One of the great treats to come out of the Spanish-speaking world is churros and chocolate. Churros are sort of linear donuts—gently curved but not ring-shaped— cooked in deep oil. They are important sources of two nutrients: sugar and fat.

Hot chocolate, as prepared in Mexico, is much richer than the "cocoa" we drink in the USA. Those of us who live in San Miguel de Allende know that the place for the best hot chocolate (and churros) is the restaurant San Augustín. When, occasionally, I feel like I'm ahead of the calorie game, I stop in there.

But now, in Madrid, I have experienced the apotheosis of chocolate and churros. It'll never be the same again.

Here, churros are made by specialists who stand over vats of hot oil, extruding large spirals of dough from a machine, whirling it in the air until it contains maybe twenty turns before plunging it into the cooking pot. Unlike the churros at San Augustín, Spanish churros are not sugared, are not very sweet. But the crusty, biscuit-like flavor is more than enough.

Even more outstanding is the chocolate. Spanish hot chocolate is made with water, a little sugar, and more than 50% dark chocolate. If you let it cool, you can almost stand your churro up in it. It's incredibly rich.

You can't really drink it. You can slurp a spoonful, or you can do like the Madrileños and dip your churros in it.

Jean and I went to a place that specializes in chocolate and churros. We each ordered a serving. At the table next to us, three natives ordered a cup of coffee apiece and one order of chocolate and churros to split among themselves. We were wrong; they were right. There was no way we were gonna finish ours. We each consumed half an order and staggered out of the café on the brink of a sugar coma.

I don't know how the Spanish do it, breakfasting on this stuff. For me, once in a lifetime is all I can take.