What are snacks called in Spain? National dishes of Spain. Rice dishes – Arroces
The regions of Spain are a unique world with their own culture, music, language and gastronomy. Each region tells its story through architecture, music, dance, language and, of course, gastronomy. The cuisine of Spain is one of the most diverse in the world, and Spaniards love to cook, dine in large groups and talk a lot about food. It's time to go on a gastronomic journey through the regions and taste Spain. Of course, reading this article on an empty stomach is a risky idea; there is a possibility of spontaneously buying tickets to Spain!
Andalusia
The protagonist of two famous dishes of this region is the tomato. And these dishes are cold pureed soups gazpacho and salmorejo. The variety of cold soups is determined by the hot climate in southern Spain; they help fill you up and refresh you on the hottest day.
Gazpacho is made from pureed tomato with the addition of green and red peppers, cucumber, onion, garlic, olive oil and white wine vinegar. If desired, add white bread. Typically has the consistency of thick, freshly squeezed juice, it can be used as a quick snack to recharge your batteries.
Salmorejo is a thicker pureed soup with tomato, olive oil, garlic and white bread; it is usually eaten with a spoon. When served, half an egg and pieces of jamon are placed on top.
Asturias
This region is famous for its high-calorie and very aromatic fabada dish. The region's large white beans are simmered in bone broth over low heat for over an hour, accompanied by bacon and several types of local sausages, such as chorizo and morcilla.
Catalonia
Even though it is not a separate dish, pan con tomate - local bread with crushed tomatoes and olive oil - is the main character of every meal.
As a local snack, we present calçots, a special type of white onion cooked on the grill. May be served with tomatoes, peppers, toasted almonds and pan-toasted bread.
Galicia
The region, famous for its excellent seafood, boasts scallops vieiras a la gallega, sauteed with onions, ham, parsley, spices and a splash of brandy. Everything is placed together on the bottom of the shell, sprinkled with crumbled bread and parsley on top and baked in the oven.
Aragon
Aragonese-style lamb (ternasco aragonés) in the form of a roast is prepared from the meat of young lamb with potatoes and asparagus. The meat can be served as a whole piece or in small pieces with gravy.
A popular national dish is lamb intestines stuffed with rice, with the addition of parsley, cinnamon and white pepper, called chiretas. If desired, lamb neck meat, kidneys and lungs are added.
Balearic Islands
The islanders' cuisine is rich not only in sweets, but also in a variety of seafood dishes. Notable examples are caldereta de langosta and guisado de raya. Lobster soup caldereta de langosta is prepared from two types of local lobster, tomatoes, bread, onions, and spices.
Guisado de raya is a dish made from the region's prized raya fish, which is prepared with pieces of potato and zucchini in a roasted almond sauce, sometimes with the addition of tomatoes.
Canary Islands
The Islands of Eternal Spring are home to the famous mojo picón sauce throughout Spain, consisting of hot pepper, paprika, garlic, olive oil, wine vinegar and salt. In the islands, the sauce serves as the finishing touch to a simple local dish, papas arrugás - potatoes that are boiled with their skins in salt water until the skins shrivel. Served with spicy sauce. Usually, a special type of potato is used for preparation, which is grown only in this region.
Cantabria
Another high-calorie hero of Spanish cuisine, cocido montañés, or puchera montañesa, is a white bean stew with cabbage, ribs and two types of Spanish sausages, chorizo and morcilla. Due to its calorie content, it is most often served as the only dish at lunch or dinner.
La Rioja
The most popular dish of this region, menestra de verduras, is a vegetable stew with the addition of beans, asparagus, local sausages and jamon. The most traditional version of this dish is prepared with locally sourced artichokes.
Basque Country
The famous fishing region is famous, of course, for its fish dish - bacalao al pil pil. The Basques cook the cod in a pan with a lot of olive oil and some fried garlic. The remaining oil and garlic after frying is used to prepare a sauce for fish, adding hot red pepper to it. When serving, pieces of fish are laid out on a plate, poured with sauce and sprinkled with herbs.
Castile and Leon
In the meat-producing region of Spain, cochinillo asado is considered a popular local dish. A young pig, coated with spices and pork fat, is baked in the oven along with potatoes. Lamb is prepared in the same way. If desired, the meat can be baked separately and served with stewed vegetables.
Castile-La Mancha
As a favorite dish, you can be offered pisto manchego - a vegetable stew made from fresh tomatoes, zucchini, red and green peppers. The dish has many variations with the addition of jamon, olives, onions and fried eggs.
