Spanish national cuisine is replete with fish and seafood dishes. But such dishes of Spanish cuisine as Riohana, partridge, escabeche and the famous gazpacho have won no less fame. Although the cuisine of Spain is considered by many to be 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 are interesting, not to mention their amazing taste. And the Spanish cuisine in the photo below will invariably awaken the appetite of even a well-fed person.

Having freed itself from the Francoist dictatorship, in the late 1970s Spain pushed ahead 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 kitchen" were the Basques. Having earned money from shipping and high-tech industries, the people of the Basque Country began to appreciate everything that can be spent with pleasure. Good cuisine has become 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 Juan Mari Arsac's Arzak, which opened at the end of the 19th century. The eternal Basque desire to make everything look unique and not be like other Spaniards, a unique range of products (including such rarities as fish fry and eel tongues), plus those very high technologies, in the end gave rise to the most interesting and creative cuisine in the country.

Catalonia became the second foothold in the history of Spanish cuisine. She gave the world the most famous chef not only in Spain, but in the whole world. Ferran Adrià, who became the chef of El Bulli in the 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 dishes and their descriptions, and you will certainly want to try at least one of them:

Spanish cuisine dish of riohan potatoes

Ingredients: boiled potatoes, chorizo, paprika.

Rioja is famous for its chorizo ​​sausages. As soon as they are not prepared, but the most popular way is with potatoes. Boiled potatoes are heated in a hot sauce with red pepper, bay leaves and chorizo. Today, Rioha-style potatoes are found on restaurant menus all over the country, but the most correct one is in Rioja Alta.

Spanish cuisine: partridge escabeche

Ingredients: partridge, carrots, onions, wine vinegar.

Escabeche (escabeche)- a popular method of cooking fish and vegetables throughout the country. There is no sea fish in Rioja, so escabeche (marinated with 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 get a spicy snack. On top of that, the escabeche partridge has a good and long shelf life.

Spanish vinaigrette with butter

White Bordeaux goes well with such a dish: it is not too aromatic, so it has nothing to lose against the background of fragrant unrefined sunflower oil, and the smooth taste with medium acidity perfectly supports the taste of the vinaigrette.

Complementing the Spanish vinaigrette with butter: inexpensive white burgundy dominated by sauvignon blanc.

Traditional Spanish cuisine: herring under a fur coat

The joy of Soviet feasts can also be brought up to a good restaurant level. You just need to carefully observe the proportions of boiled vegetables and supplement them with a thoughtful combination of fried and pickled onions. Traditional Spanish cuisine is not complete without famous Spanish wines. This dish goes well with Chablis, which has the necessary acidity to balance the fat content of the herring and mayonnaise dressing.

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

National Spanish dish gazpacho

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

It is not surprising that the cold one appeared in the hottest province of the country: in the Seville summer, when the thermometer rolls over 40 ° C, nothing beats the ice gazpacho. There are many variations of the recipe and similar dishes in Andalusia, among them ajoblanco, a cold garlic soup with grapes, stands out.

Spanish cuisine: pescado frito dish

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

The seaside Andalusia has an extensive fish menu, but the most popular dish is the simplest one. All fish fines (pescado frito) caught in the morning are rolled in flour and deep-fried in olive oil. Pescado frito with a slice of lemon is served 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 takes 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 meaning of oxtail soup is to soften the tough meat, for which it is stewed for a very long time in a spicy sauce.

Galician Spanish octopus

Ingredients: octopus, potatoes, paprika, olive oil.

This Spanish dish consists of slices of octopus laid out on a wooden plate, sprinkled with fragrant red paprika, throughout Spain called "Galician", and only in Galicia itself - "fair", because they were previously prepared during village festivals and bazaars. Boiled Spanish octopus tentacles in Galician style are generously flavored with olive oil and served with boiled potatoes. Wine: White wines from Rias Baixas, most famous for albariño

Spanish cuisine: pimiento del padron

Ingredients: Padrone peppers, olive oil, coarse salt.

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

Baked goat in Spanish

Ingredients: goat, olive oil, rosemary, garlic.

