Favorite dishes of the Spaniards. Features of Spanish cuisine

Spanish national cuisine is replete with fish and seafood dishes. But no less famous are such dishes of Spanish cuisine as Riojan, partridge, escabeche and the famous gazpacho. Although many consider the cuisine of Spain not as refined as the cuisine of France, the dishes representing this country are famous for their rich taste and long aftertaste. The names of Spanish dishes alone arouse interest, not to mention their amazing taste. And the cuisine of Spain in the photos below will invariably whet the appetite of even a well-fed person.

Freed from the Francoist dictatorship, in the late 1970s Spain rushed forward in all areas where progress was hampered by its international isolation. Another impetus for cultural development in a new, much more creative aspect was the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

The first in the “new cuisine” were the Basques. Having earned money from shipping and high-tech industries, the inhabitants of the Basque Country began to appreciate everything they could spend on with pleasure. Good cuisine became the most important item of expenditure, since the Basques have long been famous as the greatest gourmets in all of Spain.

The first iconic restaurant in this province was Arzak by Juan Marie Arzak, which opened at the end of the 19th century. The eternal Basque desire to do everything differently and not be like other Spaniards, a unique range of products (including such rarities as sea fish fry and eel tongues) plus those same high technologies eventually gave rise to the most interesting and creative cuisine in the country.

The second point of support in the history of Spanish cuisine was Catalonia. She gave the world the most famous chef not only in Spain, but in the whole world. Ferran Adria, who became the chef of the El Bulli restaurant in Costa Brava in 1986, believed that traditional recipes did not fully reveal the taste of excellent Spanish products.

Check out the photos of Spanish cuisine and their descriptions, and you will definitely want to try at least one of them:





Spanish cuisine dish Riojan style potatoes

Ingredients: boiled potatoes, chorizo, paprika.

Rioja is famous, among other things, for its chorizo ​​sausages. No matter how they are prepared, the most popular way is with potatoes. Boiled potatoes are heated in a spicy sauce with red pepper, bay leaf and chorizo. Today, Riojan-style potatoes are found on restaurant menus throughout the country, but the most correct ones are in Rioja Alta.

Cuisine of Spain: partridge escabeche

Ingredients: partridge, carrots, onions, wine vinegar.

Escabeche (escabeche)- a method of preparing fish and vegetables popular throughout the country. There is no sea fish in Rioja, so escabeche (marinated in wine vinegar) is prepared here from partridges abundant in the forests. First, they are fried with vegetables, and then they are poured with marinade and you get a spicy snack. Partridge escabeche, in addition to everything, is stored well and for a long time.

Spanish vinaigrette with butter

White Bordeaux is perfect for this dish: it is not too aromatic, so it has nothing to lose against the fragrant unrefined sunflower oil, and its smooth taste with medium acidity perfectly supports the taste of the vinaigrette.

Addition to the Spanish vinaigrette with butter: an inexpensive white Bordeaux with a dominant sauvignon blanc.

Dish of traditional Spanish cuisine: herring under a fur coat

The joy of Soviet feasts can also be raised to a good restaurant level. You just need to carefully observe the proportions of boiled vegetables and complement them with a thoughtful combination of fried and pickled onions. Traditional Spanish cuisine is not complete without famous Spanish wines. This dish pairs beautifully with Chablis, which has just the right acidity to balance the richness of the herring and mayonnaise dressing.

For a more festive option for herring under a fur coat, you can choose sparkling cheerful prosecco.

National Spanish dish gazpacho

Ingredients: tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, white, olive oil, vinegar.

It is not surprising that a cold one appeared in the hottest province of the country: in the Seville summer, when the thermometer goes over 40 ° C, nothing compares to ice-cold gazpacho. There are many variations of the recipe and similar dishes in Andalusia, among which the most notable is ajoblanco - a cold soup made from garlic and grapes.

Cuisine of Spain: pescado frito dish

Ingredients: small fish of different varieties, olive oil, lemon.

