There is no doubt about it; Spanish people love their food. I mean, they’re the geniuses that came up with tapas (hello FREE food with drinks!)! So what are the foods you should indulge in when visiting Spain? Here are some of our favourites below:
Paella
Traditionally from Valencia (but now served almost anywhere a local can smell a tourist), paella is a rice dish, cooked with beans, capsicum, meat, seafood and saffron. If you wander through the backstreets of Valencia, you can find massive paella pans, sitting over heat and a cook stirring away, until the rice is the perfect consistency – burnt and crispy on the bottom, and soft and light on top. Served with a wedge of lemon and a glass of sangria, it’s the perfect dish on a warm, sunny day.
Patatas Bravas
Who doesn’t like fried potatoes? No one? That’s because they are just too damn delicious! Patatas Bravas is a staple dish in Spanish eateries. They are the perfect, moreish snack, as the crispy, fried potato pieces are transported to another taste level when covered in a pink, creamy ‘spicy’ sauce (the Spanish tolerance of spice is much like mine – non existent; so their spicy is generally quite mild). If you can stop at just one bite, you are a better person than I.
Jamón
Don’t be quick to write off jamón as ham. It is far from it. Jamón is Spanish cured ham, which has been meticulously cured and cared for over 18 months. Jamón Ibérico de bellota is sourced from free-range pigs who feed on acorns, and the good stuff will practically melt in your mouth. It is one of Spain’s national treasures. In fact, if you’ve got something to celebrate, forget the expensive glass of champagne (well, feel free to crack one open as well), instead go all out on the jamón. I never liked ham until I had jamón.
Croquetas
Whilst croquets are worldwide, these delicious crumbed and fried bites seem to be tastier in Spain. Perhaps it’s the ham they use, or the rich stock the meats are slowly cooked in, but croquetas are the perfect snack in between drinks.
Gazpacho
Gazpacho is an appetizer soup. It’s normally served as a starter and a palette cleanser. It’s popular in summer, and served cold, but can be served hot as well. Tomatoes, a variety of vegetables (eg. cucumber or capsicum), garlic, stale bread and water are blended to make a flavoursome soup and it’s served with a garnish of jamón or boiled egg.
Tortilla (Española)
Before you start salivating over a soft Mexican wrap, I’m going to stop you right there. A Spanish Tortilla is so much more delicious and perfect for the carb-addicts. It’s essentially a thick omelette, made with lots of fried potato… and it is delicious. You’ll find it in all the tapas bars and it’s my go-to dish when I have to ‘bring a plate’ as it is such an easy crowd pleaser.
Torrija
Torrija is essentially French toast, but on sugary, deep-fried steroids. Stale bread (the staler the better, as it will soak up more liquid) is soaked in milk, vanilla and sugar, then deep fried and covered in more cinnamon, sugar or thick honey. When you bite into it, you initially are reminded of cinnamon donuts, but the soaked creamy inside is more like a bread-and-butter pudding. This one is generally only found in Spain over Easter, but if you happen to be visiting to experience Semana Santa (one of the most culturally rich and moving Easter celebrations we’ve ever experienced), then you should seek out some Torrijas.
Image via Flickr: Blue moon in her eyes.
Crema Catalana
When I see Crème Brulee on a dessert menu, I need look no further. If you are a fan of the baked custard dessert like me, then Crema Catalana will not disappoint. It is very similar to Crème Brulee (in fact, the Spanish and French will both insist they created the original), but it has a slightly runnier texture. Either way, it provides the pleasure of cracking through a sugary glass layer to reveal rich, creamy custard underneath. Does life get much better than this?
When it comes to all things Spain or food, I could go on forever, but I think this is a pretty good start for the novice foodie in Spain. Are you hungry yet? What’s your favourite dish from above? Or, is there another Spanish dish that you feel should have been on our list (don’t worry if we missed some, as we had more!). Let us know below!
Thank you to Kim from Travel-Ling for this delicious guest post and bringing back so many amazing memories of the delish Spanish food we’ve consumed along the way.
Kim-Ling
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I love spanish food and reading your post made me hungry. Would love to try Tarija and Crema Catalana. I have never tried those before
I am currently travelling in Spain and thought that I had it tough being vegetarian. However from your list I can eat quite a lot. I absolutely love patatas bravas. I do find the Crema Catalana a little sweet for my taste. They also have some amazing drinks. I had champagne and lemon sorbet blended together and my new favourite is red wine with coke. Who would have thought
all sounds amazingly delicious. We are heading to Spain next year, so thanks for this – I’m salivating already! Happy travels.
Mmmm patatas bravas!!! I have to admit when I’ve visited Spain, I haven’t been very cultural with food at all because paella never appealed and I never really “understood” tapas (which sounds ridiculous!). But now I’ve been to some tapas restaurants I definitely know I need to try more foods!! I still need to try gazpacho. 🙂 In fact, this whole list has made me hungry!
Spanish food is one of my favorite cuisines in the world! I was excited to see this topic because I know I have plenty of favorites on the list. I, too, get excited when I see creme brulee on the menu! It is so amazingly good!
I love Spanish food as much as I love the language. I have never tried Paella and Torrija, and would love to dig my teeth into them. Your post makes me drool. Cheers!!
I love love love Spainsh food, it is so yummy in so many ways. I especially love Paella with seafood and jamón, reading this post really made my mouth water 🙂 I am a huge fan of tapas and I have recently found a place in London that does the same as the ones in Spain
Ah,a those descriptions and photos have taken me back! We loved the food in Spain and it was so much fun to explore the destination in food. I had paella more times than I can count. We most definitely need to go back around Easter one time to try out the Torrija…I have one kiddo that would be in heaven with that!.
OMG this post is so great. You are so right about the Jamon Iberico melting in your mouth–it literally does. I haven’t tried the torrija though but man it sounds delicious!
The food looks so good!! I’ve been to Spain a while back and I wish I had this insight before going. Guess I’ll have to go again soon and eat them all :p
Everything looks so delicious! You’re making me super hungry. This is a great overview as well. I had heard of some things but some were new, like the Torrija. Gotta get some of that 😀
I’ve actually tried all of these things and they were so yummy! When i was visiting Barcelona. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve not met anyone who doesn’t enjoy Spanish food. I love tapas and tortilla espanola; very easy to cook at home too! No mention of gambas pil pil, they’re delicious. Also churros con chocolate during feria time is very delicious 😀
There may be some on this list that I can’t eat being a vegetarian but I love patatas bravas! Those desserts look delicious too! I need to try those 🙂
I found that Spain had a lot of vegetarian options too! At one place we have toast with garlic and tomatoes. Sounds plain but was one of the best things I’ve ever had!!
Nice! I have eaten all those except the meat (being a veggie, which is hard in Spain), including being invited to a local home for a great paella in the Valencia region in July. Thanks
Oh that would have been an amazing experience!!
Love, love, love the food in Spain. Like you say, how can anyone say no to complimentary Tapas with a drink. It doesn’t get much better than that 🙂
You are absolutely right
Saludos desde España