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

Spanish Morsilla

Ingredients: pork, pork blood.

Blood sausage- the 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 has been preserved and increased in the ancient fortified cities of Burgos and Leone. Wine to Spanish Morsilla: Ribera del Duero Crianza.

Traditional Spanish dish baked piglet

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

Spanish Cuisine: Catalan Paella

The undisputed birthplace of paella is Valencia, but Catalonia also grows rice and fish, so there is also a version of paella, often referred to simply as "seafood rice". Although paella is cooked in Catalan in exactly the same pan and according to the same principles as in the neighboring province. The only exception is that mixed paella with shellfish and poultry are rarely made in Catalonia.

National dishes of Spain: jamon and sausages

Jamon- the main gastronomic pride of Spain.

In any decent bar or restaurant, dried pork legs will hang over the counter, since there is no better and more popular appetizer for wine. The best jamon is made from Iberian pigs that roam freely in the forests and feed mainly on acorns - this is the way of life that allows the ham to be not too greasy and at the same time have a delicate nutty aroma. In addition to jamon, many other meat delicacies are made in Spain, which tourists often ignore, but in vain.

Especially noteworthy are the chorizo ​​sausages (spicy smoked or cured sausage), the Catalan butifarra and the Galician androlla.

Spanish cheeses

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

In Spain, about 100 varieties of cheese are produced (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 that long. The Galician queso tetilla, the delicate salty cheese made from cow's milk, the Basque sheep's idiazabal, the soft sheep's cake de casar (torta de casar) from Extremadura and the blue cabrales abrales from Asturias deserve a thoughtful tasting.

The regions of Spain are a unique world with their own culture, music, language and gastronomy. Each region tells its own story through architecture, music, dance, language and, of course, gastronomy. Spanish cuisine is one of the most diverse in the world, and Spaniards love to cook, dine in a large company 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 spontaneous buying tickets to Spain!

Andalusia

The protagonist of two of the region's famous dishes is tomato. And these dishes are cold mashed soups gazpacho and salmorejo. The variety of cold soups is determined by the hot climate in the south of Spain, they help to fill and refresh on the hottest day.

Gazpacho is prepared on the basis of mashed tomato with the addition of green and red peppers, cucumber, onion, garlic, olive oil and white wine vinegar. White bread is added if desired. Usually has the consistency of thick, freshly squeezed juice, it can be used as a quick snack to recuperate.

Salmorejo is a denser, mashed soup with tomato, olive oil, garlic and white bread; it is usually eaten with a spoon. When serving, place half an egg and pieces of ham on top.

Asturias

This region is famous for its high-calorie and very aromatic fabada dish. The large white beans grown in the region are simmered in bone broth for over an hour, accompanied by bacon and several local sausages such as chorizo ​​and morcilla.

Catalonia

Not even a separate dish, pan con tomate - a local bread with mashed tomatoes and olive oil - is the protagonist of every meal.

For local snacks, we present calçots, a special type of grilled white onion. Can be served with tomatoes, peppers, toasted almonds and toasted bread.

Galicia

The region, famous for its excellent seafood, boasts vieiras a la gallega scallops fried with onions, ham, spiced parsley and a few drops of brandy. Everything is put together on the bottom of the shell, sprinkled with crushed bread and parsley on top and baked in the oven.

Aragon

Aragonese lamb (ternasco aragonés) roast is made from lamb meat with potatoes and asparagus. In this case, the meat can be served as a whole piece or in small pieces with gravy.

A popular national dish is also lamb intestines stuffed with rice, with the addition of parsley, cinnamon and white pepper, which is called chiretas. Lamb neck, kidney and lungs are added if desired.

Balearic Islands

The islanders' cuisine is rich not only in sweets, but also in many seafood dishes. Saldereta de langosta and guisado de raya are prime examples. Lobster stew soup caldereta de langosta is made from two types of local lobsters, tomatoes, bread, onions, spices.

Guisado de raya is a dish made from the raya fish, valuable in this area, which is cooked with pieces of potatoes and zucchini in a roasted almond sauce, sometimes with the addition of tomatoes.