Maritime Andalusia has an extensive fish menu, but the most popular dish is the simplest one. All small fish caught in the morning (pescado frito) are rolled in flour and deep-fried in olive oil. Serve pescado frito with a slice of lemon both as an appetizer and as a main course. Wine: dry Amontillado sherry.

Traditional Spanish dish: oxtail soup

Ingredients: oxtails, red wine, saffron, garlic, onions, carrots, jamon.

Oxtail soup occupies a special place in traditional Spanish cuisine. In Cordoba and Seville, bullfighting is loved to the point of fainting and fighting, so it is not surprising that it took place here very often. Initially, the dish was prepared from the tails of fighting bulls, but the recipe quickly became popular and acquired a purely peaceful sound. The point of oxtail soup is to soften the tough meat by simmering it for a very long time in a spicy sauce.

Spanish octopus in Galician style

Ingredients: octopus, potatoes, paprika, olive oil.

This dish of Spanish cuisine consists of slices of octopus laid out on a wooden plate, sprinkled with fragrant red paprika, throughout Spain they are called “Galician”, and only in Galicia itself - “fair”, since they were previously prepared during village holidays and bazaars. Boiled tentacles of Spanish octopus in Galician style are generously flavored with olive oil and served with boiled potatoes. Wine: white wines from Rias Baixas, the most famous being Albariño

Spanish cuisine: pimiento del padron

Ingredients: Padron peppers, olive oil, coarse salt.

Small green peppers, quickly fried with salt, are the simplest and most popular snack in all tapas bars, but they come from Galicia, where this variety of peppers was developed. Even a Galician proverb warns of their main feature: about an indecisive person they say: “pimiento del Padron, the eleventh sharp.” But the unexpectedly spicy pod in almost every serving of pimiento del padrón is part of the dish's legend and appeal.

Spanish baked baby goat

Ingredients: kid, olive oil, rosemary, garlic.

The Spanish baked kid dish is comparable to the Pyrenees in its simplicity of outline and antiquity. The baby goat is coated with butter, flavored with herbs (or even dispensed with) and fried for a long time on a spit or grill over not too hot coals. The trick is to fry it so that you can do without a knife, but even slightly less perfect samples are very tasty.

Spanish morcilla

Ingredients: pork, pork blood.

Blood sausage- food is essentially completely medieval, but retains its glory where they know how to do it really well. In Spain, the art of its preparation was preserved and enhanced in the ancient fortified cities of Burgos and Leon. Wine to go with the Spanish Morcilla: Ribera del Duero Crianza.

Traditional Spanish dish: roast suckling pig

The oldest restaurant in Spain is located in Segovia and is famous. Over the four centuries of the restaurant's existence, they have learned to fry it so soft that when serving, the waiter cuts it into portions with the edge of an ordinary plate. You can try approximately the same baked pig, only without the historical aura, in other restaurants in Castile y Leon.

Cuisine of Spain: Catalan paella

The undisputed homeland of paella is Valencia, but rice also grows and fish is caught in Catalonia, so it also has its own version of paella, which is often simply called “rice with seafood.” Although paella is prepared in Catalan style in exactly the same pan and according to the same principles as in the neighboring province. The only exception is that in Catalonia they rarely make mixed paella with shellfish and poultry.

National dishes of Spain: jamon and sausages

Jamon- the main gastronomic pride of Spain.

Any decent bar or restaurant will have dried pork feet hanging above the counter, as there is no better or more popular appetizer to go with wine. The best jamon is made from Iberian pigs, which roam freely through the forests and feed mainly on acorns - it is this lifestyle that allows the jamon not to be too fatty and at the same time have a delicate nutty aroma. In addition to jamon, Spain makes many other meat delicacies, which tourists often ignore, but in vain.

Particularly worth tasting are chorizo ​​(spicy smoked or cured sausage), Catalan butifarra and Galician androlla.

Spanish cheeses

Spanish cheeses are not as famous as French and Italian ones, but they deserve no less attention.

