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By Ikam Acosta

Who would have thought you could turn making Spanish omelettes into an exact science? Spain has managed to create the first culinary school degree in Tortillología, making the recipient an expert in this typical Spanish dish.

Aspiring Tortillologists are required to complete a nine month curriculum, which includes visiting fifteen bars and restaurants, in order to sample the different types of tortillas from the Cádiz province. I bet no one will be skipping those classes. Qué rico!

The idea to make this an area of study was conceived while creating a visitor's guide to the area pointing out the best bars and restaurants for tortillas and tortillones -a giant tortilla with at least 14 eggs. This enormous dish, which takes 2 hours to make, is cooked and flipped in a paellera with the help of various people.

Select students will also be required to present a "tesis tortillal" as a final project, consisting of an original recipe created specifically for this course. Students are also expected to uphold the highest standards in tortilla-making, and those caught desecrating this fine dish by eating it on bread like a sandwich will be disqualified.

After graduation, these fine tortillólogos will be treated to a giant tortillón consisting of 341 eggs, the largest ever created in this region.

A lot of thought goes into perfecting the tortilla at this college. Teachers will discuss everything from the proper egg to potato ratio, to how to best slice the potatoes, to what other ingredients to add to jazz up this traditional dish.

The class also covers common cooking mistakes, such as making a Spanish omelette that is too dry. This usually happens when the cook doesn't use enough eggs, a serious tortilla faux pas. On the flip side (no pun intended), a tortilla made with too many eggs will be soupy and runny, and no one likes that.

I bet you thought making this traditional plato español just required huevos and patatas.

What's your favorite recipe of tortilla? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Ikam Acosta, Food

By Harry Pagancoss

This year I decided to begin my summer journey at our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. There is something about the city that makes me feel at home. Besides the fact that I lived in the area for a few years and have great college memories, it is a beautiful and glorious city in its own merit; wide boulevards, outdoor cafes, lots of history and a certain level of sophistication that makes one feel like a million bucks.

But it was in Hancock where I officially declared this the Summer of the Pie.

Hancock is a small town located in the narrowest part of western Maryland and home to  Weaver’s Restaurant and Bakery, a local staple that opened in 1948 and has been serving the area residents and travelers like me since then. While they have a full service restaurant, it is their bakery I love the most. With a motto like "the way grandma did,"  what comes out of Weaver's bakery is indeed pure sweet grandma love.

The restaurant was closed when I got there, but the owners were kind enough to open the doors for us and serve us some pie goodness. Among all the flavors available, I first chose the Wild Berry Pie, which is filled with cranberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. The tanginess of the berries mixed with the sweet filling is out of this world. I did not have a problem devouring this one. But left a few bites for the end as I moved onto the Coconut Cream Pie, which reminded me of my tropical summers in Puerto Rico. The roasted coconut flakes and the cream infused with coconut flavor was truly the way summer should taste. I was immediately transported to the beach as I felt the shade of the palm trees and the breeze in a sunny day. Yup, I felt the beach life in Hancock, right in the mountains. Now, that is what I call the proper way to capture summer in a bite. Remember your suncreen and check out my easy Summer Berry Pie recipe.

Harry's Summer Berry Pie (watch the video below for demonstration)

Ingredients

1 graham cracker pie crust, from store

1 cup pecans

3 tbs melted butter

dash of Kosher salt

½ cup brown sugar

1 8oz. package cream cheese

1 8oz. container whipped topping

2 small packages strawberry-flavored gelatin

2 cups boiling water

3 cups frozen mixed berries

whipped cream, to serve

Here is How

Preheat oven to 350 degres F and roast the pecans on a baking tray for 10 minutes. Crush the pecans and mix together with butter and Kosher salt. Spread over the graham crust. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Blend together the cream cheese, ½ cup of sugar and whipped topping, and spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until completely chilled.

In a separate bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water. Let cool and add the frozen berries. This should chill the liquid even more. Cool completely. Pour over the cream cheese mixture over the crust and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Cut even slices and serve with some whipped topping.

