Tortilla with or without onion? Celebrity chefs join Spain's biggest debate

PROBABLY one of Spain's biggest and longest-running culinary debates, the issue of whether tortilla, or egg-and-potato omelette, should have onions in it or not has caused yet another storm on Twitter – this time after Michelin-starred chef Dabiz Muñoz gave his official view.

An apparently simple, but highly effective and nutritious go-to dish, tortilla is simply made with diced or finely-chopped boiled potatoes, eggs, a bit of salt and, frequently, with onions flash-fried so they are transparent but not brown or crispy, as they should not be any chewier than the potato part, and should be cut up into very small pieces.

The general consensus is that tortillas should be moist – more egg than potato, and with the yolk still partly liquid inside, although spongey and solid on the outside.

And the nation is more divided over whether or not onions should be used than they are when it comes to general election time – in fact, it is probably the Spanish answer to the highly-polarised British sentiments about Marmite.

TV chefs Alberto Chicote and Karlos Arguiñano have already said they prefer it with onion.

But Dabiz Muñoz – who runs the three-starred Madrid-based eatery DiverXo and whose girlfriend is presenter Cristina Pedroche, famous for her risqué dresses when reporting live on the New Year chimes from the capital's Puerta del Sol square – has left few Twitter users indifferent with his own advocation of onionless tortilla.

When answering the 64-million-peseta question posed once again, this time by Papel, the magazine supplement in national daily broadsheet El Mundo, Muñoz said simply: “Always without onion, obviously.”

The original post by Papel read: “Forget about the 'with or without onion' debate – this Tuesday we're going to look into another real Spanish culinary mystery: Where does potato tortilla come from?”

It showcased a feature illustrated with multiple pictures by British photographer Joseph Fox, 'a lover of Spanish bars'.

Muñoz's answer earned him a flood of criticism – although most of it was tongue in cheek.

Some joked that his cooking tortilla without onion should automatically lead to the loss of two of DiverXo's Michelin stars, whilst others said, in jest, “My hero has fallen. And I can normally forgive you for anything.”

Another said: “There are two types of potato tortilla: The authentic version, and the incomplete one which doesn't have onion in it.”

Luckily for those who have strong opinions either way – and if you don't, you're probably not Spanish, rather like the way it's universally acknowledged that every Brit either loves or hates Marmite but no true patriot is anywhere in between – most supermarkets sell both versions, and some with other, less-contested ingredients.

Mercadona's 'with onions' type has red lettering on its wrapping and reads, con cebolla (see above photograph) – and at the beginning of lockdown when consumers started panic-buying unnecessarily, was the first type to sell out – and the 'without onions' version does not make any reference to these vegetables, but simply says tortilla de patata in green letters.

The store also sells one with chorizo sausage, an ingredient which, as UK celebrity chef Jamie Oliver found out to his cost, never, ever goes into paella.

Other supermarkets sell tortilla with spinach in it – Mas y Mas, in the Comunidad Valenciana, is one of these, and also retails 'burger-sized' ones.

Most bars offering snacks will sell you a slice on a saucer, and it is actually fairly common to order tortilla sandwich, with wedges served inside baguette halves.

For lazy cooks, tortilla is a godsend – add a handful of cherry tomatoes to your plate, and you instantly have a vegetarian (but not vegan) meal containing all three food main food groups.

It can be eaten cold, straight out of the packet, or heated up in the microwave, oven, grill or frying pan, ideally the bare minimum to keep the inner egg runny, although the debate has not yet reached the consistency of hot tortilla, so you don't have to worry about heated rows with your friends if you prefer yours well-cooked with the egg solid.

It is also a staple for those on a budget – whilst many might consider it the height of idleness to buy a pre-packed tortilla when it is quick and easy to make from scratch with just two or, for the 'onion camp', three ingredients, it actually often works out cheaper to purchase a ready-made one than to buy the eggs, potatoes and (optional) onions and whip up your own.