About 100 varieties of cheese are produced in Spain (in Asturias alone - 42), of which 28 are protected by origin. The most famous Spanish cheese is manchego. Both in taste and in production technology, it is a distant relative of Parmesan, although it is rarely aged for so long. Galician queso tetilla, a delicate, salty cow's milk cheese, Basque sheep's idiazabal, soft sheep's torta de casar from Extremadura and blue cabrales from Asturias also deserve thoughtful tasting.

Wanting to enrich the home diet, many housewives experiment with the composition, design and presentation of familiar dishes. Those who are more liberated in cooking decide to introduce foreign dishes, trying the most unusual dishes and drinks. Colorful Spanish cuisine will be an excellent guide on your gastronomic journey. Thanks to the passionate combinations of vegetables, seafood and spices that excite the palate, it is the most friendly for the unspoiled stomachs of the inhabitants of Europe and Asia.

Communication skills are the main trump card that Spanish cuisine protects. Recipes for the most complex dishes can be easily transformed in the skillful hands of a simple housewife, you just need to add a little imagination to the products.

The essence of Spanish cuisine

The three pillars are quality olive oil, crispy sweet peppers and sage. Many would argue with this statement, pointing to the abundance of meat, garlic and vegetables on the menus of the most expensive restaurants in the country. But at its core, Spanish cuisine retains the flavor of ancient times, when people knew the price of real oil and the taste of pepper infused with goodness and sunshine.

What has changed over the centuries of existence?

Over the many centuries of its existence, the food culture of the ardent Spaniards underwent constant transformations: the French brought with them magnificent wine, which became an excellent basis for stewed meat, Africans shared the secrets of pairing spices, “friendship” with the Italians gave local residents a wealth of baked goods, and the Moors sweetened dishes with using almonds, milk and couscous. Spanish delicately absorbed such influences from foreign traditions and skillfully presented the best of them in its own inimitable style.

Popular dishes

The first courses are distinguished by their incomparable aroma, delicate taste and stunning appearance. There are four celebrities among them:

  • the most magnificent samfiana - a symphony of ripe tomatoes, tart eggplant and tasty peppers;
  • aromatic picada - a colorful trio of garlic, moderately roasted almonds and juicy herbs;
  • laconic sofrito - a composition of garlic, pepper, meaty tomatoes and herbs;
  • unsurpassed ali-oli - soft garlic based on olive oil.

Spanish cuisine. Recipes

You should start your acquaintance with simple dishes. You shouldn’t immediately rush to cook king prawns or octopus: the lighter the dish, the faster Spanish cuisine will take root in the house. Simple recipes are easier to remember. And that means putting it into practice. To start, you can prepare a light cold soup called gazpacho, which doesn’t require much:

  • 1 kg of fleshy tomatoes;
  • 200-220 g of fresh cucumbers;
  • 100-120 g sweet pepper;
  • 100 g red onion;
  • 2 medium cloves of fresh garlic;
  • a tablespoon of good wine vinegar;
  • 2 tbsp. l olive oil;
  • a handful of your favorite crackers;
  • salt, sugar and lemon taste completely to your own taste.

Making soup

Although gazpacho is a representative of cold dishes, you can savor it at any time of the year, because it is a kind of Spanish okroshka: it will refresh you in the hot season, and in winter it will remind you of the sultry and passionate summer.

First, you should start peeling the vegetables: you need to free the tomatoes from their hard peel and carefully remove the stem. Cucumbers suffer the same fate - their “clothes” also go into the trash. The thoroughly washed peppers must be cut into good pieces, tomatoes and cucumbers into small pieces, crush the garlic with a press or glass and place the whole group in a blender. Chop vegetables until completely smooth. Afterwards you need to balance the taste of the soup: if the tomatoes were sour, it is better to add a pinch of sugar. Next, add salt to the soup, add wine vinegar and olive oil. After mixing well, the soup can be placed in the refrigerator to cool. The colorful dish should be served with beautiful crispy breadcrumbs and herbs (you can also garnish with fresh mint).

