Spanish food is overshadowed by its neighbours; French cuisine is adored by critics, whilst the public devour Italian pizza and pasta by the bucket load. Most people know little about Spanish cuisine other than tapas is finger food, paella is similar to risotto and chorizo is Spain’s spicy version of sausage – sangria and rioja might get a look in too. But this rich, intense, flavoursome cuisine should get far more attention than it currently receives.
Breaks to Spain revolve around the beach, whereas breaks to Italy and France are far more centred on food. All-inclusive resorts have built walls between tourists and Spanish food by keeping their guests satiated with international dishes that draw little on the cuisine available outside the hotel walls. However, things are changing. Breaks to Spain in all-inc resorts now include Spanish dishes, local ingredients and traditional ways of cooking and eating. On The Beach has breaks to Spain to some of these hotels that like to mix Spanish with international flavours to create food that is truly outstanding.
Spanish food varies from region to region. Coastal areas are heavily reliant on seafood and rice whilst central areas eat fresh vegetables, legumes and lots of meat and poultry. Generally, people eat what is readily and locally available. People use supermarkets for store cupboard products, but fresh goods such as vegetables, fruits, seafood, poultry and meat are still bought from colourful, lively markets.
Spanish food is heavily spiced and laced with flavour. Paprika, pepper, saffron, chilli, lemon, garlic and parsley create depth and intricate flavour combinations that play out on the palate as you dine.
Spanish food is eaten slowly and plenty of time is devoted to eating. This is best displayed with tapas. Tapas is a collection of small, bite-size dishes, similar to a buffet. People order several dishes, eat them and wash them down with some wine, beer or sangria then order more as necessary.
Although rice dishes such as paella are popular and tapas is pretty much a daily ritual, Spanish traditional cuisine, like French, Italian and even British is based around sustaining, thick and heavy stews. Slow cooked meat with beads and root vegetables are the mainstays of dishes in rural, old-fashioned Spain where people continue to work the land and live in slow-paced, tranquil surroundings away from buzzing, lively and non-stop cities such as Madrid and Barcelona.
Traditional Spanish Tapas by Anaulin
If you fancy giving Spanish food a try at home use the BBC Good Food website for recipes, tips and inspiration.
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