Those who have already visited Spain will agree with us that traveling around this kingdom is a fascinating and unique activity in and of itself. For each tourist Spain is unique, and for gourmets, perhaps, she is a real Paradise.
Cuisine in Spain is one of the main attractions of the country. Aboriginal Spanish cuisine is quite simple, its base is onion, garlic, sweet pepper, greens, sage and olive oil. For many dishes are characterized by culinary techniques, such as grilling, baking with sheep's cheese and stewing in wine.
Despite this, talking about a single national Spanish cuisine is wrong, because traditional Spanish cuisine is more like a commonwealth of cuisines in the numerous regions of the kingdom. This it is unique. The character of modern Spanish cuisine was once heavily influenced by the Romans, Moors and Americans. Every regional cuisine in Spain was influenced by climatic conditions, everyday life and customs of the population, traditions and history.
Spain is a Mediterranean country, and therefore, like the population of any Mediterranean country, the Spaniards are very fond of fish and seafood. Dishes with seafood are found everywhere: in restaurants, in houses, in shops. But in spite of everything, fish delicacies are not the main thing that the Spanish cuisine offers us. It turns out that in reality there are more meat dishes in the traditional cuisine of the country.
Spanish cuisine is endless, you will not try everything in life. However, each of you must definitely taste the dishes that have become classics and pride of Spain: the famous Valencian paella (paella, rice with seafood), delicious gazpacho (gazpacho, cold tomato soup), a popular Spanish omelet from potatoes and eggs - tortilla, churros (churros, something like cookie-donuts) with hot chocolate, savory chorizo sausage, famous Spanish blue cabrales and a national delicacy ham or jamon.
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North kitchen
North cuisine, first of all, is rich in a variety of fish dishes, which is justified by the presence of numerous fishing villages on the Atlantic coast .In the Basque Country, popular dishes such as marmataka (potato with mackerel), changurro (crayfish with mollusks) and appetizing eel fry are popular..In Cantabria, the influence on the kitchen was rendered by mountains rich in pastures - on the tables of Cantabrian residents beef and cheeses - favorite dishes .In Galicia, bright representatives of the local cuisine are pot (pork and cabbage stew), pulp-a-fairy (boiled octopus) and fish, merlin, stewed in a clay pot .The card of the northern province of Asturias is cider, also Asturian principality is known for its traditional faadade - thick bean soup with ham and sausage .The
Cider
Being in Spain, be sure to try cider .Best in all of Spain, and perhaps in the world, cider is produced in Asturias .The climate of Asturias is characterized by high humidity: all year round the province is watered with abundant rainfall .Thanks to this gift of nature, Asturias is the ideal region for growing excellent apples .It's a sin not to produce cider in Asturias! It is here, in northern Spain, born 80% of apple wine in the country .Cider is wealth and attraction of Asturias .It is no coincidence that the Asturian saying goes: "If a person lost paradise because of an apple, then thanks to a cider he regained it" .The
In Asturias, there are traditions of consuming cider .First, cider is not allowed to mix with other drinks, so Asturians even call cider "jealous bride" .Secondly, the drink must be given a certain temperature (+ 12 ... 14 ° C), which emphasizes the unique apple flavor .Thirdly, the glass should be made of thin glass, at least 12 cm in height, wide and slightly enlarged upwards .Fourth, to pour cider into glasses, it is necessary to own a special skill of .Standing straight, the bottle is held over your head on the outstretched hand, with the other hand as low as possible hold the glass, a thin vertical trickle of cider is directed into the glass so that the drink touches the edge of the glass, only this produces high foam, and the cider gets rid of excess carbon dioxide .Fifth, the entire contents of the glass are drunk immediately, until the optimal taste of cider has disappeared .And yet, at the bottom of the glass always leave a little drink that pours on the floor .That's why in the ciderries the floor is covered with sawdust or shavings .There are several explanations of this tradition .The first explanation - the cider spill out onto the floor to give the earth what she gave .The second is to clean the glass for the neighbor on the table (before, one glass was often shared at the table, and cider is usually drunk in a large company) .The third is to merge the sediment that appeared on the bottom of the glass .The fourth explanation, most likely, came up for a joke - to pour a neighbor's legs .The
Mediterranean cuisine
Mediterranean cuisine is rich and varied. It is famous for its diet of the same name, based on the trinity of wheat, olives and grapevines, to which fish and meat, rice and eggs, vegetables and fruits, cheese and yogurt, garlic and greens are added.
At the heart of the cuisine of Catalonia are sauces: софрито (garlic, onions, tomatoes, peppers and greens), samphein (tomatoes, peppers and eggplant), picada (garlic, pepper and roasted almonds) or ali-ol (garlic and olive oil). The favorite dish of the Catalans is casuela (bovine tail ragout and vegetables). Also the Catalan cooks will delight you with a stew made of pork heads and legs, a thick and fragrant sea-ear soup and fried sausages with white beans.