Paella

Spanish cuisine does not tolerate unnecessary waste, so many people are familiar with the recipe for profitable paella with affordable seafood. To prepare, housewives need to purchase the following:

  • 250 g of quality seafood mixture;
  • 350-400 fillets of your favorite fish;
  • 200 g green beans;
  • 100 g sweet crispy pepper;
  • 3 cups coarse grain (parboiled) rice;
  • 250-300 g of fresh tomatoes;
  • 2 cloves of fresh aromatic garlic;
  • 100 ml dry wine;
  • 2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley;
  • 5-6 glasses of broth;
  • 4 tbsp olive oil;
  • 2 pinches (0.5 tsp) saffron, salt, pepper, paprika.

Preparation

Sensual Spanish cuisine does not tolerate frozen foods, but in today's busy life you can miss this whim. First, you should heat up the main tool in cooking - a frying pan with a thick bottom; olive oil must completely cover its container. The first to be fried are seafood and chopped fish fillets. This should be done for no more than 2-3 minutes, so the optimal amount of juice will be released from the products. Afterwards, take out the pieces of fried seafood, and add attractively chopped peppers into the juice. When the vegetable becomes soft, you should add colorful peeled tomatoes to it, which can be cut into cubes or in the shape of a crescent.

You need to simmer chopped vegetables for at least 10-12 minutes, after which you can add color to them with 0.5 tsp of paprika, saffron and salt, as well as ground black pepper. This quartet of spices is unchanged for preparing paella; you can add to the set, but you shouldn’t exclude it.

Next, it’s worth taking care of the rice - you don’t need to immediately rush to wash it, rice dust gives the dishes a stickiness, and it is precisely this that is the hallmark of this dish, which Spanish cuisine is proud of. The recipes for the updated variations are more loyal in this regard, but when preparing paella for the first time, you should trust the advice described in the classic recipes.

It is better to pour the rice into a juicy vegetable base in a frying pan. Then you need to let it collect juice, then return the seafood to the hot company, add slightly warmed seedless fish broth and dry wine.

Paella is stirred only once after adding dry wine. Having turned all the layers of the dish well, you should go through it one more time and cover the frying pan with a lid.

Dressings are the true chic of any Spanish dish. Recipes often start with them, because it is not just a mixture of spices and herbs - it is the final chord of any culinary masterpiece. The paella is completed with a mixture of painstakingly chopped parsley and garlic. After letting the garlic release its juice, you can add the dressing to the main sauce and simmer for another 8-10 minutes, after which you must let the dish steep. The rice should absorb all the juices and fill up to the rest. You can serve the dish accompanied by cherry tomatoes and green leaves.

Turron

What decoration for any table? Of course, a delicious and colorful dessert. The hallmark of Spain during the Christmas season can be called turron - Mediterranean kozinaki.

To prepare a winter version of sweets, housewives will need:

  • 3 neatly separated egg whites;
  • 250 g fine sugar;
  • a glass of your favorite honey;
  • a glass of your favorite nuts (you can use a mixture);
  • 5-6 sheets of quality rice paper.

Preparation

Fantasy and aesthetics are what amazes Spanish cuisine. You can scroll through recipes with photos like something magical. The desserts are all so colorful and original that most people with a sweet tooth, having tried Spanish delicacies once, can no longer eat the usual ones.

First you need to beat the squirrels (they should be cooled first, so peaks will form faster). Next, you need to cook the syrup from the prepared honey and sugar; its readiness can be determined by its attractive thickness, after which you should pour the syrup on top of the whites and beat again. A mixture of nuts (crushed or whole) should be mixed into the created sweet mass. You need to pour the resulting nougat onto the (confectionery) layer and let it dry, after which you need to cover it with another sheet on top. You can serve geometrically by cutting the layers together with the paper.

Conclusion

Now you know what Spanish cuisine is. We provided you with recipes with photos in the article. We hope that you will be able to prepare similar dishes at home.

