In the second half of March, 18 Polish trainees from Lublin came to Úbeda for a three-week internship. They all worked as cooks in a wide variety of restaurants, from small family-run businesses to larger restaurants and hotels. They learnt new skills, such as peeling shrimps and cleaning squid, and learnt how to make some typical Spanish dishes, for example, salmorejo. They all enjoyed experimenting with new flavours and dishes, and learning from the professional cooks in the restaurant.

The trainees had the chance to immerse themselves in Spanish culture too. As cooks, they particularly enjoyed learning more about Spanish food. They took part in an olive oil tasting and learnt more about one of the most valuable products in the region of Jaen. They learnt all about how olive oil is produced and then tasted different types of olive oil to learn how to distinguish between them. They also had a tapas night, where they tasted many typical Spanish specialities.

Finally, they visited three famous Andalusian cities: Cordoba, Seville, and Malaga. In Seville, they saw many famous monuments, such as the Cathedral, Giralda and the Plaza de España and they had the chance to go inside the beautiful Alcazar. In Cordoba, they admired the beautiful Jewish quarter and visited the famous Mosque-Cathedral. In Malaga, they visited the Alcazaba and took in the great view of the city.

We hope that our trainees learned a lot from their internships and will have great memories of their time in Úbeda!