Foods you must try in Spain

There are many reasons as to why you should travel to Spain. Although has beautiful cities, like Madrid and Barcelona, a lot of cultural sites, like the Sagrada de Familia for example, and a lovely culture, the food in Spain is definitely another valid reason to travel there. They have a lot of typically Spanish foods which you should totally try during your visit. There are too many to be able to try them all so here is a list of foods you must try in Spain.

1.Croquetas de Jamón (Spanish ham croquettes)

Croquetas de Jamón are one of the best dishes in Spain to try! This delicious snack is one of the most popular kinds of tapas in the country and you can find it in almost every restaurant or bar that serves tapas. The croquettes are made with a certain filling, which is then breaded and deep-fried.

The filling may vary from place to place, as croquetas de jamón aren’t the only kind they serve. In Spain, you can also find croquetas de pollo (which are filled with chicken) or even croquettes with fish in them! Although you should try multiple kinds of foods in Spain, these croquettes are one that you must try if you could only eat one thing during your time in Spain!

2.Paella

Paella is probably one of the more famous Spanish dishes that almost everyone knows. The first paellas were made in the 18^th century in El Palmar, which is a little village in Valencia. At that time, they prepared the paella with chicken, snails, rabbit, vegetables and short grain rice. By now, the seafood paellas have become more popular, although you can still get the dish with chicken as well.

You can find the best paella in Valencia, as it has its origins here as well. There are even some restaurants that cook their paella on a fire, instead of in a pan. They fuel this fire with orange branches in order to give their paella more flavor.

3.Gazpacho

If you really like soup, you should try the Spanish kind called gazpacho. In Spain, the people aren’t too keen on soup, probably because of the warm weather as well, which is why they have come up with their own kind called gazpacho.

This soup is served cold and is made with tomatoes and peppers. Another version of it is called salmorejo. Salmorejo is a bit thicker than regular gazpacho and the chefs garnish it with some Serrano ham and hard-boiled eggs. All of this together makes both gazpacho and salmorejo perfect for a hot day in the summer.

4.Empanadas

Empanadas are a kind of pastry that originate from the north of Spain from Galicia. Here, they have been making empanadas and empanadillas since the 700^th century and they are still enjoyed today. The greatest things about this pastry is that it’s very versatile, which means that you can eat it both hot or cold and during any part of the day.

Empanadas are made with dough and a filling inside, which can differ. You can find empanadas that are filled with meat or vegetables, but also empanadas with fish inside of them. In Spain, you can also find something called empanadillas and they are a lot like empanadas. The biggest difference between these two snacks is that empanadas are a lot bigger and need to be sliced, while empanadillas are small enough to eat like that.

5.Patatas bravas

Another delicious kind of tapas in Spain is patatas bravas. Not only can you order this snack in restaurants as an appetizer for example, but it’s served as a snack in numerous bars as well. Patatas bravas is a really simple dish that’s made with potatoes (patatas) and a kind of sauce. 

Although the dish is really simple, the sauce is mainly what makes it so delicious. They use a spicy sauce, which often looks a lot like spicy mayonnaise. They can make the tapas with allioli too, which is a kind of garlic mayonnaise.

6.Churros

Churros are the perfect snack to eat for anyone who has a sweet tooth. It’s not really clear how or where they were first made, but it looks like they were invented 500 years ago by shepherds in Spain. Although churros are popular all over the world by now, they are thoroughly enjoyed in Latin and North America as well. 

Churros are made from dough, which is then deep fried. Although it’s a sweet snack, Spaniards don’t eat, or offer, them for dessert, as they can be quite heavy, most people eat it as breakfast or just as a snack in the afternoon. In Spain, churros are usually eaten with Spanish hot chocolate or just covered in sugar.