Traditional Spanish cuisine is a curious mixture of Christian, Arab, and Jewish culinary traditions. Most often, meat and seafood are used in cooking: oysters, shrimp, mussels.

As in and, people here really like fresh vegetables and olive oil. Snacks and soups, as well as a variety of sausages, are very popular. But the main dishes are a completely different story! So, what should a tourist try in Spain? What is the main national food made from, when and with what?

Tapas

Traditional Spanish dishes are served as an appetizer with wine or. We can say that this concept itself is dimensionless. Any light food falls under it: from chips, olives and nuts to pork kebab. But most often these are small sandwiches, and each establishment has their own special ones. The Spaniards even like to have fun this way: visit as many bars as possible in an evening, drinking a glass of wine or beer in each and eating a signature snack.

The name “tapas” is translated into Russian as “lid”. But indeed, in ancient times in Spain, these small sandwiches were used to cover glasses of drinks during meals so that dust or midges would not get into them.

In Spanish catering establishments you can order both individual tapas (their price starts from 1.8 €) and assorted plates (tapas sets, the price starts from 14.95 €).

Bread with tomatoes (Pan con tomates)

Spanish cuisine has national dishes that at first glance may seem banal. This is exactly what many people think of the traditional Catalan snack of bread and tomatoes. Of course, until they try this magnificence. Believe me, it’s simply impossible to tear yourself away!

In Spain, a rare lunch or dinner begins without Pan con tomates, and an outdoor picnic without it is completely unthinkable. The best products are used to prepare delicious national snacks. Bread is only of the “country” variety in the form of a fragrant round loaf with a crispy crust. The tomatoes are also special: brown, small and very juicy, so that all the flavor is transferred to the bread slice.

The bread is dried over the fire until a golden brown crust appears, then rubbed with garlic and tomato pulp, salted and sprinkled with rustic. In Spanish cafes, a portion of such delicious bread costs from 2.1 €.

Gazpacho

One of the must-try foods in Spain is real gazpacho. The dish belongs to the category of cold light soups, served in the hot season, prepared from fresh vegetables, pureed.

Gazpacho is a vegetarian cuisine because it does not contain animal fats.

The soup is not just cold, but very cold, because crushed ice is used for preparation. Products, spices and sauce are added to it, after which everything is crushed to a puree state and until the ice is completely thawed. Then add olive oil and immediately serve with crispy croutons.

The most popular varieties of gazpacho are bean and tomato. You can eat one of the most popular Spanish soups in inexpensive cafes for about 5 €.

Fabada

When choosing what to eat as a first course in Spain, pay attention to the hearty, thick white bean soup with smoked meats (sausages, pork ham, blood sausage) and salted lard. It got its name from its main component – ​​large Asturian white beans. It is three times larger in size than other legumes. It has an amazing taste and very thin skin.

This traditional national dish belongs to the cuisine of the northern Spanish province of Asturias. In restaurants it is served in large tureens, the price per serving is between 10-12.50 €.

Paella

All over the world it is considered the national dish of Spain, while in the country itself it is considered to be the traditional cuisine of Valencia. It is from the Valencian word “paella”, which translates as “frying pan”, that the delicious paella takes its name. The main feature of this delicious dish is the harmony of seemingly incompatible products.

The basis of the meal is rice, lightly tinted with saffron, olive oil, white wine and. Additives can vary from chicken and vegetables to fish and seafood. In some areas of Spain, paella is made with beans. Local residents claim that there are about 300 varieties of this dish. You should definitely try at least one of them, for example, mixed with rabbit, chicken and snails.

Depending on the number of ingredients and the level of the establishment, a portion of paella in Spain costs from 5 to 20 €.

Hamon

What meat dishes should you try in Spain? First of all, he is famous. It is prepared from the hind legs of pork, sprinkled with a lot of salt. After salting, the drying process takes place, which lasts from 6 to 36 months in different regions and climatic conditions. The last stage of drying takes place in cellars with a special microclimate; the hams ripen in a suspended state, acquiring a unique aroma and taste.

