Cocido madrileño

What it actually is

At its base, cocido madrileño is chickpeas slow-simmered with a mix of meats — typically chicken, beef, pork belly, chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage) and a ham bone — along with vegetables like cabbage, carrot and potato. What makes it distinctive isn't the ingredient list so much as the presentation: traditionally it's served as three separate courses ("los vuelcos") from the one pot, rather than as a single bowl.

How the three courses work

1. La sopa: the broth, strained off and served first with fine noodles, as a soup.
2. Los garbanzos: the chickpeas and vegetables, served next as the second course.
3. La carne: the various meats, served last, often with a side of tomato-based sauce.

Not every restaurant serves all three separately today — some simplify it into two courses or one combined plate — but the traditional three-course version is still very much alive at Madrid's more established cocido restaurants.

Where to try it

This isn't a quick lunch dish — a proper cocido is a slow, filling, mid-afternoon commitment, traditionally eaten as the main meal on a cold day, historically more common in autumn and winter than in summer. Restaurants specialising in it tend to serve it only a few days a week, often requiring a reservation; if a menu lists cocido as available "todos los días," treat that as a sign it's not the kitchen's real specialty.