A layered debate: the Spanish tortilla war

In a scene from Pedro Almodóvar’s latest movie, Parallel Mothers, Penélope Cruz instructs her co-star how to make a potato omelette recipe – a tortilla de patatas. “The most important thing is how you cut them. What’s important is the thickness of each slice,” she says of the potatoes. Generous close-ups give a starring role to one of the most iconic dishes in Spanish gastronomy. The camera moves from the tortilla to Penélope, from Penélope to the tortilla. There is nothing unintentional about this scene.

And one ingredient is intentionally missing: onion. 

Life in Spain is unimaginable without tortilla. Tortilla is uniquely capable of uniting Barça and Real Madrid fans, Catalans and Basques, young and old, rich and poor. It can’t be gatekept because it is universal: it is ever-present at grandparents’ houses, birthdays, at picnics in the countryside. You can make it at home or find it on tasting menus at Michelin-starred restaurants. There are just four basic ingredients: eggs, potatoes, oil and salt. There are countless variations of the basic recipe, but the most common extra ingredient – and the one that incites the greatest passion and dissent – is onion.

When it comes to onions in tortilla, everyone is obliged to define themselves: with, or without? It’s one of the oldest questions in Spanish cuisine, pulling in everyone from politicians to the nation’s top chefs. Proponents of the onion argue that it delivers a subtle sweetness; detractors say that this sweetness is out of place. Which side you land on most frequently depends on which region you come from, your age, or one crucial factor: how your grandmother used to make it.

There’s no official statistical data, which makes it difficult to know how Spaniards prefer their tortilla – although a number of polls give the lead to the concebollistas (con cebolla, with onion) over the sincebollistas (sin cebolla, without). Most of Spain’s chefs have been forced to pick a side in the great gastronomic debate – and here, onion supporters certainly have the edge.

Among the ranks of the concebollista chefs are the many famed Basques: 

Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, Eneko Atxa, Andoni Luis Aduriz, Pedro Subijana, Martín Berasategui. Spain’s most renowned chef, José Andrés, is also a supporter of onion: he cooked a tortilla on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon using this controversial ingredient, just as it is served in his restaurants in the US. Joan Roca, a big name in avant-garde cuisine, is also a well-known concebollista, and is clear about his choice: it should have well-sautéed onions because that is what his grandmother used. 

In the opposing camp, we find David Muñoz, the young chef of three-Michelin-starred DiverXO , as one of the main defenders of the onion-free tortilla, saying that it adds unnecessary sweetness. Dani García, who previously also held three stars and is based in Madrid at Dani Brasserie at the Four Seasons Hotel, is another staunch defender of onion-free tortilla, as is the famed Ferran Adriá, who took everyone by surprise a few years ago with a recipe that used potato chips. David García, of Corral de la Moreria (the only flamenco venue in the world with a Michelin star) declares himself a sincebollista.  

His reason? “No onion, because that’s how my mum made it and those are the memories of my childhood.” 

And while we all know there is no better tortilla – with or without onion – than the one made by your grandmother, there are a few other locales that have gained renown. Particularly famous in Madrid are Casa Dani in the Mercado de la Paz, Taberna Pedraza , and Sylkar . At Casa Dani – which makes them with and without onions – you can find another famous Madrid-based chef, Ramón Freixa, enjoying a pincho of tortilla for breakfast: another staunch concebollista. 

Indeed, several iterations can also be found in the world of fine dining. Cantabrian chef Jesús Sánchez’s Cenador de Amós restaurant holds three Michelin stars. At his restaurant in Madrid’s Rosewood Villa Magna hotel, Amós, Sánchez presents his own unique take on the dish: two crispy wafers filled with fried potato, confit onion and egg, topped with a purée of the same ingredients. It’s a delightful textural contrast of crunchy and smooth. 

When it comes to texture, though, most seek the melt-in-the-mouth style of the Betanzos tortilla, the most famous of the onion-free tortillas. Betanzos is a beautiful town in Galicia that gives its name to a particular method of cooking the dish: it is only just set, and the egg is almost liquid.

At the other end of northern Spain, you’ll find much the same. At Bar Néstor in San Sebastián, long lines out the door are guaranteed: they make only two a day (albeit large ones), “because a good tortilla takes time,” says chef-owner Néstor Morais.

But is that with onions, or without? “With onions – but above all, with time and love”. 

That, apparently, was Grandma’s trick. 

Best Madrid tortilla restaurants 

Pick your side – then pick your Madrid tortilla restaurant

1. Cenador de Amós (Pro-onion)

Sometimes, you want your rustic food in five-star surroundings .  

2. Taberna Pedraza (No onion)

The tortilla de Betanzos here is so well-reputed that there’s a counter on the wall keeping track of how many have been served since 2014. 

3. Sylkar (Serves both)

At Sylkar , tortilla can be had with and without onion – but 90 per cent of customers ask for onion, and you should too 

4. Casa Dani  (Serves both)

This legendary market stall serves tortilla both ways, and both are served delightfully runny and oozy.