The meat is cut very thin. This is done by a professionally trained person - a cortador - using a special knife and a cutting stand (jamonera).

If in a restaurant you see someone eating jamon on a piece of bread, it means that this person is a foreigner. The Spaniards will never do this so as not to lose the purity of taste. Jamon is traditionally served with olives and a glass of sherry.

In Spain there are special establishments - jamonerias, where you can eat various types of jamon. In stores, the price for 1 kg starts from 20-30 €. Jamon, marked with a special national quality mark, costs from 80 €, and the exclusive Belotta variety costs 300 €.

Chorizo

Food in Spain is spicy, and if you're wondering what to try, be sure to opt for spicy pork chorizo. It owes its red-orange color to a large amount of paprika, which is the main spice in cooking.

During the cold season, the Spaniards finely chop chorizo ​​and add it to stews, stews or soups. The sausage is also baked in the oven with eggs and potatoes or simply served with pasta. Well, when there is absolutely no time to cook, they simply eat delicious sausage with bread.

It’s just important to know that chorizo ​​is a dry-cured sausage, and the meat used for it is chopped into large slices. If it is produced recently, it must be stewed, baked or fried. You can eat raw chorizo ​​only when it has been drying for at least 3 months. The price of sausage in Spanish stores is from 8 € per 1 kg.

Potato tortilla (Tortilla de patatas)

What else is worth trying in Spanish cuisine is the delicious potato tortilla - an omelette made from chicken eggs with slices of onions and potatoes, fried in olive oil. As a rule, it is prepared on. But in many bars, the tortilla is placed on bread or a bun and served as tapas.

There is a version that tortilla was first prepared in the 19th century by a peasant woman with whom the leader of the Spanish Carlists, Thomas de Zumalacarregui, was staying. She began to think about what to give the general to eat, because there were only onions, eggs and potatoes in the house. This is how tortilla was born, which today is available in any Spanish cafe or supermarket. In or you can try it for about 10 €.

Santiago Cake (Pastel De Santiago)

What delicious desserts to eat in Spain? Start your sweet journey with the Galician Santiago almond cake, which has been known since the 16th century. The recipe was invented in the capital of the autonomous Spanish region of Santiago de Compostela. They were named after the patron saint of the country - Saint Apostle Santiago.

In the Middle Ages, the cake was considered exquisite and expensive due to the high price of almonds. Now this delicacy can be tasted in any region of Spain.

Since the 20th century, cake has been a traditional Spanish dessert. The name “Santiago” can only be assigned to a dessert that was produced in the country.

To prepare the cake, use almond flour, butter, lemons, sugar and nuts. Be sure to decorate the top with powdered sugar, highlighting the cross of Santiago using a special stencil. Served with fine Galician wines.

The Santiago cake has a fairly long shelf life, so many tourists take it as a souvenir from Spain to family and friends. The cost of a cake weighing 700 g is from 12 €.

Churros

For breakfast you should definitely try an interesting sweet dish of Spanish cuisine called “churros”. This dessert is loved all over the world. It is prepared from choux pastry, deep-fried or baked.

Churros are sold in cafes and restaurants, and on street stalls. The tasty delicacy is sprinkled with cinnamon or powdered sugar, and in some establishments it is filled with cream or chocolate.

The best way to try churros is to dip them in hot chocolate while sipping aromatic Spanish coffee with cream. Price per serving 3-4 €.

Spain is a beautiful and friendly country with hospitable people and a huge amount of delicious food. If you are planning to visit this amazing country, do not forget to try the dishes from the list below.

1. Churros, or local donuts.


Imagine how the Spaniards start every day with them! usually served for breakfast, and most often with chocolate. They are deep-fried, so they turn out crispy and very tasty. They can be different in shape, as well as in thickness. They are sold everywhere in Spain!