Canary Islands

The islands of eternal spring are home to the mojo picón sauce, famous throughout Spain, consisting of hot peppers, paprika, garlic, olive oil, wine vinegar and salt. On the islands, the sauce acts as the finishing touch to the simple local dish papas arrugás - potatoes that are boiled with their skins in salted water until the skins are wrinkled. Served with a spicy sauce. Usually, a special type of potato is used for cooking, which is grown only in this region.

Cantabria

Another high-calorie hero of Spanish cuisine - сocido montañés, or puchera montañesa, is a chowder of white beans 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 region's most popular dish, menestra de verduras, is a vegetable stew with beans, asparagus, local sausages and ham. The most traditional type of this dish is prepared with the addition of locally produced artichokes.

Basque Country

The famous fish region is, of course, famous for its fish dish - bacalao al pil pil. Basques cook cod in a saucepan with plenty of olive oil and toasted garlic. The garlic oil remaining 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 most "meaty" 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 here 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. For its preparation, dry bread crumbs are used, which are soaked for several hours. They are then mixed with fried garlic, pepper, chorizo ​​sausage, and the dish is served with a fried egg. There are variations with the addition of bacon or ham.

Madrid

Madrid offers us a famous and very hearty Spanish dish - 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, different types of sausages are added to the dish, which add aroma and calorie content to it.

Murcia

Although the region of Murcia is famous for its gardens and vegetable plantations, its residents' favorite dish is not made with vegetables. Caldero del Mar Menor is a rice and fish broth dish with tomatoes, garlic, dried green peppers and saffron. Fish is served separately.

Vegetable dishes include zarangollo murciano - an omelet 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 brought to readiness. Photo 20

Navarre

One of the main dishes of this region is the peppers stuffed with cod - pimientos rellenos de bacalao. To prepare the peppers, you first need to stew for 10 to 20 minutes on each side, having previously greased them with oil, with the addition of sugar and chopped garlic. Then, for stuffing 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 minced garlic.

Valencia

Valencia presented the world with the most famous Spanish dish, one might say the culinary symbol of Spain - paella. Rice, which is often used in the cooking of this region, has become the staple of the dish. Here it is usually made with the following ingredients: chicken, rabbit, green and white beans, garrofón, tomatoes, artichokes, bell peppers and saffron.

However, there are many variations of seafood paella, as well as meat and seafood at the same time. For guests in the restaurant, the dish is usually served in portions in a frying pan.

Bon Appetit!

Paella, tapas, empanada, morsilla - isn't it true, these names themselves awaken the appetite! The Spaniards know a lot about food: their dishes are not just incredibly good in taste, 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 greatly 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 dishes and seafood dishes, but in fact, meat is much more often cooked here. Also, each region is proud and proud of its special dishes, calls them unique, but all of them are united by the use of a large amount 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, which were influenced by the Romans and Arabs, French and Americans. Today it is already difficult to say which dishes appeared on 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 combines Spanish and French dishes, fish, seafood, beef, chicken, beans are used in large quantities. The northwestern part of the Spanish coast is famous for its soups, sauces and fish dishes: in Cantabria, fish is best cooked; in Galicia, boiled octopus and merlan fish in a pot are considered an unsurpassed dish.

The cuisine of the eastern regions, in particular Catalonia, has experienced the greatest influence of French and Italian culinary traditions: here a fragrant sauce is served for each dish, an amazing pork stew is prepared here, fried pork sausages with white beans, monkfish fish soup, a lot of vegetables are always used in cooking. cheese, dairy products.

In Andalusia, in the south of the country, the influence of the Arabs is most clearly manifested, 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.

Spanish breakfast, lunch and dinner: local flavor

Spaniards take food seriously and thoroughly. In the early morning, just waking up, they drink a cup of coffee, less often freshly squeezed orange juice. The real breakfast time here comes later, around 10 a.m. - at this time

it seems that absolutely all Spaniards are sitting in cafes: shops are closed for a short break, there is almost no one on the streets. At this time, it is customary to drink coffee again, to eat fresh buns or "Spanish sandwich" - a small loaf cut lengthwise filled with tuna, slices or cheese.