Extremadura
Migas extremeñas used to be considered a dish for peasants, being, with a simple composition, very high in calories, giving strength for the whole day. To prepare it, dry bread crumbs are used, which are soaked for several hours. They are then mixed with fried garlic, peppers, chorizo sausage, and served with a fried egg. There are variations with the addition of bacon or jamon.
Madrid
The famous and very satisfying Spanish dish is offered to us by Madrid - cocido madrileño. Prepared in the form of a thick soup of chickpeas and meat with the addition of carrots. Most often, when serving, each ingredient is served separately: chickpeas, meat, vegetables and broth. If desired, jamon, bacon, and various types of sausages are added to the dish, which add flavor and calorie content.
Murcia
Although the region of Murcia is famous for its gardens and vegetable plantations, its inhabitants' favorite dish is not made from vegetables. Сaldero del Mar Menor is a dish based on rice and fish broth with tomatoes, garlic, dried green peppers and saffron. The fish is served separately.
Among vegetable dishes, noteworthy is zarangollo murciano - an omelette with zucchini, potatoes and onions. Vegetables are cooked in a clay pot with the addition of oil and spices until the liquid has completely evaporated. Then eggs are added on top and the dish is cooked until done. Photo 20
Navarre
One of the main dishes of this region is peppers stuffed with cod - pimientos rellenos de bacalao. To cook the peppers, you first need to simmer for 10 to 20 minutes on each side, after greasing them with oil, adding sugar and chopped garlic. Then, to stuff the peppers, a mass is prepared from mashed boiled fish, olive oil, a small amount of milk and flour. The stuffed peppers are lightly fried in oil with chopped garlic.
Valencia
Valencia gave the whole world the most famous Spanish dish, one might say, the culinary symbol of Spain - paella. Rice, which is often used in cooking in this region, became the basis of the dish. Here it is usually made from the following ingredients: chicken, rabbit, green and white beans, a special type of bean with a distinct aroma (garrofón), tomatoes, artichokes, sweet peppers and saffron.
However, there are many variations of paella with seafood, as well as with meat and seafood at the same time. For guests in a restaurant, the dish is usually served in portions in a frying pan.
Bon appetit!
It is famous for its traditional dishes due to their unusual flavor combinations and a wide variety of ingredients. Each region of Spain and climatic conditions bring their own characteristics and culinary delights to the national cuisine. The Spaniards highly value naturalness in products: fresh seafood and meat, rice and aromatic spices, olive oil. Each dish is spicy in its own way and always has an original design. To better imagine the features of the national cuisine of Spain, let's look at the most popular Spanish dishes.
1. Paella
The main ingredient of this delicious Spanish dish is rice with aromatic saffron and olive oil. Green vegetables, seafood or chicken are added to paella. There are a large number of recipes for this dish. Each region of the country offers its own special ingredients, but the classic version always includes several types of fish, rice, white wine and spices. Meat and rice make this dish of Spanish cuisine not only tasty, but also very filling. Traditionally, paella graces every Sunday lunch and is considered an integral part of the table on the Feast of St. Joseph.
Tortilla is the most common and popular dish in Spanish cuisine. It should not be confused with the thin Mexican cornmeal tortilla. Spanish tortilla is a delicious casserole made from potatoes, eggs and a variety of vegetables: tomatoes, corn, green pot, sweet peppers and onions. The cuisine of each province of Spain offers its own recipe with certain ingredients, but potatoes and eggs always form the basis of any tortilla. This dish in the form of a nutritious omelette is often offered to visitors in cafes as breakfast. The tasty tortilla is also sold in many supermarkets and is in great demand due to its filling nature.
Everyone has probably heard about such a national dish, without which it is impossible to imagine the cuisine of Spain, like jamon. Jamon is a dry-cured pork ham. This meat delicacy is highly valued not only in Spain itself, but also far beyond its borders. Ham is made only from the hind legs of the carcass and there are two varieties: Serrano (white breed of pigs) and Iberico (black breed of pigs). Serrano is more affordable, while Iberico is made from pigs fed a special diet of cork acorns and herbs. Real jamon is cut by hand using a special device (jamonera) and has an incredibly delicate taste and aroma. Each ham is carefully salted and stored in special rooms, ripening to perfect condition. The quality of jamon is checked by experienced tasters. To imagine the popularity of this dish in Spanish cuisine, it is worth mentioning that there is even a jamón museum in Madrid.