2. Croquettes.


They are sold in all bars in Spain. They are usually spicy cutlets with various fillings, which are usually served as an appetizer. Spaniards love to gather in bars in the evenings to eat and discuss the affairs of the past day. Sometimes croquettes are served with bechamel sauce. They are often filled with smoked ham or jamon, chicken, shrimp or even bechamel sauce alone. see our recipe.

3. Spanish tortilla.


This dish is somewhat reminiscent of an omelette, only it is much tastier. It differs from an omelet in that it contains fewer eggs, and the main ingredients are potatoes and onions. Eggs, of course, are also added, but they are not the main products. Pieces of potatoes and onions are first well fried, then combined with raw eggs and fried again. The result is a thick, round, delicious flatbread that can be sliced ​​and served as an appetizer (recipe).

4. Gambas Al Ahiyo.


The dish with this name is shrimp in garlic sauce. This is one of the most colorful Spanish dishes. Since Spain is washed by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, the freshest seafood is always sold in large quantities in this country. Preparation may vary in different parts of the country. But basically, the sauce consists of dry sherry, Spanish paprika, lemon juice and parsley. All this is cooked together with shrimp in olive oil with the addition of a lot of garlic.

5. Chorizo.


This is a spicy pork sausage with garlic and paprika. It can be spicy or slightly sweet in taste, and can be eaten fresh or slightly smoked.

6. Jamon.


If you go for a walk in Spanish markets, you are sure to see huge bundles of dried pork feet. Spain is the largest producer of smoked hams, and jamon is its calling card. Cooking jamon is an art created by local chefs based on traditional Spanish recipes. The result is delicious meat that can be stored for about two years.

7. Paella.

When it comes to Spanish cuisine, what immediately comes to mind is . This dish is a mixture of seafood and rice, although local cuisine often uses chicken or rabbit instead of seafood. Although, considering that in Spain there is always fresh seafood available, it makes sense to try paella with shrimp. It's simply divine!

8. Patatas Bravas.


Spanish cuisine has few spicy dishes. - one of them. It uses the hottest pepper. It's no wonder this dish is so popular throughout the country.

9. Pulpo a la Gallego


This is octopus meat with paprika, sea salt and olive oil. This delicious food is different from many others in that it is always served on a wooden platter.

10. Catalan cream.


This cream should not be confused with creme brulee. If the latter has a vanilla aroma, it is more spicy, with notes of cinnamon, orange or lemon zest.

Of course, all Spanish cuisine does not consist of 10 dishes. There are much more of them. We simply tried to compile a list of the most common and popular ones. You can, of course, try all of them during your trip to Spain and perhaps add some more to this list.

National Spanish cuisine is a combination of a huge number of different culinary schools. Each region of the country has its own traditions and they can all differ significantly from each other.

Gastronomic Spain. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/poper/

Food in Spain is a national cult with ancient roots. Dishes of Spanish cuisine have absorbed Moorish and ancient Roman traditions, elements of African and French cuisines.

Regions of Spain. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/regiondelsureste/

Each province has its own national Spanish dishes. The North Atlantic coast is famous for its delicately flavored soups and sauces.

In Cantabria, dishes made from shellfish, sardines and trout are famous, as well as “Santander rice” (arroz santanderino).

Asturias is famous for a dish of white beans with sausage and ham called fabada asturiana.

Spanish dish - Fabada. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/

Galician cuisine includes boiled octopus (in Spanish: pulpo a feira), whiting fish cooked in clay pots and pork trotters with the addition of rutabaga leaves.

Spanish dish - boiled octopus (pulpo a feira). Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/edurecio/

In the Basque country, the famous cheese "idiazabal" is made from sheep's milk. The main secret of this dairy product is smoking over beech coals.

Another delicacy the Basques consider is eel fry and sea pike fins. Chili sauce is an invariable companion to meat dishes from Aragon.

The provinces of Rioja and Navarre are famous for the unsurpassed quality of vegetables grown here, from which they prepare a huge variety of side dishes and sauces, in particular pimientos rellenos - sweet stuffed peppers.