It is customary to have lunch in Spain from about 2 pm to 4 pm (lunch is also often called lunch here). In this country, especially in small towns, it is still customary to take a break for a siesta - during these hours all institutions, shops are closed, only cafes and restaurants are open. For lunch, the Spaniards traditionally eat salad, paella or baked meat (fish) with a side dish, possibly soup. Be sure to serve dessert 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, the Spaniards usually drink another cup of coffee with a slice of their favorite dessert. But it is customary to have dinner here late - around 8-9 pm. For dinner in Spain, you can order the same paella, salads, fried fish, seafood, cold cuts, cheeses, olives. And, of course, what a dinner without good wine!

National drinks

To begin with, the Spanish are very fond of coffee. It is not very common to drink tea here, but everyone drinks aromatic, delicious coffee, 5-6 cups a day. The Spaniards also love freshly squeezed fruit juices. Horchata is a special non-alcoholic drink - an interesting drink made from earthy, almonds (the taste is not for everybody).

Among alcoholic beverages, Spanish wines are, of course, most famous: sherry (fortified wine), a wide variety of red and white dry wines, local cider - these drinks have earned popularity far beyond the borders of the country. Spaniards often drink sangria, a sweetened dry red wine with fruits and spices.

Spanish liqueurs are definitely worth a try. Here in each region they prepare their own special liqueur, among which the most famous are Licor 23 and Ponche Caballero. Even curiosities such as Licor de bellota (acorn liqueur) from Extremadura and Licor de cantueso (lavender liqueur) in Murcia can be found here.

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 leg, which can really be tasted in any bar or restaurant, and often they are simply hung from the ceiling and spread an amazing aroma!

Morsilla- blood sausage - also very popular in Spain. This delicacy in each region is prepared according to its own special recipe and the taste is therefore always somewhat different.

Among the most famous Spanish dishes are traditionally called - a complex rice dish with fish, seafood, chicken, many spices, white wine and so on. There are as many paella recipes in Spain as there are housewives who prepare it!

Spanish soup is famous all over the world gazpacho- cold vegetable soup with bread, tomatoes, spices and olive oil, which is often served with ice.

And the Spaniards love it very much, closed pie empanada, pies, fabadu(bean dish), various snacks, soups sofrito and cosido and many, many other goodies!

Spanish recipes and dishes - video

We invite you to see the cooking process and recipes for four dishes of Spanish cuisine:
Catalan ear (Suquet de peix), Paella (Paella), Catalan custard (Crema Catalana), Sangria (Sangria).

Spanish cuisine is varied and multifaceted; 17 independent regional cuisines can be distinguished in it (according to the number of Spanish autonomies, which in turn are divided into provinces). Common characteristics for everyone are the consumption of vegetables (especially the Spaniards love tomatoes, potatoes and peppers), seafood, legumes, olive oil, olives, garlic, herbs, wine and rice (for example, the business card of Spain -). By the way, paella translates as "large frying pan", because this dish is really served in a huge bowl. The birthplace of paella is Valencia, but besides the classic Valencian recipe (with rabbit and chicken), there are more than three hundred paella recipes.
Another traditional Spanish dish served for breakfast - (similar to omelet and Italian frittata). The classic version of the dish is baked beaten eggs with potatoes. The appetizers traditional for all of Spain are called, they resemble small sandwiches. The base of tapas is a slice of toasted bread with all kinds of filling variations. Pies can be used as tapas. The classic empanadas are cooked with meat, but now they are cooked with anything. For example, with tuna, with vegetables, with mushrooms. They look like a crescent in shape.
Another hallmark of Spanish cuisine is (translated as "ham"). This is a dried pork leg, which is cut into thin pieces after a long preparation (the minimum drying period is 1 year). It is eaten with bread, cheese and fruit. Pork fillet is also stuffed with jamon, and then deep-fried - this is how it is cooked (a typical dish of the city of Cordoba, in Andalusia). Various sausages are also prepared from pork, for example, chorizo. They have a bright red color due to the fact that they contain paprika.
Spanish cuisine boasts a wide variety of cheeses. They are produced in every Spanish autonomy.
The Spaniards love fresh vegetable salads as well as seafood salads. For example, Malaga salad, widespread throughout the country (Malaga is a city in Andalusia), consisting of potatoes, oranges, olives, onions and dried cod bacallau.
After the salad, the Spaniards usually eat a soup such as oglia podrida (a thick stewed soup). Also popular are two soups from Andalusia - and. Gazpacho is a cold tomato soup made with vegetables and bread, sometimes with ice. Ahoblanco is also a cold water soup with bread, almonds, olive oil, garlic and sometimes vinegar.
The Spaniards are very fond of fish: tuna (for example, dried mojam tuna), sardines, anchovies, gilthead and others. Of course, seafood is common: mussels, shrimps, oysters, squid, cuttlefish and many others. The Catalan stew with fish and seafood is called zarzuela and is considered by some to be “Spanish

