By Andrea Piacquadio
Traditional Food in Spain varies by region, including geography and climate. Including both traditional and local Spanish cuisine. It is said that Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world, which is probably why it is used so much in dishes.
In Spanish recipes, the most commonly used meats are pork, veal, chicken, and lamb. For flavor, people use herbs such as oregano, rosemary, and thyme or parsley to add flavor to sauces.
People often eat sausages “especially chorizo” which are made from pork and are grilled on charcoal or skewers to make sauces.
People eat breakfast right after waking up or before going to work. Breakfast includes coffee, milk, chocolate drinks, biscuits or toast
Lunch is a big meal in Spain, people usually start at 2:00 pm or 2:30 pm and end around 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm, the meal usually includes soup, salad, meat or fish dishes, and fruit for dessert, or yogurt or sweets.
The arrival of Europeans in America in 1492 significantly changed Spanish cuisine. The beginning of the birth of new culinary elements, by the 18th century, many ingredients were imported from America, and combined with food in Spain. Bringing many new bold flavors, with chili and tomatoes, saffron or pepper.
Top Traditional Foods in Spain
Top 12 Traditional Foods of Spain is a selection of dishes in Spain, a country with a very diverse culinary culture and a long and rich culinary history. Spanish cuisine varies from region to region, reflecting the cultural influences of the country. We introduce some traditional food that you can find in different regions:
Paella
Paella is the culinary symbol of the Valencian community, the most famous rice dish in Spanish cuisine. It is a saffron-infused rice dish cooked with various ingredients such as seafood, chicken, rabbit, and vegetables, cooked in chicken stock or olive oil for flavor, sometimes the chef also adds spices. sprigs of rosemary.
Traditionally originating from the Valencia region, many local variations from gatherings and picnics have changed the ingredients of paella. Popularity began to spread beyond the borders of Spain, gaining recognition in the world community with the seafood paella recipe.
Traditionally food in Spain and foreign restaurants is served in a version called Paella Valenciana. However, according to Valencians, only two recipes originating from Valencia are authentic and proven. All other recipes are inferior versions.
Gazpacho
Gazpacho is a cold tomato soup. This recipe includes ingredients such as stale bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, garlic, olive oil and wine vinegar. Gazpacho is served on hot summer days, not only providing a delicious taste but also a refreshing, cool feeling to cool down.
The original recipe originated in the southern regions of the Iberian Peninsula, then developed and spread to other communities and regions. Ancient Roman peasants and shepherds considered Gazpacho an appetizer, main course, or tapa.
Chefs prepared it by pounding the vegetable in a mortar with a pestle. They said it took a lot of work, but its texture was smooth, and it retained its natural coolness, without foaming. When eaten, the taste was fresh and lively, combining a delicious salty and slightly sweet taste.
Fabada Asturiana
Fabada asturiana or simply fabada, is a bean stew, a hot and heavy dish. It is often served with cider to wash away the winter cold in the autonomous community of the Principality of Asturias and is widely sold throughout the region in Spanish restaurants.
As a traditional food in Spain, it is known as a hearty stew with a rich flavor, pleasing most gourmets. The main ingredients include “Chorizo” pork sausage which gives a spicy smoky flavor, “Morcilla” made from pig blood, rice, and spices which gives the stew its unique flavor, “Jamón Serrano” a smoked ham which adds a salty taste, “Saffron and paprika” spices which add a beautiful color to the rich flavor, and finally “Onions, garlic and olive oil” which add a fragrant aroma when sautéed as the basic seasoning for the stew.
Fabada asturiana is a traditional Spanish dish, which truly reflects the culinary culture of the local people and is loved by all Spaniards and tourists. It is said that if you come to Spain and are looking for a hearty dish, let’s explore Fabada Asturiana together.
Cocido Madrid
Cocido madrileño means “Madrid stew” made from chickpeas. One of the dishes in Spain, served all year round in restaurants in Madrid.
This recipe includes chickpeas as the main ingredient or can be replaced with chickpeas. The vegetables added are potatoes, carrots, radishes, or cabbage. Chefs often use pork belly and add a little beef shank for extra flavor, and pieces of beef backbone. added to make the broth richer. The fat content of the dish is high, perhaps this is a dish that is often eaten in winter, during the cold months of the year, so keeping it warm is good for health.
Traditionally, the ingredients of cocido must be served separately. Each portion is called vuelco. It is considered a traditional food in Spain, served to the lower classes, and people with modest incomes. But over time, it has spread and been accepted by the social community, in important restaurants, people have seen it on the Menu.
Gunshot
Pisto is a dish in Spain, made from tomatoes, eggplants, onions, green peppers, red peppers, or zucchini with olive oil. In the cuisine of the region of Murcia, it is served with steamed rice, along with bread and fried eggs.
Pisto is a dish in Spain similar to the Italian caponata or the French ratatouille. But there is no confusion about it because it has a unique flavor and variations of Spanish cuisine, and is loved by many Spanish families. Because it represents the delicious and healthy taste of fresh Mediterranean vegetables.
With tomato sauce and sweet pineapple creating a harmonious balance and texture. It is said that the beauty of this dish is the simplicity of highlighting the natural flavor of the vegetables. In culinary culture, a dish in Spain. It is enjoyed as a versatile side dish, a main dish, or a hearty vegetarian dish depending on the recipe.