What is your favorite pie? What would you like me to prepare? Please write your comments to: harry@passiongourmet.net

Tags Cumberland, Hancock, Harry Pagancoss, pies, summer, Summer Berry Pie, Washington DC, Weaver's

By Chef Harry Pagancoss

The bananas were staring at me as if saying: "are you gonna eat us or not?" Since I was not in the mood to eat them as snacks or even make one of the many smoothies I prepare for breakfast, I decided to make something a little more decadent and lure my friends with it with pictures of the final product.

I certainly succeeded. Upon finishing what ended as a Chocolate Chip Banana Cake, I took a picture with my cellphone and spread the news via text to my friends. Immediately I received texts containing: "What is that?!?" and "I want some" and even a "You are so mean!!" Within two hours my apartment was filled with my friends and the cake disappeared in minutes.

I guess this is what the bananas would have wanted: to be eaten by a mob in a frenzy. The cake came out oh...so moist. The mini chocolate chips I used were perfectly melted and the sweetness of the bananas was balanced. Check out my recipe and invite some friends over for a treat!

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 large eggs

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 large bananas, peeled

1/2 cup milk or sour cream

dash of salt

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Now comes the fun part:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the sugar and the butter until creamy. Then add the eggs one at time and mix well after adding each one.

Mash the bananas with a fork until very soft and pureed. Then add them into the egg and sugar mixture. Follow with the milk or the sour cream. I personally used sour cream this time, but milk will work as well.

Add a dash of salt. Measure one cup of the self-rising flour and using a colander, sift it over the mixture. This time combine the flour with the wet ingredients. I recommend not mixing too much but simply combine to get the flour wet. This helps the cake to be moist at the end.

Now comes the chocolate. I used mini chocolate chips. Fold them in the batter.

Using a well-greased round baking pan (I recommend butter to grease it), pour the batter and bake for 30 minutes. Bake in the middle rack of the oven and do not over cook it! Remove and let cool for a few minutes.

I like to eat banana cake or bread when it is warm. So, I served mine with a little creme fraîche and on top of some condensed milk I drizzled over the plate. No wonder my friends love me. Ñam!

What is you favorite dessert? Do you have any recipes you would like me to share in here? Tell me about it and write to harry (at) passiongourmet.net

Eat for Your Body and Cook for Your Soul

Tags bananas, blogger Harry Pagancoss, cake, cooking, Recipes

By Chef Harry Pagancoss

Attention foodies on a budget! Now that summer is here, it is time to enjoy the upcoming Restaurant Weeks around the country and at a city near you: Miami, New York, San Diego and Washington, among others.

So if you have wanted to dine at that super cool restaurant and have not done it because of budget concerns, this is the right time. Or if you need to take someone to a special date and do not want to empty your piggy bank-I know I'd like mine to stay intact- this is your chance!

Following is a list of cities where the best restaurants make available meals with three, or more courses, at discounted prices that you cannot miss. Check them out!

If you have not experienced a Restaurant Week or Miami Spice, which is how we call it in Miami, this is the time where a large group of restaurants offer a lunch and/or dinner  for a fixed, low price. Usually, it involves 3-course meals, but could be more. In other words, you have an appetizer,  a delicious entreé and a sweet yummy dessert for as low as $20.11 for lunch as in Las Vegas Restaurant Week or $35 for dinner as in New York's event,  where the week has entered into its last days. So, hurry up! Call your friends, dress stylish and eat as if you were spending three times as much.

A list of participating restaurants is available at the official event websites. You can also find signs posted outside of the member restaurants.  Make sure that you call to make  a reservation so that you have a speedy placement when you arrive, especially if you have a large group of friends or if  you would like a special table for two. Trust me, it is worth calling ahead!

New York Restaurant Week

July 11-24, 2011, Lunch $24.07, Dinner $35

Miami Spice

August 1st-September 30, 2011, Lunch $22, Dinner $35

Las Vegas Restaurant Week

August 29-September 11, 2011, $20.11-$50.11

San Diego Restaurant Week

September 18-22, 2011, Lunch $10-20, Dinner, $20-40

Washington DC Restaurant Week

August 15-21, 2011, Lunch, $20.11, Dinner $35.11

Dallas-Fort Worth KRLD Restaurant Week

August 15-21, 2011, Dinner $35

The New York Restaurant Week is about to end, so make your reservations soon. For Miami Spice, which runs from August 1st to September 30th, 2011, I am getting my ready to enjoy as many restaurants as possible. Great food and desserts are waiting!

