Spanish Cuisine
Spain is a country that truly enjoys it's food. There's really no
such thing as "typical" Spanish cooking. Food in Spain is as varied
as its climate, cultures and geography. Most regional dishes are based
on quality local ingredients and a relatively simple preparation. Little
by little I'll be adding local
recipes to this
section for you to try.
The best known "tourist dish" is probably paella, a rice dish which comes
from the Mediterranean area around Valencia. If you want genuine paella,
you'll find it in Valencia, or (sometimes) in a specialty restaurant in
Madrid or Barcelona. The typical tourist paella bears little (or no)
resemblance to the real thing.
In the big cities like Madrid and Barcelona, you'll find every type of
regional cuisine and some great restaurants. Despite it's distance from
the sea, Madrid (for example) has some of the best fish restaurants in
all of Europe.
For those who really like to eat, the Basque country is a must. In Bilbao,
San Sebastian and Pamplona, you'll find some of the best food anywhere. Go
with a good appetite, and try the "merluza" (hake) or the "bacalao" (cod).
When in doubt in most parts of Spain, the lamb is almost always a good option.
And (whatever you do) don't forget to wash down the local specialties with
the local wine :)
Other comments:
Remember that Spaniards are accustomed to dine in several courses:
- Apetizer: Cured ham, oysters, shrimp, etc.
- Starter: Soup, salad or vegetable dish
- Main course: Meat or fish
- Dessert: fruit, sweet or cheese
- Coffee: Normally expresso type coffee
For starters let's look at a basic list of the most typical regional dishes:
- Valencia (Mediterranean) "paella" and other rice dishes
- Galicia (Northwest) shellfish, fish and good beef
- Asturias (Northwest) "fabada" bean stew
- Andalucia (South) "gazpacho" and fried fish
- Central plateau great baby lamb
- Cataluña (NE Mediterranean) fish, shellfish and "butifarra"
sausage.
- Basque country (North) everything's good
- Madrid - many superb restaurants: local & international cuisine
Click here for the new, updated recipe page
