It is a country with immense beauty, youth, and fashion that has always attracted so many to visit it. We can be thankful to this county for more reasons than we can count on our fingers. Giving us places like Ibiza and Casa Batllo, Tables of Toledo and Chupa Chups (and everything in between). Now let’s count on some dishes for which we are thankful to Spain.
15 Most Popular Foods to Eat in Spain
1. Cafe con Leche
Let’s start the list with coffee ’cause why not. Not a coffee lover? Try this drink from Spain. Either you love this drink or you love this drink, this is no other way. With expresso it uses milk and sugar – the two main ingredients without which Cafe con Leche is not Cafe con Leche.
2. Tortilla Espanola
Tortilla Espanola translates to Spanish Omelette or Spanish tortilla in English. A 3 ingredient super easy to cook and delicious dish contains potatoes, onion and eggs. This with cafe con leche is one combination you will never get bored of.
3. Paella
Every non-vegetarian lover will never say no to this dish. Paella is made by using vegetables, short-grain rice, a lot of different types of meat like chicken, rabbit, squid, prawns, clams etc. You can add or remove the type of meat as per your wish. One ingredient that cannot be tampered with here is saffron, it is the backbone of this dish.
4. Sherry
Who doesn’t love wine! Sherry is made from white grapes that grow in the land of Jerez de la Frontera. From light to heavy, a lot of versions are available.
5. Gazpacho
This dish comes under the Andalusian cuisine (Andalusia is located on the Southern coast of Spain). Gazpacho is an easy to make soup, served cold. Here the 3 main ingredients are tomato, cucumber and bell pepper. All these are chopped and blended with vinegar. Sometimes served with bread. But mostly it goes solo. Don’t worry it tastes good. Really good!
6. Churros
This crunchy, sugar-coated snack has received a lot of love from all around the world. Made from flour these sweet snacks are deep-fried. Served with chocolate sauce as a dip, this dish instantly gives you a sugar rush.
7. Pisto
It is a kind of vegetable stew that can have a non-veg twist if you add egg, but its totally optional. Vegetables like tomato, bell pepper, zucchini and onion are cooked in olive oil added with some spices. Usually served as an appetizer or as a side dish.
8. Fabada Asturiana
This dish is loved so much that canned fabada is sold all over the country. It is made from white beans, black pudding (morcilla) which is kind of blood sausage, chorizo (a type of pork sausage used in a variety of dishes in Spain), pork belly, saffron and a few other spices.
9. Cocido Montanes
Again a beans dish that has originated and is mainly found in the Cantabria region of Spain. The ingredients are somewhat similar to Fabada, a few ingredients like – pig ear, ham bone, cabbage or turnip are used in Cocido Montanes.
10. Pa amb tomaquet/ Pan con tomate
A simple bread and tomato bread that is a staple food in many Spanish cuisines. The bread is toasted and then a garlic clove, cut in half is rubbed over it. The repeat process is done with the tomato. One can also prepare a simple puree from the tomato but usually, it’s the traditional process that is, rubbing the tomato on the bread is followed. A generous amount of olive oil is poured over it along with some salt and pepper.
11. Escudella i carn d’olla
This dish is served in 3 parts and as you can guess has a lot of ingredients and takes a lot of time to cook. All the meat like chicken, pork, ham black and white sausage are cooked by boiling them, although not all together. Then vegetables are cooked, again by boiling them. Vegetables include onion, carrot, cabbage potatoes, leek etc. Chickpeas are cooked with some of the vegetables, again not all together. Next, pilotas are made, which are meatballs made with minced pork, minced veal, eggs and bread crumbs. It is then covered in flour and bought to a boil. Lastly, galets (shell-shaped pasta) are bought to a boil in the meat water but in a different pan. The meat, vegetables and chickpeas and pasta are served on different dishes making this one dish a feast.
12. Patatas Bravas
Potatoes undoubtedly blends into every cuisine and country. Patatas Bravas is a simple native dish of Spain that has a taste to fall for. Patatas Bravas are small cube-shaped, fried potatoes served with spicy sauce (or salsa sauce) as a dip. The dip is usually made from tomatoes and paprika making it hot and tasty.
13. Fideua
This dish is the same as Paella but instead of rice, thin and short strands of pasta are used. Different kinds of meat like squid, prawn etc. is used with different spices. Saffron is again the most important ingredient here.
14. Croquettes
Croquettes are fried food with different kinds of stuffing. The vegetarian stuffing usually includes potatoes and the non-vegetarian stuffing includes shellfish, fish, ham etc. More often than not cheese is added to the stuffing for a more filling and creamy dish. This crispy, fried dish is loved all over Spain.
15. Leche Frita
Sweet dishes are always the heart and soul of a good meal, so let’s end this list with a sweet dish, Leche frita. In English, this dish literally translates to ‘fried milk’, and for a good reason. Milk is mixed with corn-starch and boiled with a mixture of milk and sugar added with a cinnamon stick. The thick mixture is then cooled down at room temperature and refrigerated for 4 hours. It is finally cut into pieces, fried and served sweetly.
Read also – 13 Most Popular Foods to Eat in Andaman and Nicobar