Tapas are small snacks served free of charge with wine or beer. They can consist of almost any ingredient and are an integral part of Spanish culture. Every self-respecting drinking establishment has an assortment of several types of tapas for its guests. Such miniature snacks are prepared from seafood, baked vegetables, and meat. They can be simply rolled or placed on a skewer. It all depends on the imagination of the chef and the preferences of the visitors. Some bars may offer stuffed olives, nuts or bacon bits as tapas. Combinations of ingredients can be very diverse. That is why there are a huge number of types and recipes for these light and tasty snacks.
5. Andalusian gazpacho
Another famous Spanish dish is Andalusian gazpacho, which is a delicious creamy soup served cold. Initially, the soup did not have such a rich color and did not even include tomatoes. Today, the classic recipe includes: tomatoes, bread crumb, pepper, cucumber and garlic. All this is thoroughly ground and mixed. The soup is flavored with wine vinegar, olive oil and spices, and then infused in the refrigerator. The soup is served with croutons or a vegetable side dish. The dish has gained popularity due to its delicate consistency and pleasant coolness, which you crave on a hot day. Despite the fact that the recipe came from Andalusia, gazpacho is considered the national dish of Spanish cuisine and is known throughout the world.
6. Churros
It is impossible to imagine breakfast in Spain without churros. These crispy stick-shaped baked goods are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Perfect for relaxing with company as a light snack. This delicacy is prepared in deep fat, frying the strips until golden brown. Traditionally, churros are sprinkled with powdered sugar and flavored with cinnamon, but there are also types with filling. This delicacy can be found on the menu of any cafe or restaurant in Spain. The recipe is incredibly simple and has gained popularity in many countries, for example Mexico, France, Portugal.
7. Fabada
The recipe for the popular Fabada soup comes from the cuisine of the province of Asturias. It has a fairly thick consistency and consists of white beans and sausage (usually morcilla and chorizo). When preparing Fabada, faba de la Granja beans are used. It is distinguished by its unusually large size and white color. Sausages add special piquancy to the soup: pork blood sausage and spicy dry-cured sausage. Sometimes there is bacon in the recipe. Thanks to its richness and unusual taste, which is added by fragrant smoked sausage, the soup is very popular in Spain and even has analogues in the cuisines of other European countries.
Paella, tapas, empanada, morcilla – isn’t it true, these very names alone whet your appetite! The Spaniards know a lot about food: their dishes not only taste incredibly good, they are also extraordinarily beautiful! And although Spanish cuisine is not as well known in the world as French or Italian, it is in no way inferior to them!
Features of Spanish cuisine
Spain is a fairly large country and its cuisine varies significantly from region to region. Moreover, there are many contradictions in the local culinary tradition: for example, Spanish cuisine is called Mediterranean, which implies an abundance of fish and seafood dishes, but in fact, meat is cooked here much more often. Also, each region is proud and boasts of its special dishes, calling them unique, but they are all united by the use of large quantities of olive oil, garlic and many aromatic herbs and spices.
Over the centuries, different regions of Spain have formed and developed their own culinary traditions, influenced by the Romans and Arabs, the French and Americans. Today it is difficult to say which dishes originated in this territory and which were brought from outside, but modern Spanish cuisine is completely unlike any other in the world.
Basque cuisine is deservedly considered the most refined: it mixes Spanish and French dishes, using fish, seafood, beef, chicken, and beans in large quantities. The northwestern part of the Spanish coast is famous for its soups, sauces and fish dishes: in Cantabria the best fish is prepared; in Galicia, boiled octopus and whiting fish in a pot are considered unrivaled dishes.
The cuisine of the eastern regions, in particular Catalonia, has been most influenced by French and Italian culinary traditions: here each dish is served with aromatic sauce, they prepare amazing pork stew, fried pork sausages with white beans, monkfish soup, they always use a lot of vegetables in cooking, cheese, dairy products.
In Andalusia, in the south of the country, the influence of the Arabs is most pronounced, in addition, it is here that the best olive oil is produced and many dishes are traditionally deep-fried. The famous gazpacho soup also comes from the southern regions of Spain.