Are you going to take advantage of this opportunity? What restaurants do you recommend? What has been your experience in past Restaurant Weeks? Send me a note.

Tags Cheap Eats, Harry Pagancoss, Miami Spice, New York Restaurant Week

By Michael Lopez

Depending on which paper you read, Anthony Bourdain's recent televised trip to Cuba was either harmless fun or mired in controversy. USA Today seemed to think cameras from his No Reservations series captured "beauty" and "unspoiled architecture," while El Nuevo Herald found the visit to be glossy and a tad unrealistic.

For example, on one culinary outing Anthony seemed to be surrounded by happy locals enjoying fancy meals, baseball games, and lush surroundings. What the Herald pointed out, was that most of those people survive on $20 a day and, in reality, are unable to enjoy the spoils filmed by Bourdain's cameras.

Food rationing is a major part of the Cuban lifestyle as well, which means residents get rice and beans, while tourists like Bourdain can enjoy steak dinners. So the question is, is it Anthony's responsibility to depict that lifestyle on his culinary show?

It's hard to find the "right" answer to that question, especially since No Reservations has nothing to do with politics. Truth be told, it is difficult to deny the delicious qualities of fancy Cuban food. Let's just hope that soon more people on the island will get to enjoy it.

What did you think about Anthony's adventures in Cuba? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Anthony Bourdain, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Cuba, Cultura, Food, No Reservations, Television

By Sharmaine Jones

If you've got love for jalapeños or habaneros, Chef Aaron Sanchez, Food Network's fair but no-nonsense judge on Chopped, is ready to take you on a spicy culinary adventure. "Heat Seekers" will follow chefs Sanchez and Roger Mooking in their quest to discover deliciously spicy food across the country.

The chefs will not only highlight restaurants with unusual savory dishes, but will also compete in a contest to see who can handle the heat. Visiting Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Santa Fe and New Orleans, they'll try everything from Mexican to Indian to Korean cuisines. Dishes will include spicy ceviche, flaming hot cocktails, buffalo frog legs and creole gumbo laced with voodoo sauce.

Sanchez, an authority on Latin cuisine, will also look to teach viewers a little somethin', somethin':

"Basically, the premise of the show is to go around and sample spicy food and [give] the history of spices." Sanchez tells aoltv.com. "Not necessarily [just] heat, but ginger and black pepper -- things people wouldn't necessarily associate with heat. But we're approaching these flavors in a lighthearted way, sort of like 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives' but with spicy food."

Mooking is counting down the days for the first dose of "Heat Seekers", set to tape in New Orleans. He tweeted:

"6 more days till the first sneak peek of Heat Seekers on Food Network in the U.S. New Orleans love."

Sanchez was excited to tweet the date of the premier:

"@jcowles81 July 17th... Can't wait!"

We're looking forward to discovering places where we can test our palates on tasty fiery dishes!

Will you tune into "Heat Seekers"?

Tags Aaron Sanchez, Blogger: Sharmaine Jones, Food, Food Network, Heat Seekers, Latin Chef, Roger Mooking

By Harry Pagancoss

OMG! Ok, that is a dramatic way to begin talking about food. However, in order to avoid saying that when you find out that your friends are coming over, I'm providing you with a few ideas to keep your pantry well stocked so that you can breeze through last minute get-together opportunities or quick meals.

Cooking is not hard, but it requires preparation. Doing it with passion and with the right ingredients is what will make a bland dish become something delicious. I certainly like to entertain my friends at home and do not mind last minute invites to come over because I know that I have the basics; having the right things to present decent tapas or plates to nibble is the idea here.

I don't include here ingredients such as meat or chicken, breads, milk, fruit, in other words, things that go bad and are highly perishable because you should buy those on a regular basis as you will probably eat them all the time. My 10 essential items for your pantry will simply allow you to prepare last minute dishes, tapas, quick bites, or will simple serve as the basis for creating a dish from ground up. Here is what I like to have.

10 Essential Items for Your Pantry

Garbanzo Beans

You can buy them dry, but if you are like someone I know, you must remember that if you leave them in water to soften for too long, they will sprout and grow! In order to avoid getting a garbanzo plant nursery, do what I do: buy them canned. Garbanzo beans are great for salads, stews, and my ultimate party favorite: hummus with some warm pita bread.