Spanish dish - sweet stuffed peppers (pimientos rellenos). Photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/moriza/

In Castile and Extremadura, on the contrary, they prefer meat dishes. In Soria and Burgos you will be served excellent roasted lamb, and in Segovia - roasted suckling pig.

Catalan cuisine, due to its geographical location, is closely related to the cuisine of Italy and Southern France. The basis of the dishes of this Spanish region are 4 sauces: picada (garlic with fried almonds and herbs), samfain (from eggplant, tomatoes and sweet peppers), sofrito from tomatoes, peppers with herbs and garlic) and ali-oli (olive oil with garlic).

Often, Catalan tables are served with aromatic and thick monkfish soup or a stew made from the legs and head of a pig. In Salamanca they are proud of their stewed veal tail, and in Toledo they prepare marzipan according to an ancient recipe from the North African Moors.

Andalusian cuisine is a fusion of culinary and cultural traditions of the peoples who lived here at different times. They love everything here: meat on skewers, pre-marinated thoroughly - pincho and any types of fish and seafood.

Spanish dish - meat on skewers (pincho). Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedja84/

The famous jabugo ham is produced in the province of Huelva. Valencian cuisine can be distinguished separately. Its main difference is its huge variety. Fish, vegetables and fruits can be combined in one dish.

Spanish ham - Jabugo. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joan_marti/

And with the variety of rice dishes, Valencian chefs can compete with Japanese chefs. Just look at the world famous national dish of Spain – paella.

Tapas

But, despite all the culinary contrasts, there are native Spanish dishes.
Tapas cannot be called something specific and cannot be prepared according to a specific recipe. This is a whole phenomenon in the diet of the Spaniards for several centuries.

According to one version, the king of Castile, Alfonso the Wise, who ruled in the 13th century, issued a law. This document obliged the owners of inns to serve their visitors strong drinks along with snacks, so that they would not lose their decent appearance if they quickly got drunk on an empty stomach. Such snacks were placed directly on mugs of wine or beer. This is how the name tapas was born, meaning “lid” in Spanish.

Spanish tapas. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsugden/

In many regions of Spain this tradition is still alive. The Spanish language has a new verb, tapear, which means “to go to bars, drink and eat tapas.” Tapas can be any sliced ​​sausage, grilled vegetables, or fried seafood.

Other bars will offer you endless options for mini sandwiches, scrambled eggs, and pies with different fillings. In general, tapas is a lottery; the Spaniards themselves do not know what they can be served as a snack today.

Spanish dish - Tapas. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wordridden/

Paella

The most famous hot rice dish is paella Valenciana. Since ancient times it has been cooked on the streets in special huge frying pans and exclusively by men. In addition to rice, this dish may include seafood or meat, vegetables, and a variety of spices. According to the Spaniards themselves, there are over 300 paella recipes.

Spanish dish - paella. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/niallkennedy/

Spanish delicacy - Jamon

Jamon (jamon) - dry-cured ham. There are 2 types of jamon - serrano and iberico (cerrano, iberico). They are prepared from different breeds of pigs; they also differ in the method and duration of preparation.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/socialcriteria/

The cuisine of Spain is also famous for its variety of sausages; many of them, in particular chorizo, are even added to soups.

Spanish wines and liqueurs are considered some of the best in the world. We have all heard and tried sherry (Jerez), sangria (sangria) more than once. There are more than 60 wine regions in the country, the most famous being Rioja.

Spanish wines. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uned/

Spanish cheese

Another culinary hallmark of Spain is its cheeses. Here they are produced in any region, so no matter what part of the country you visit, you will find your own, prepared according to a special recipe. The Spaniards themselves prefer cheese made from sheep or goat milk.

Spanish cheeses. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elliotmoore/

Spanish olive oil

Many Spanish dishes are prepared with the addition of olive oil, which is rightfully considered the best in the world.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ratamala/

Not everything and not all at once

It is simply impossible to tell in one article about all the amazing features of national Spanish cuisine. It is so vast and amazing that it requires a more detailed story.

So, see you in the next article. In it we will talk about.