepared in a glass teapot. It turns out that manzanilla is also a herbal tea. Why they assumed we wanted tea rather than sherry I don't know - maybe because we're English!
Sent by: Derek
Comments
I am from Spain and this is a problem even for us natives. If you go to bars in the South of Spain and you ask for a manzanilla, they usually give you the sherry (sherry originates in AndalucÃa), whereas in other parts of Spain they may be more prone to give you camomile tea (which is the other meaning of the word manzanilla). The trick is to use the right article in front. If you say un manzanilla you are referring to the wine (un vino manzanilla) whereas if you say una manzanilla, this means the tea. This may not be fool-proof though, especially if you say it really quickly! The only solution if there is confusion would be to clarify vino manzanilla or, if you want the tea, infusión de manzanilla.
Recently visited Barcelona and tasted Manzanilla tea. Its really nice, brought some home and now have to visit my son in Barcelona to buy more tea (I think I'm now addicted to it!)
We were eating out one night and got some bread with the food. My boyfriend wanted some butter with the bread and ordered some manzanilla ... He was thinking about mantequilla. My mother speaks a bit of French but not Spanish. However, she was learning a few words and ordered un bocadillo con Âá²¹²úó²Ô y queso. She thought of the French word for ham, jambon, but the Spanish word Âá²¹²úó²Ô means 'soap'. I was giggling and explained to her that she ordered a baguette with soap and cheese ... The Spanish word for ham is Âá²¹³¾Ã³²Ô.
Manzanilla is just camomile tea.
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