Fried Churros donuts made from choux pastry, shrimps in Gambas-Al-Ahiyo garlic sauce, Valencian Paella with seafood, refreshing Gazpacho tomato soup - whoever, and the Spaniards certainly know how to come up with amazingly tasty dishes and give them equally appetizing names!

The Mediterranean cuisine of Spain, rich in its flavors and colors, has not left anyone indifferent. Avid meat eaters, seafood lovers and even convinced vegetarians - everyone in this good-natured country will leave the table well-fed and satisfied. It is no coincidence that the so-called gastronomic tours of the Spanish provinces and world-famous estates have recently become very popular. Why are they so attractive to tourists? Which dishes should you try first?

Features of the national cuisine of Spain

Variety is the hallmark of Spanish cuisine. The arsenal of local chefs has everything to crush even spoiled gourmets on the spot: seafood and fish, meat and poultry, delicious cheeses, gourmet sausages, salads, delicacies and mesmerizing desserts. National dishes of Spain are striking in their variety, due to its rich history and geographical features.

Traditionally, the Spanish table is dominated by hearty meat dishes of pork, veal, beef, poultry, but each region, of which, by the way, there are as many as 17, has its own culinary delights and seeks to stand out from others in some special dish or method of its preparation. By the way, the same paella (the most popular national Spanish rice dish) can be in different variations: depending on the region, not only fish and seafood can be added to it, but also vegetables, sausage, chicken, rabbit, duck.

Of course, there are several distinctive features that are characteristic of all the provinces of the Iberian Peninsula without exception - the impeccable freshness of the ingredients used for cooking and the genuine love for saffron. Soups and a variety of fish and seafood snacks are prepared almost everywhere in Spain. The rich dishes that are both the first and the second are incredibly popular here.

The most common cooking methods are stewing, baking, drying and smoking, and frying. Local chefs use large quantities of fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, cereals, cheeses, wine and olive oil. All this abundance gives food bright colors, makes them appetizing in appearance and divine in taste.

The best national dishes of Spain

What to try in Spain from food? Anyone who has already been lucky enough to get acquainted with Spanish cuisine understands how difficult it is to rank traditional local dishes - each of them is so unique in its gastronomic characteristics. We will not award this or that dish any place, but simply name 10 popular dishes of traditional Spanish cuisine:

1. Paella

A classic Valencian dish, which is an assortment of rice, generously seasoned with saffron, several types of fish and seafood, vegetables, herbs. There are over a hundred paella recipes. The uniqueness of this dish lies in the absence of rigid frameworks in the recipe. The cook can improvise, replacing fish with meat (pork, veal, poultry), adding special spices. In different establishments, they try to offer visitors a paella according to a proprietary recipe.

2. Gambas-Al-Ahiyo

Shrimp in a spicy garlic sauce is one of the brightest Spanish dishes. Since Spain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, seafood is always served first fresh here. As a rule, the basis of the filling is dry white wine, olive oil, paprika, lemon juice, herbs and, of course, garlic. The aroma of this dish, I must say, is simply unforgettable!