If you are lucky enough to visit Valencia, try the famous paella and fideua .The real Spanish paella is a dish of rice tinted with saffron, with the addition of olive oil, as well as various fillings (seafood, meat, vegetables and t..d .) .Fideua, or vermicelli in Valencian, - a dish of vermicelli and seafood .There is a legend that fideua is a dish that came into being because of the distraction of a young fisherman .Fisherman, preparing a paella for his friends, mistakenly, thinking about his beloved, fell asleep in a dish vermicelli instead of rice .Fideua really liked fishermen and quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean coast .Unlike paella, which is added not only seafood, but also meat, vegetables, fideua is prepared only with seafood .The
But the city of Mahon, located on the island of Menorca in the Balearic Islands, is the home of the mayonnaise that has spread all over the world and is very familiar to you. So, finding yourself in the Balearic Islands, taste this popular sauce. I wonder if it differs from the usual "Provencal"? The
Cuisine of Central Spain
The nature of the cuisine of central Spain was greatly influenced by the geographical position and occupation of the population: there is a sharp climate, around mountainous terrain, and people are engaged in heavy physical labor. Therefore, the food in this region is nourishing, mainly meat, game, various sausages, beans, lentils and rich soups of cocido.
Choriso (or chorizo), pureorra, lomo, salchicion, morsilla, congress, butifarra, fuet - all these are the names of the numerous and beloved in the whole world of Spanish sausages. Surprisingly, Spanish sausages are very popular with tourists as souvenirs. By the way, Spanish sausages can be tried not only in Central Spain - every region of the kingdom is famous for its variety of Spanish sausage.
A special property of Spanish cuisine is the ham, a ham of ham, which is popular in Central Spain and throughout the Kingdom.
The most valuable jamon is jamon iberico, or it is also called jamon pata negra, which translates as "black leg" .This jamon is made from the meat of black Iberian pigs fed on a special diet: either acorn-bayot, or combining acorns with fodder - recipe .A cheaper jamon is jamon serrano (jamon serrano) .It is made from the meat of white pigs, fattened, as a rule, forage .In addition to the actual jamon, there is also the jamon delantero (jamon delantero), or it is also called the jamon paleta, which translates as "front leg" .The
Southern Kitchen
In the southern kitchen, the kitchens of all peoples, once inhabited on this fertile land, have merged. For example, the famous and beloved by many cold soup of mashed vegetables, primarily tomatoes, - gazpacho, as well as a stupefying sherry from the city of Jerez de la Frontera, were born in Andalusia, and the province inherited sweet pastrons from the Moors.
Without traditional Spanish turrons (turron), in translation - nougat, in Spain, there is not a single Christmas table .The most famous traditional Spanish turron is the soft Turon of Gijón (turron de Jijona), it is prepared by hand in the homonymous town of the province of Alicante .Once upon a time, the tourons were prepared exclusively with almonds (ground or whole - hence the two ancient types of turons: the Turon of Gijon - soft, the Turon of Alicante - solid), now the range of turrets has increased, and the sweetness is cooked with various nuts and even with chocolate, dried fruits and air rice .The
Turron has been eaten in Spain since ancient times. He brought with him an unfriendly Spaniard people - the Arabs, or as they were then called, the Moors. The Moors are gone, and the Turons are left, and now it is difficult to imagine Spain without a national nougat, especially on Christmas holidays. And in Gijón, Alicante province, there is even a museum of these sweets made from nuts, honey and egg yolk or yolk.
But no one brought Churros to Spain, and Spain, where traditionally served for breakfast, is considered the birthplace of these sweet butter-fried sausages or ringlets of pastry dough, which has the appearance of a multi-pointed star in cross-section. The real Spanish churros are consumed by dipping into hot, viscous chocolate, which is necessarily served with baked goods.
Where to eat Spanish food
Once in Spain, you everywhere easily find a place where you can eat delicious and hearty. Perhaps, many tourists will be pleased with the fact that food in Spain is a pleasure most often inexpensive (on average 10-15 euros), although there are restaurants and higher prices, in which the bill for lunch is from 20 EUR.
By the way, the menu should pay attention to how the prices are written. If you assign an IVA next to the figure, then you will have to add 7% VAT when calculating the cost of the dish. If the inscription - IVA includo, VAT is already included in the price.
Those tourists who are principally to eat inexpensively and who do not want to end their meal unexpectedly with a large check, we advise you to choose institutions in which the menu with prices are presented at the entrance .Also the role is played by the "starry" of the restaurant chosen by you, denoted by the corresponding number of forks .Moreover, keep in mind that in the bar at the counter the cost of the order will be about 15% lower than at the table .But if you decide to taste Spanish cuisine in the open air, it will cost you a little more than if you do it in a restaurant .Also pay attention to the presence of a special menu - Menu del dia, offering you a comprehensive lunch, which is cheaper than the incoming meals, paid separately .The
As for the service charge, it is included in the price of the dish indicated in the menu. Therefore, the tip in Spain is a matter of personal personality for every guest, although for good service it will not be superfluous to thank the waiter, giving him 5-10% of the check amount. In bars and street cafes, the account is usually rounded up, otherwise you can leave a small change on the table.
Catering establishments in Spain, as a rule, have a day off on Sunday or Monday, and also close for lunch, so plan your lunch earlier for an hour and a half. And do not forget that Spanish cuisine is a pleasure, which is a pleasure to stretch. ¡Buen provecho! The
Bon appetit you, the tourists of Spain! The