In short, to really get acquainted with Spanish cuisine, you will have to travel around the whole country.Spanish breakfast, lunch and dinner: local flavor
The Spaniards take food seriously and thoroughly. Early in the morning, as soon as they wake up, they drink a cup of coffee, or less often, freshly squeezed orange juice. The time for real breakfast here comes later, around 10 a.m. - at this time
it seems that absolutely all Spaniards are sitting in cafes: shops close for a short break, there is almost no one on the streets. At this time, it is customary to drink coffee again, eat fresh baked goods or a “Spanish sandwich” - a small loaf, cut lengthwise and filled with tuna, slices or cheese.
It is customary to have lunch in Spain from approximately 2 to 4 pm (lunch here is also often called lunch). In this country, especially in small towns, it is still customary to take a siesta break - during these hours all institutions and shops are closed, only cafes and restaurants are open. For lunch, Spaniards traditionally eat salad, paella or baked meat (fish) with a side dish, possibly soup. Dessert must be served at the end of the meal: fruit, turron, cream, pudding or pie. No lunch is complete without a glass of local wine.
At the end of the working day, at 6 pm, Spaniards usually drink another cup of coffee with a piece of their favorite dessert. But it’s customary to have dinner late here – around 8 – 9 pm. For dinner in Spain you can order the same paella, salads, fried fish, seafood, cold cuts, cheeses, and olives. And, of course, what would a dinner be without good wine!
By the way, prices in Spain are among the lowest in Europe: for example, in local cafes you can have a delicious dinner for two with a bottle of wine for only 20 euros (of course, not in Madrid or Barcelona).National drinks
Let's start with the fact that the Spaniards really love coffee. It’s not very common to drink tea here, but everyone drinks aromatic, tasty coffee, 5–6 cups a day. Spaniards also love freshly squeezed fruit juices. A special non-alcoholic drink is horchata - an interesting drink made from groundnuts and almonds (the taste is not for everyone).
Among alcoholic drinks, the most famous, of course, are Spanish wines: sherry (fortified wine), a wide variety of red and white dry wines, local cider - these drinks have earned popularity far beyond the country's borders. Spaniards often drink sangria - sweetened dry red wine with fruits and spices.
You should definitely try Spanish liqueurs. Here, each region prepares its own special liqueur, among which the most famous are Licor 23 and Ponche Caballero. Here you can even find such curiosities as “Licor de bellota” (acorn liqueur), which is made in Extremadura, and “Licor de cantueso” (lavender liqueur) in Murcia.
National dishes
There are a lot of special dishes in Spain and they are all worth trying. One of the most famous local delicacies is called jamon- dry-cured pork ham, which you can really try in any bar or restaurant, and often they are simply suspended from the ceiling and spread an amazing aroma!
Morcilla– blood sausage – also very popular in Spain. This delicacy is prepared in each region according to its own special recipe and therefore the taste is always slightly different.
Among the most famous Spanish dishes are traditionally called - a complex dish of rice with fish, seafood, chicken, lots of spices, white wine and so on. There are as many paella recipes in Spain as there are housewives who cook it!
Spanish soup is famous all over the world. gazpacho- cold vegetable soup with bread, tomatoes, spices and olive oil, often served with ice.
And the Spaniards are very fond of closed pie empanada, pies, fabada(bean dish), various snacks, soups sofrito and cocido and many, many other goodies!
Recipes and dishes of Spanish cuisine - video
We invite you to watch the cooking process and recipes for four dishes of Spanish cuisine:
Catalan soup (Suquet de peix), Paella (Paella), Catalan custard (Crema Catalana), Sangria (Sangria).
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; 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 €.
The Spanish cuisine is varied and tempting. This is a surprisingly harmonious combination of traditions and innovative developments and trends. It is impossible to imagine Spanish cuisine without the Iberian pig, which is most often located in the center of the table, as well as the innovative molecular cuisine that appeared in the north of the country and became popular throughout the world.
Photo: National cuisine of Spain Spanish cuisine - the vanguard of dishes
Most people judge the taste of this country's cuisine by its tourist dishes, which are dominated by tasteless paella and fatty meats of unknown origin. And this is very sad, since Spanish cuisine is rich in delicious, healthy and nutritious dishes. The Spaniards are proud of their national cuisine. This is also proven by statistical data, since in this country the population spends more money on food than in other countries of the world. And this is not surprising. After all, the country’s cuisine is characterized by exquisite simplicity, but at the same time, many famous chefs do not hesitate to experiment, surprising their users with the variety of prepared dishes. The owner of the El Bulli restaurant, Ferran, located in the town of Roses, was especially successful in the development of modern Spanish cuisine. Thanks to his experiments and innovations, Spanish cuisine can compete with French cuisine for the title of “haute cuisine.”
