Spanish cuisine

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This article is part
of the Cuisine series

Preparation techniques and cooking items

Techniques - Utensils
Weights and measures

Ingredients and types of food

Spices and Herbs
Sauces - Soups - Desserts
Cheese - Pasta - Bread
Other ingredients

Regional cuisines

Africa - Asia - Caribbean
South Asian - Latin America
Middle East - The West

Other cuisines...

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Spanish cuisine is made of very different kinds of dishes due to the differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by the variety of seafood available from the waters that surround the country, Spain being the second largest (after Japan) consumer of fish. As Spain has had a history with many different cultural influences, the richness and variety of its cuisine is overwhelming, but all these ingredients have made up a unique cuisine with thousands of recipes and flavours. The international influences are perhaps most obvious in Barcelona. Next door to a shop selling ready-made falafels might be an Asian food restaurant, which is next to a traditional tapas bar, and on and on in amazing variety.

Much influence on Spanish cuisine has come from the Jewish and Moorish traditions. The Moors were a strong influence in Spain for many centuries and some of their food is still eaten in Spain today. However, pork is popular and for centuries eating pork was also a statement of ethnical limpieza de sangre. Several products of the Americas were introduced in Europe through Spain, and a modern Spanish cook couldn't do without potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or beans. These are some of the primary influences that have differentiated Spanish cuisine from Mediterranean cuisine, of which Spanish cuisine shares many techniques and food items.

Daily meals eaten by the Spanish in many areas of the country are still very often made traditionally by hand, from fresh ingredients bought daily from the local market. This is more common in the rural areas and less common in the large urban areas like Madrid, where supermarkets are beginning to displace the open air markets. However, even in Madrid food can be bought from the local shops, bread from the panadería, meat from the carnicería, etc.

Traditional Spanish cooking also often revolves around outdoor cooking over a fire, perhaps in a special clay or brick oven.

One popular custom when going out is to take tapas with your drink (sherry, wine, beer...). In some places, like Granada, tapas are given for free with your drink and have become very famous for that reason. It should be noted that almost every tapas bar serves something comestible when a drink is ordered, without charge.

Another traditional favorite is the churro with a mug of thick hot chocolate to dip the churro in. Churrerías, or stores that serve churros, are quite common. Specifically the Chocolatería de San Ginés in Madrid is very famous as a place to stop and have some chocolate with churros, often late into the night (even dawn) after being out on the town. Often traditional Spanish singers will be seen to entertain the guests. [1]

Typical Spanish foods also include