Quinoa

Forget white rice, quinoa is the "mother of all grains" and it is both delicious and beautiful to see on a dish. In a matter of minutes you will have cooked quinoa, which you can serve with some nice chorizo as a tapa, puree it to spread it on bread or cook in broth and add some herbs and spices to accompany your choice of meat, chicken or fish.

Pearl Couscous

Besides looking beautiful on a dish, pearl couscous is great to accompany any dish; I use it in soups, in salads or alone with herbs and spices. Best thing is that it is ready in 10 minutes and feels great in the mouth when chewing.

Eggs

Eat eggs alone, use them for baking, sauces, Spanish tortillas or a nice frittata. I sprinkle a little paprika over them. Let us not forget that Pisco Sour needs egg whites, why not have them in stock?

Honey

This sweet deliciousness is useful in dressings, drizzled over roasted onions, over pancakes, with cheeses, you name it.

Chicken, Beef or Vegetable Stock

Stock is so versatile and necessary that you will find a thousand uses for it: to cook rice, to give flavor to meats, to make reductions, to flavor vegetables or  to make sauces. In essence, I use vegetable stock, which is my favorite of the three, almost every day.

Unflavored Gelatin

Using gelatin is so cool and I believe, a lost art. Add it to juice and you have a quick dessert, you can make smoothies with it, quick custards, no-bake cheesecakes and a lot more. Keep a few envelopes in the pantry and be creative. You will love it.

Tomatoes, canned

I like to buy canned chopped tomatoes because they are good for quick pasta dishes, last minute chili, bruschetta, homemade pizza and to make salsa for Mexican dishes; we all love chips and salsa, right?

Olive Oil

I like to say that olive oil is like my religion! I believe in it, love it and use it. Drizzle it on Italian dishes, tapas, salads, rice;  infuse it with garlic or hot peppers and dip bread in it, oh...so good.

Cheeses & Crackers

Cheeses are good for cooking, entertaining and snacking; I snack on Laughing Cow cheese wedges every day. However, having one or two gourmet cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Asiago, or some kind of Blue cheese (the very stinky kind) is a great way to provide guests and friends with a quick appetizer, served with crackers of course, when they visit.

For more ideas on how to use these ingredients email me: harry@passiongourmet.net

Related Articles
10 Essential Herbs for Your Crib-chen

10 Essential Spices for Your Crib-chen

Tags cooking, escuelita de cocina, Food, Harry Pagancoss, kitchen, pantry

By Harry Pagancoss

While you may prefer to eat out, learning a few tricks to cook at home or entertain friends will save you a lot of money. Living alone can be fun, but also comes with a lot of responsibilities. Let us focus on the fun part!

In order to be prepared, a well-stock pantry will help your new crib-chen get the job done. Most importantly, having these basic ingredients, spices and herbs is all you really need to prepare some basic dishes. We have all seen those spice and herb racks that look sort of nice on a countertop. In my opinion, they are no good for cooking. Maybe you have also seen those little herb pots which, if you're like some people I know, will end up dying without water. Poor plants, a moment of silence please!…The good thing is that there are easy ways to keep your crib-chen full of flavor and ready for action!

To help you, I will give you a list of 30 ingredients or items that you can purchase little by little and that will provide you with a basic, but well-stocked kitchen pantry. Having these will solve your needs for breakfast, lunch, dinner or when you have some friends over. I divided these 30 ingredients among three articles: herbs, spices and items. Make sure to find the rest of the articles of this series by following the links below.

Herbs

Herbs can be dried or fresh. Dried herbs last up to a year but loose their potency with time. Do not put them on the countertop and instead store them inside the cabinet or a dark place. When using dry herbs for cooking, crush them with your hands to release more flavor and aroma. Sometimes, having fresh herbs is better, sometimes it is not. If you buy fresh ones, cut their stems a little and place them in a cup of water, as if they were flowers. This will keep them alive and fresher. You can also place them, water cup and all, inside the refrigerator, to help keep them longer. As a general rule, I like to substitute 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, in case I need to.

Here is my basic list of herbs and ideas on how to use them:

Basil

fresh or dried, great for pasta dishes, to sprinkle on salads and to combine with Italian cheeses, with tomatoes or garlic

Bay leaves

dried, great for stews, beans...I know your mama uses them

Cilantro

fresh or dried, great for Mexican dishes, with rices, fresh salsas or to sprinkle over salad

Dill weed

fresh or dried, goes great with potato salad, fish or poultry, mix it with butter or cream cheese for your bagel, also goes great with my cucumber salad

Lavender

fresh or dried, aromatic flower that will give your desserts a very special touch, mix it with ice cream or use in flan or desserts with natilla

Mint

fresh or dried, use in salads or with fruit, excellent for pasta dishes (add it to your store-bought sauce), use fresh with desserts and cocktails; I like it with fresh mango

Italian Parsley

fresh, chop and add to pasta dishes, or mix with olive oil to make a dipping oil for breads

Rosemary

fresh or dried, add to roasted potatoes, butter or to season meats like lamb or pork chops

Sage

fresh or dried, rub the fresh leaves and add to salads, mix with olive oil for delicious dressings, combine with garlic or rosemary, season meats like pork or churrasco with it

Thyme

fresh or dried, remove the tiny leaves from the stem and use in stews or soups and picadillo

Was this useful? What is your favorite herb? Remember to write your comments below. Let me feel the love!

Related Articles

10 Essential Spices for Your New Crib-chen

Tags blogger Harry Pagancoss, cocina, crib-chen, essential herbs, Food

By Harry Pagancoss

Your mami and papi are still not happy about you getting your own crib. What to do to make them feel better? Share with them your list of kitchen ingredients and make them feel at ease; tell them that you are all grown up and to prove it you will cook them a meal in your new place, prepared in your own new crib-chen; ok, maybe not but at least entertain them and show them your pantry.  They will be so proud, trust me!

Hopefully by now, you got your 10 Essential Herbs for Your New Crib-chen, or at least are getting ready to do so. Now it is time to get on with the spices.

Spices are like the DNA of a dish. Depending on where you come from, the spices you are familiar with by name or taste will be different because our foods taste different. However, the list I am sharing with you will help you to begin with some very useful flavors to season familiar foods or at least for you to experiment with them. You can be a true culinary magician if you mix and match them well. Learning what type of foods you like and asking what spices are usually used to season them, will make your time cooking more effective and fun. Ask your mom, dad or grandpa about what they use in what they prepare!

Here is my basic list of spices and ideas on how to use them:

Allspice

Buy the whole version of the spice,  also known as an allspice berry, for maximum flavor; grind fresh or place the berries in an oven tray and roast them in a 350 degrees F oven for 10 minutes. Use the spice in stews or add it to cookies or cakes for an awesome kick in flavor. I even add a dash to flan or when using coconut or pumpkin as ingredients.

Cinnamon

This super versatile spice comes in sticks or ground and I like to keep both versions of it in the pantry. Use it in all sorts of dishes, both savory (salty) and sweet: to marinade meats or chicken, when baking cookies, sprinkle over french fries or sweet potato fries, ice cream and even your mama's frijoles.

Paprika

This aromatic spice comes in a variety of versions: from spicy hot to sweeter on the palate. It adds a smoky, earthy flavor to dishes. Sprinkle over pale dishes to add color or add a little to soups, over rice, marinades, french fries and even dark chocolate.

Cumin

All our Mexican friends know this spice very well; however, it is also a necessary flavor in Middle Eastern and South Asia cuisine in general. Use your imagination and add it to dishes with sauces, meats, combine it with citrus flavors, sprinkle it over white rice for a nice nutty flavor; in essence, use it in every dish you want but do not abuse it as it is very strong.

Kosher salt

Salt does various things to food: it enhances the flavor and it moves water at the cellular level. Kosher salt and marine salts are my favorite. Use it sparingly and do not forget that flavors can be enhanced by other spices, not only salt. While regular table salt is present in every house, I try to stay away from it because it tends to be a lot stronger and tastes even "saltier" than Kosher or marine salt. Why is that? The smaller crystals of regular table salt dissolve way too fast to allow the spice to do its magic the proper way.