A little history
Photo: Olives The variety and rich flavor of Spanish dishes is due to the diversity of cultural and ethnic roots of the population. The history and origin of many dishes goes back to ancient times, when the Greeks and Phoenicians considered themselves masters of this peninsula. The latter introduced olives into the diet, which later became the national product. After all, after some time, the Romans began to import olive oil from Spain to their home in Rome. In turn, the Romans’ skills in preserving fish and growing grapes became useful for Spanish cooks.
Many of Spain's culinary traditions, regarding the use of seasonings and herbs, date back to the times of Arab-Moorish rule, which lasted about 8 centuries. Thanks to trade relations, Indian pomegranates, rice, eggplants, African melons and figs from Constantinople appeared in Spain. Since the time of the Moors, the Spanish population has remained partial to sweets. In the 13-14th century, products from the New World appeared in the country - zucchini, peppers, beans, potatoes, which further diversified the already colorful food of the Spaniards.
Important dates that relate specifically to Spanish cuisine
13th century - In Spain, thanks to the settlement of the country by the Moors, plants such as apricot, quince, carob and pistachio trees, almonds, oranges and carrots appeared.
1324 – The first cookbooks written in Catalan began to appear in the Spanish colony. This year the first cookbook, “The Book of St. Sofia" ("Libre de Sent Sovi"). It contained recipes for Catalan cuisine with step-by-step descriptions of preparation.
1519 - After Hernan Cortes conquered Mexico, the whole world learned about such products as tomatoes, chocolate, turkey, vanilla, and chili peppers.
1520 – The first printed book, “The Cookbook” (Libre del coch) by Robert de Nola, was published, which presented the most common dishes of Mediterranean cuisine.
2nd half of the 20th century - A classification system for food products began to be introduced in the country. The new list included more than 100 products that began to be marked with the DO (Denominacion de Origen) protection mark.
1970-1980 – This period is considered the date of the creation of the “new Basque cuisine” (nueva cocina vasca). The developers of the new, easier “healthy peasant food” were Basque chefs who innovated under the influence of French cuisine. In just a few years, innovations have become widespread throughout the country.
2009 - Starting this year, over the course of several years, the provocative cuisine of the El Bulli restaurant, owned by Ferran Adria, has become widespread and popular. His establishment received the title of “best restaurant in the world” for four years.
New provocative cuisine of Spain
Photo: Chef and restaurateur Ferran Adria Today, alchemy is common in the kitchens of many high-end Spanish restaurants and is gaining increasing popularity due to its innovative and radically new approaches. “New cuisine” (La nueva cocina) is a type of molecular gastronomy. The emerging technology is based on the use of components such as liquid nitrogen, dry ice and others, which were also used in the food industry. The pioneer and successful chef of this trend was Ferran Adria, who spends a huge amount of time in his own funded laboratory, where research takes place and more and more new recipes for innovative cuisine appear.
For the Spaniards, Ferran Adria is a real legend, because this man went through a long and difficult path to become the owner of a restaurant. He first started working in the kitchen by washing dishes. He got a job as a dishwasher to earn money for a trip to the sea for relaxation.
Today, this man's restaurant has a unique operating schedule. Visitors can come here only for six months; for the remaining six months, the establishment is closed for receiving guests. Table reservations are only made one day before the restaurant opens for the new season. The most surprising thing is that, despite the huge number of applications for one place in the restaurant, the establishment remains unprofitable. Since 2003, Adria has received the title of “best chef.”
It was Adria who became the founder of the new destructive cuisine. Moreover, he not only develops new dishes, but also conducts experiments with combinations of various products and the transformation of traditional dishes into new versions.
An example is the transformation of the usual hot Catalan dish, which includes spinach, raisins, pine nuts, olive oil, into a cold frozen dessert of spinach, served with sherry and fried pine nuts. There are a huge number of such attractive options and experiments. Popular experimenters include Juan Mari Arzaca, Sergi Arola and Pedro Subijan. Thanks to the developments and experiments of such chefs, Spain is a leader in the world of innovative, cutting-edge cuisine.
DO – quality mark
Modern people strive to eat not only tasty, but also without harm to the body. Today everyone cares about the quality of products. The Spanish government is no exception, they also strive to protect their products from counterfeiting. The National Institute for Quality Control (Instituto Nacional de Denominaciones de Origen) has developed its own DO (Denominacion de Origen) classification system, which includes the most common products. Only products that meet certain requirements and criteria can receive such a quality mark.
