Ask anyone what flavoursome food Spain is famous for and their answer will almost certainly be Tapas. A tapas meal features several small different dishes consisting of wonderfully fresh ingredients, full of spice and other rich, vibrant flavours. Each dish is quite simply as delicious as the next.
Popular tapas treats
Some of the most popular tapas dishes you come across with include cured meats like chorizo, plentiful seafood, salads, tortillas and paellas (of the meat, sea food and vegetarian varieties).
Gems of Northern Spain
Each region in Spain has its own specialities and individual dishes. Northern Spain boasts fantastic seafood fresh from the Atlantic and tender game thanks to the vast mountainous terrain. Stews are popular in Northern Spain. Classic dishes include a savoury stew called Fabada Asturiana and a rich spicy lamb stew called Chilindron de Cordero.
Mix it up
Central Spain incorporates a mix of dishes from the surrounding regions. Delicious ratatouille is highly popular, as well as roast suckling pig and lamb and a variety of cheeses such as Manchego.
Southern belles
Head to Southern Spain to sample their delights. They are heavily Arab influenced. Seafood such as grilled sardines and calamari are plentiful. Many meals are cooked with a selection of olives, vines, rice, lemons and oranges. Southern Spain grows a plethora of fruit and vegetables and tasty sweet figs grow wild. Make room for Ternera con alcachofas, a dish of veal with artichoke hearts in a wine sauce.
So many choices
There are literally thousands of restaurants across Spain which will be sure to appease your appetite. The hard part won’t be finding somewhere to eat, it will be that there is too much choice! There are currently seven three Michelin starred restaurants in Spain boasting exceptional cuisine. If you fancy going all out, consider El Bulli in Barcelona. Enjoy an exquisite meal at the best restaurant in Spain (and reportedly the world) before it closes at the end of 2011. It’s so popular though that you might have to beg for a reservation… For somewhere a bit cheaper and more accessible, Nou Manolin in Alicante will not disappoint. It is well known for its delicious traditional cuisine created from fresh local ingredients.
Spanish food is as varied as the country itself; the sophistication and choice of tasty treats on offer is mind boggling and simply won’t fit in one little blog. The best way to enjoy it is to travel there and taste it all first-hand!