Spanish Tortilla
Tortilla Española is known as “tortilla de patatas” in Spanish-speaking countries. It is a traditional and revered dish, made from eggs and potatoes, served warm as a tapa.
There are two recipes for Tortilla Española, with and without onions. People also celebrate a festival called (“Tortilla Day”) in many towns in southern and western Spain, where people gather with family members to eat Spanish traditional food, participate, organize games, and relax.
Its popularity has forced restaurants in Spain to inform diners whether their tortillas use onions. Since this Spanish treat has become so popular around the world, industrial manufacturers have marketed both options.
Churros con Chocolate: A popular Spanish treat, churros are deep-fried dough sticks coated in sugar and often dipped in thick hot chocolate.
Cochinillo Asado
Tostón asado, also known as cochinillo asado, is a roasted suckling pig. Although popular in the city of Madrid, the most popular variations belong to the Arévalo and Segovia variants in Castilian Spanish cuisine. They are traditionally roasted, combined with cochinillo asado and wine, in a clay pot to get crispy skin.
To prepare this dish, the pig’s stomach, the middle spine, is cut out, the inside is cleaned, then coated with flour, along with lard, a little bay leaf, leaves, and twigs, and then placed on a plate. Marinate for a few days and drain before being placed in a clay pot to roast.
An apple decorated on the mouth of the piglet is one of the popular forms to attract the culinary tastes of tourists. Cochinillo asado has become popular in most bars, taverns, and kitchens throughout Castile. It’s even internationally famous, as the owner of the restaurant sang a song about it in Spain.
Tapas
Tapas in Spanish cuisine are considered appetizers or snacks that include olives, cheese, and cured meats (like Jamón ibérico), or can be combined to form a full meal served with sherry and thin slices of bread or meats that wine drinkers love.
Many believe that tapas originated in southern Spain, by Jews who converted to Christianity and included a portion of ham or other non-kosher foods.
In 2008, the city of Valladolid also held an “International Tapas” competition for cooking schools and high schools from other countries around the world to vote for the best tapas.
Served as a traditional food in Spain and restaurants around the world, tapas have developed into a widely recognized cuisine, in Central America such snacks are known as Bocas.
Smoked Ham
Jamón is a whole piece of jamón produced in Spain. Served sliced by hand, with a thin, sharp knife cut from the hind leg of a smoked, salted ham hanging on a jamonero rack, diners will enjoy the flavor and saltiness of each piece as the fat ‘wax’ melts like “candle wax”.
Once the outer layer of fat is removed, the manufacturer recommends that the product be consumed promptly and stored in a cool place, away from sunlight as the drying and decomposition process occurs gradually. Jamón is safe to consume as long as the leg is kept in the refrigerator after cutting.
Commercially, a whole leg of jamón is significantly cheaper by weight than a sliced leg because it includes the bones and inedible fat. This traditional food has become widely popular in Spain, but in many other countries, for a variety of reasons, such as trade restrictions or import duties, the price of the product has been pushed up and made more difficult for people to access.
Pa Amb Tomato
Pa amb tomàquet is a tomato-covered bread, considered the culinary identity of the Catalan people, a dish in Spain, a traditional Spanish dish. Although considered a toast, it is often sold in restaurants and bars on the Spanish beach.
This dish is often eaten as a snack or at any meal, from breakfast to dinner. As the name suggests, Pa amb tomàquet is extremely simple, just a slice of bread, covered with tomatoes, a little olive oil, and salt, giving diners a delicious and unique Spanish dish, served with sausage, ham, cheese, and fried eggs.
According to Catalan culinary historian Nèstor Luján, the recipe for Pa amb tomàquet was published in an 1884 leaflet introducing the dish. But its origins are still much debated, something that any resident of Catalonia considers the epitome of their culinary culture.
Fabada Asturiana
Fabada asturiana is a rich white bean stew, often served as an appetizer or as a main course with red wine on cold winter days.
In Asturian culinary literature, it is said that this dish originated with Asturian shepherds. Fabada is made with fabes de la Granja, which the chef soaks overnight before preparing with pork shoulder, or pancetta, which can also be bacon, morcilla, a Spanish blood sausage, and chorizo. , adding olive oil, along with spices such as sweet paprika, garlic, and salt.
It was spread and popularized by Asturian migrants around the world, who took notice of this popular traditional food in Spain. As a result, new variations of it have emerged in some places, such as in areas near the US city of Tampa.
Potatoes B raves
Patatas bravas, also known as patatas a la brava, is one of the dishes in Spain. It is usually made from potatoes, which are cut into squares about 2 cm in diameter by the chef, fried in oil, and used in spicy sauces such as mayonnaise, ketchup, or aioli.
This is one of the culinary cultures of Madrid, the capital of Spain, served in restaurants and bars with a quarter of a kilogram of potatoes. This traditional food is spicy and hot, so it is not suitable for many people who do not like this type of spicy food.
Patatas bravas is often served as part of tapas dishes, making up a classic menu of traditional dishes. Seville tapas tour operator Shawn Hennessy said that visitors should only share dishes with their families. Tapas is a great way to sample a variety of Spanish cuisine.
These are just a few of the delicious and varied Spanish traditional foods we recommend for you to try when you travel to Spain. Each region has its specialties, so be sure to explore the local cuisine in Spain wherever you go.
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