Bread, meat and vegetables are staple foods
The source of meat for the Spaniards is pigs
Photo: Spanish pork dish It can rightly be said that the main animal of Spain is the pig. More than 20 thousand heads of these animals are raised in the country. It is also worth noting that all parts of the pig, including legs, ears, and heads, find their use in Spanish cuisine. Pork gained its special significance in the Spanish diet back in the Reconquista period, when eating this meat was considered a distinctive feature of ethnic and political affiliation. Moors and Jews do not eat pork at all.
For the Spaniards, from ancient times to the present day, an important date for peasants is the day of pig slaughter - Matanza, which falls in November. In central Spain, most houses still have dried hams hanging from hooks today. And on holidays, the main central dish, which is placed with honor on the table, is suckling pig. To be fair, it should be noted that even today every Spaniard eats pork throughout the day. This meat is included in most Spanish national dishes that are common in the country:
- Chorizo is a delicious smoked sausage;
- Tocino – bacon;
- Lomo – dry-cured pork sausage;
- Salchichon – ham sausage;
- Morcilla is a blood sausage.
This is not a complete list of dishes based on pork.
Dry-cured ham – jamon
Photo: Hamon The mountains of Andalusia produce a high quality pork product that is popular and in demand throughout the country. This is a jamon ham, for the production of which the meat of white pigs (jamon Serrano) is used. It matures in special drying kilns (secaderos), which are located on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada. It is there that there is the dry cold wind necessary to obtain such a taste. Before hanging the hams to dry, they are thoroughly rubbed with sea salt. It can take from 12 to 32 months until the final readiness of the product from the moment of hanging for drying and removal.
The places in Treveles are famous for the best hams of this nature, but no less popular and tasty products are in Tereul (Aragon), the province of Girona (Catalonia) and Soria (Castile and Leon).
But the most revered of all cured hams is black leg jamon (pata negra). This meat is distinguished by the fact that it is made from the hams of black-hoofed pigs of the Iberian breed. The pigs used to prepare this product graze freely in the areas of Extremadura and Andalusia, where holm oaks grow. It is the acorns of this plant that pigs eat. The most delicious Andalusian jamon is produced in Jabugo.
Cohrizo – delicious sausage delicacies
Spain is second to none in the production of delicious and varied sausages. It is worth noting that the range of sausage products is dominated mainly by dry-cured sausages. Almost the entire country produces dry-cured sausage choriso, which has become famous throughout the world. There are many varieties of this product, but its main distinguishing feature is its bright red color. It is achieved due to the chili pepper and paprika included in the composition. Other components include, naturally, pork, which is chopped and has a fatty nature, garlic, spices and other parts from the pig carcass. In each region, the composition of the recipe is slightly different. Today there is a huge variety of chorizo. These can range from mild to overly spicy sausages, as well as from a dry-cured nature to heat-treated products.
Bakery products
Photo: Pan candela – premium bread made from quality wheat When talking about the cuisine of Spain, the story would not be complete without mentioning bread. After all, this is a fundamental product in any country. There are two main types of baked goods common in Spain:
- Pan de barra is a thin loaf that spoils very quickly. In its appearance and taste characteristics it resembles a French baguette.
- Pan de chapata is a loaf-shaped bread with a denser structure that can remain fresh for several days.
The country's main breadbasket is Castile, where vast areas of land are devoted to the cultivation of high-quality wheat. Bread baking in Castile is done by trained bakers (panadero), who get up very early. They need to bake three main types of bread that are in demand by the population every morning:
- Pan candela – premium bread made from quality wheat;
- A kind of round bread;
- Breadsticks (colin).
But residents of each region have their own unique recipes. For example, residents of the Balearic Islands and Catalonia prefer pa de pages, a tomato-based type of bread. And in Andalusia, the favorite bakery product is cornbread (borona). It is sometimes stuffed with meat.
Vegetable dishes in Spain
Photo: Salad ensalada mixta Another favorite and almost obligatory dish among the Spaniards is salads. And this is probably the only salvation for vegetarians who live in the country or are going there on vacation. Not a single feast or even a simple meal would be complete without a salad. The most popular and common salad is ensalada mixta, which consists of onions, tomatoes, olives and lettuce. Most often, this dish is seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt.
You can watch the recipe for making real Spanish paella in this video:
