Migas extremeñas: fried breadcrumbs
Extremadura, Spain
The shepherds' and farmhands' dish of Extremadura — day-old bread torn or crumbled and fried in lard or olive oil with garlic, pimentón, and chorizo or tocino until the crumbs are crisp outside and slightly soft within. Migas is the definitive comfort food of the Spanish interior: Extremadura, La Mancha, Murcia, and Aragon all have their versions, but the Extremaduran is considered the most elemental.
The name comes from miga — crumb. The bread must be stale (at least a day old) and moistened with water the night before to achieve the right texture — part-crisp, part-yielding. Served for breakfast or lunch, always with fried eggs, chorizo, and occasionally grapes or melon as a sweet contrast.