Ginger

I consider ginger a magic spice. You can buy it at the grocery store fresh or ground. Use it in Asian dishes or if you want to give a super fresh feel to dishes with poultry or pork. It is also great for baking; for example, cookies, cakes, sweet breads, frostings, you name it. Ginger always seems to rescue dishes, so keep some fresh roots in your fridge inside an air-tight container.

Saffron

This beautiful spice is comes from a flower, so it is very exotic. Besides adding a nicely subtle flavor to dishes, it is also a great way to add color, giving the distinctive yellow coloring to some rices and Spanish food. It is also very chic to tell your friends that your recipe has saffron.

Vanilla

We all know what vanilla tastes like and it is familiar because it goes well with a lot of things, specially sweets. Buy the vanilla bean and keep safely stored and also get yourself a small bottle of pure vanilla extract…do not buy the imitation! Use is for baking anything, usually 1 teaspoon adds enough flavoring to cookies, flans, or natillas. I like to add a little to hot chocolate or to your milkshakes.

Black Pepper

Get yourself a pepper mill to grind it fresh. This spice goes well with all sorts of dishes that are savory. It kicks up the flavors a notch in any food and it even goes well with bitter chocolate. Sometimes, I use paprika instead of black pepper because of its smoky flavor. If you decide to buy only two spices from this list, let them be Kosher salt and Black Pepper.

Turmeric

This may not be in the list of the most basic spices for most chefs but I got to add it here because for me it is. Turmeric is very unique in its flavor and color. If there is no saffron, a little turmeric will add a nice yellowish color to foods and  because of its little bitter flavor, it goes extremely well with seafood. I love to use it when making tapas for friends, specially if they contain chorizo, beans or pork.

Nutmeg

If two spices scream Fall or sweets, those are cinnamon and nutmeg. Nutmeg is very exotic and add a distinctive flavor to desserts, recipes with pumpkin, and other orate vegetables such as carrots or yams. Keep ground nutmeg in your pantry and add a dash anytime you think cinnamon would be good to add, of if the actual recipe calls for cinnamon or allspice.

Tags blogger Harry Pagancoss, escuelita de cocina, essentials, spices

By Michael Lopez

Believe it or not, over 1.7 billion Coca-Cola drinks get consumed in a single day. And seeing how each soda can cost as much as $2 a pop, owning a share in the legendary brand could lead to some serious bucks. So imagine if your family actually received credit for conceiving the formula and could cash a few of those red and white royalty checks. That’s exactly what Spain resident, Juan Jose Mica is hoping for and he may have the proof!

According to Juan Jose, his great-great uncle helped create the formula for what we now know as Coca-Cola back in 1884. It all supposedly happened in the small Spanish town of Ayelo, where Mica's relative, along with two others, opened a distillery called "Distileria Ayelo" (which remains active today).

It was there that the three partners created a unique fizz drink from kola nut strain and Peruvian coca leaves. Rumor has it that they even named the product "Nuez de Cola-Coca" based on its unique ingredients. But here's the kicker, Juan Jose claims his great-great uncle actually took the product to America and that's how it was discovered.

"My great-great uncle took his cola coca syrup to America that same year, 1884, and won a prize at a fair in Philadelphia," Mica said. "Supposedly, the Americans tried it, liked it, and two years later their soft drink, Coca-Cola was born."

For the record, Coca-Cola is credited as coming into existence in 1886. But the original story claims that a Georgia-born druggist named John Pemberton invented it at his Atlanta pharmacy. An immediate smash, his patented drink became a must-have by the turn of the century.

And "patent" may be the key word in this argument. Unfortunately, Juan Jose's relative did not copyright his Cola-Coca formula and now his heir will have a tough time proving their stake.

All Mica has in his possession now is an original book from the late 1880's with a copy of the handwritten recipe. Whether or not he tries to make it stand up in court is a whole other matter. Especially when you consider that the Coca-Cola corporation has a very pricey legal team that has shot down many similar claims.

"We have had, at various points in time, claims from places like Scotland and India that the formula originated there," Coke rep Phil Mooney said. "One of the great things about having a secret recipe is that these sorts of stories pop up periodically."

Do you think that Coca-Cola may have been invented in Spain? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Coca-Cola, Cultura, Food, Juan Jose Micah