3. Churros

A real treat for those with a sweet tooth, one of the best national dishes in Spain. These fried choux pastries are traditionally served for breakfast. It is customary for the inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula to dip churros sticks in a cup of hot chocolate. Some establishments serve churros stuffed with chocolate or cream. In Spain, this dessert is sold everywhere: in cafes, restaurants and even in mobile street outlets.

4. Gazpacho

The pride of Spanish cuisine. Sunny Andalusia gave the world this delicious refreshing cold soup made from grated fresh vegetables. Today there are several dozen recipes for the famous dish. Every Spanish chef has his own signature secret that he will never reveal. Cold tomato soup will be a real salvation in the sultry heat, when you don't even want to think about heavy food.

5. Spanish tortilla

Delicious potato and egg omelet in olive oil with onions. Tortilla is served both as a stand-alone meal (usually for breakfast) and as a snack. Very often in cafes and bars, tortilla is served in portions on a piece of bread, a la sandwich. Other ingredients are often added to the main recipe - tomatoes, bell peppers, homemade sausages, etc.

6. Migas

A traditional Spanish national dish that can be ordered for breakfast or lunch at any local restaurant. Migas is prepared differently in different provinces of the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The classic ingredients are pieces of stale bread, bacon, chorizo ​​sausage, olive oil. Very often, pieces of melon, grapes, tangerine slices and other fruits are added to the dish. It is this unusual combination of salty and sweet that gives Migas an unforgettable and original taste!

7. Jamon

To visit Spain and not try this delicacy is a big mistake! Just as cognac can only be French, real jamon can only be Spanish. By the way, the comparison with cognac is not accidental, because the recipe for cooking the dish requires a long exposure: depending on the size of the ham and climatic conditions, the drying process takes up to 3 years!

8. Chorizo

Another tasty dish for lovers of natural meat delicacies. This spicy pork dry-cured sausage is eaten just like that, it goes to sandwiches, it is added to the first and second courses. The main spice added to chorizo ​​is paprika, which gives the sausage its characteristic reddish color and original taste. By the way, chorizo ​​is perfectly stored, so you can safely buy it as a present for friends and acquaintances.

9. Patatas Bravas

Spanish baked potatoes with spicy tomato sauce. This savory, aromatic dish can be enjoyed in any restaurant and cafe, from Seville to Valencia. Patatas bravas is usually served as an appetizer for a drink, although some “hotter” food lovers order spicy potatoes as a full-fledged independent dish.

10. Achoblanco (white gazpacho)

A light but nutritious cold soup with a rich almond flavor. This traditional Spanish dish is prepared in water with bread, ground almonds, garlic and olive oil. Ahoblanco is usually served with white grapes or ripe melon slices. Ahoblanco perfectly quenches thirst, gives energy and strength. It is no coincidence that this simple and uncomplicated soup is appreciated by lovers of healthy food around the world.

Fact one. Despite its geographical position (on the southern and eastern sides, Spain is washed by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the northern and western sides - by the Atlantic Ocean), the traditional cuisine of Spain is far from the usual Mediterranean menu. The region is indeed rich in fish and seafood, but much more than shrimp and snails, the Spaniards love meat.

The second fact. The national food of Spain, even at a stretch, cannot be called dietary. It really contains a large amount of vegetables, fruits, legumes, rice, herbs, but a rare dish does without pork, veal or poultry. By the way, the Spaniards began to use olive oil only in the 20th century, before that, dishes were cooked on animal fats.

Fact three. In the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, regional culinary traditions are highly developed. For example, in sunny Andalusia, most of the fertile lands of which are occupied by olive plantations, deep-fried dishes are very popular. The northern coast is known all over the world for its exquisite sauces and soups. Cantabrian cuisine is famous for its fish and shellfish dishes. The small town of Segovia in the province of the same name is famous for its roasted suckling pig.

Spain is a true gastronomic gourmet paradise. There is no doubt that the national motto of the 4th largest country in Europe - “Life is created for pleasure, not for suffering” - extends to the food culture: they eat here in such a way as to get real pleasure from food!