13 recipes
A warm Mediterranean cuisine scented with olive oil, garlic and saffron, enriched by its Moorish heritage and built around sharing tapas.
Read its storyPotatoes and onion gently poached in olive oil, then set with egg into a thick golden cake: Spain's best-loved tapa.
Ripe tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, garlic and olive oil blended and served ice-cold: the refreshing summer soup of Andalusia.
Crisp-edged, fluffy potato cubes served with a spicy smoked-paprika sauce: the classic tapa of Madrid's bars.
Spain's classic saffron rice cooked in a wide pan with chicken and two kinds of beans, finished with a crisp golden crust on the bottom.
Prawns sizzled in olive oil with plenty of garlic and dried chili, one of Spain's best-loved tapas, served with bread to mop up the oil.
Spain's classic of crisp, tender fried dough sticks dipped into thick, spoonable hot chocolate.
Catalonia's stovetop custard scented with lemon and cinnamon, topped with sugar burnt to a glassy, crackling caramel.
A La Mancha classic of onions, peppers, zucchini and tomatoes slowly cooked in olive oil into a sweet vegetable stew, topped with a fried egg.
Tender floured and browned meatballs simmered slowly in an onion and tomato sauce, a classic of Spanish tapas bars and home kitchens alike.
Bone-in chicken browned in olive oil with plenty of garlic and bay leaves, then braised in its own juices: a simple, deeply savoury Spanish home dish.
Ripe tomatoes, stale bread, garlic and olive oil blended to a velvety cream and topped with chopped egg: Córdoba's refreshing cold soup.
Crisp outside and meltingly creamy inside with béchamel and shredded chicken, the croquettes loved in every Spanish bar and home.
Rice cooked slowly in milk scented with cinnamon stick and lemon peel, finished with a dusting of ground cinnamon: Spain's creamy rice pudding.
The cooking of the Iberian Peninsula carries traces of the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. The Romans spread olive and grape cultivation, and Spain remains one of the world's largest olive oil producers. Preserving methods such as salting and curing have been important since those early times.
From the 8th century, Muslim rulers governed much of the peninsula for around 700 years. Al-Andalus spread ingredients such as rice, saffron, almonds, citrus fruit, sugarcane and aubergines, and that legacy lives on in dishes from paella to almond-based sweets. With the voyages to the Americas at the end of the 15th century, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and cacao entered Europe first through Spain; smoked paprika (pimentón) is one of the most characteristic products of that encounter.
Each Spanish region has a strong culinary identity. Valencia is known as the birthplace of paella. Andalusia stands out for gazpacho, the cold tomato soup, and its fried fish. The Basque Country is famous for pintxos, small bites served on bread, and a remarkable food culture. Galicia is known for octopus and seafood, Catalonia for romesco sauce and pan con tomate, and inland Madrid and Castile for stews and roast lamb.
Olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, pimentón, saffron, seafood and cured ham are the cornerstones. "Sofrito", onion, garlic, peppers and tomato cooked slowly in olive oil, is the flavour base of many dishes. Tapas culture puts sharing small plates and conversation at the heart of the meal.
Tortilla de patatas (Spanish potato omelette) is a great first dish and builds your confidence in flipping a pan. Then try gazpacho and gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns). Beef sucuk or paprika-spiced smoked beef can replace chorizo, and sweet paprika mixed with a little isot can stand in for pimentón.