About Spanish food

With its very different regions – the long coastline, rugged mountains, baking plains and rich farming land – Spain is home to a vast range of dishes, but they all have a few things in common: they're simple, unpretentious, and use beautifully fresh seasonal ingredients.

Spanish food is incredibly varied, the first recipes were written in the fourteenth century and the cuisine was in turns enriched by the Moors, Arabs, Sephardic Jews, French and Italians, as well as the voyages of discovery to the New World, which resulted in a huge range of new ingredients. These things, combined with the differences across the country in terms of geography, culture and climate, have led to a diverse cuisine that is hard to generalize about too much. There are literally thousands of recipes and flavours to experience. Besides such well-known dishes as tortilla de patatas (potato omelette), paella and the legendary Jamon and Serrano (cured hams),  various stews, sausages, cheeses, beans and breads all form a key part of the Spanish diet. Spanish desserts and cakes include flans, custards, rice puddings, and the dangerously delicious churros (fried doughnuts dipped in hot chocolate sauce).

Churros

Eating is more than simply looking after hunger pangs for the Spanish – food is savoured and enjoyed communally and many traditions have evolved over the years including the famous tapas – the series of small snacks eaten with a drink as the prelude to a meal.

The simple potato tortilla is Spain's most iconic comfort food Source: Feast magazine

In Australia we're familiar with some of the main culinary exports, such as tapas, paella, and sangria, but we’re still coming up to speed with the lesser known zarzuela (seafood stew) and fino – the dry sherry that makes for a great aperitif and goes so well with the strong flavours of some of the tapas dishes. It’s worth seeking out the best ingredients – a good Spanish paprika, saffron, olive oil, being generous with garlic and wine and having a go at making some of the simple Spanish recipes here. Enjoy.

 

View our Spanish recipe collection here.

Here's the lowdown on this iconic dish. Source: Chris Chen