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10 Spanish dishes you should try
There are plenty of reasons to visit Spain: its colorful history, world-renowned art, vibrant culture, beautiful beaches… and perhaps most importantly, fantastic Spanish food.From tasty tapas to superb seafood and traditional roasts, food in Spain is all about making the most of the best local produce. Curious about Spanish cuisine?
You are at the right place as we are going to take a dig into the 10 Spanish dishes you should try in your lifetime.
1. Paella Valenciana
Paella is perhaps the most famous Spanish dish of all, and certainly one of the most abused. Authentic paella originates from the region around Valencia, and comes in two varieties: Paella Valenciana, with rabbit and chicken; and seafood paella.
Saffron gives the rice its color, and the base should be left to crisp into a mouth-watering black crust, called the socarrat. Always eaten at lunchtime. You must visit Valencia!!
2. Patatas bravas
A staple among the small dishes that make up a classic tapas menu, patatas bravas — “brave potatoes” — is named for its spicy sauce, rare in a land that generally shuns fiery food.
The potatoes are cubed and shallow fried and served the same everywhere. The sauce can come in any number of ways, from spicy ketchup to garlic mayonnaise with a dusting of pimiento (smoked paprika), or both.
One theory holds that the dirtier the bar, the better the bravas.
“Tapas originated in southern Spain and is an adaptation to the social culture of eating and drinking outside the home, and fulfills the same social function as the English public house and other similar institutions”
“It’s important to note that the tapeo (tapas crawl) is not primarily a ‘drinking culture’ thing — it’s oriented to friends and family with a communal atmosphere.
“Intoxication and rowdiness are rare. Key factors are the social sharing of food, and the opportunity to try a lot of different things in one meal. In short, tapas are a way of life.”
3. Gazpacho
Is this the world’s most famous cold soup?
This tomato-based Andalusian soup is most famous for being served cold. This can be quite a shock for those who aren’t expecting it, but in the searing heat of a Seville summer, the attraction becomes clear.
Its principal ingredients, aside from tomato, are peppers, garlic, bread and lots of olive oil.
4. Pimientos de Padron
A common dish on tapas menus, pimientos de Padron are green peppers that hail originally from the town of that name in Galicia, in Spain’s lush, rainy northwest.
Pimientos de Padron are fried and served with a deep sprinkling of salt. Though generally sweet and mild, their fame stems from the fact that the occasional pepper will be fiery hot — lending a Russian Roulette element of surprise to eating them.
5. Fideuà
Less well known to tourists, fideuà is a type of Spanish pasta similar to vermicelli. It’s popular in Catalonia and Valencia in seafood dishes that rival paella for their taste and intricacy.
Fideuà is typically cooked in a paella dish. Check our Travel Guide
6. Jamón
Pork perfection: Jamon Iberico from black pigs.
Jamón, or cured ham, is the most celebrated Spanish food product. Legs of ham were traditionally salted and hung up to dry to preserve them through the long winter months.
Jamón Serrano (of the mountain) is the most common kind and comes from white pigs; the more expensive Jamón Iberico (pictured) comes from black pigs.
The best ham should be enjoyed in thin, melt-in-your-mouth slices on its own, with a little bread.
7. Tortilla
The humble Spanish omelet can be made with chorizo, peppers and onions, among other ingredients, but purists will tell you it should only contain potatoes and eggs.
The potatoes are diced and lightly fried before being added to the egg mixture and fried on a high heat; the trickiest part is when you have to flip the pan over to turn the tortilla.
If you get it right, someone should shout “Olé!;” get it wrong and you’ll have gooey half-cooked tortilla everywhere.
8. Churros
Churros are a popular snack made from fried dough pastry, cut into sausage shapes and doused in sugar.
They’re a favorite at fiestas, or street parties, when they’re sold by roadside vendors. Dipping them in hot melted chocolate is pretty much the law.
9. Croquetas
Another typical item on a tapas menu, croquetas are tubes of bechamel sauce encased in fried breadcrumbs, but a lot more tasty than that sounds.
Jamón croquetas and salt cod croquetas are common varieties. They’re tricky to make and are perhaps best enjoyed at a tapas bar, along with a cold beer.
10. Albondigas
Meatballs: A must-have on the tapas table.
