During all of its existence, Spanish cuisine has undergone many changes. At various times, the Spanish cuisine was influenced by the influence of the Moors, representatives of the Roman Empire, and to some extent the New World. After all, it was from there that the Spanish merchants brought some outlandish kinds of vegetables, such as sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes and potatoes. When the Second World War ended and Spanish tourists began to come to Spain for rest, they also had some influence on Spanish cuisine. Since then, some tourist centers offer dishes that are a mixture of Spanish and German cuisines.
Features of the national Spanish cuisine
The very Spanish cuisine is quite simple. Great importance is attached to it in vegetables, in particular products such as sweet peppers, garlic, onions and greens. Spaniards love to add saffron to their dishes, and in large quantities. As for spices, they do not abuse them. In Spain, incredibly popular dishes are those that are both the first and second. Just such dishes, "in one pot", speak of the peasant roots of the kitchen traditions of Spain. The fact is that the overwhelming number of Spanish peasants have always been very poor people.
The greatest importance in Spain is given to the preparation of dinners. Entering a Spanish restaurant in the afternoon, you can find a menu of several lunch dishes. However, for dinner, you will be offered countless meals. The thing is that the Spaniards are not used to spending a lot of time for lunch. But for dinner the Spaniards do not regret the time, and sometimes they can sit behind him until late in the evening.
Traditional dishes of Spanish cuisine
In order to prevent a person from getting hungry during the day between lunch and dinner, it's usually late in the evening to eat snacks that are called tapas here. As such light snacks here can be offered sea crustaceans, slices of ham, fried in batter or olives. All these snacks are usually taken with sherry or red wine. I must say that all these snacks differ from snacks served later during dinner. Tapas, or pinchos, are intermediate dishes here.
Spaniards are very fond of soup cream. It can be semolina, seasoned with almonds. With the onset of heat in Spain, ice gaspacho is often served, which consists of mashed tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as olive oil and spices. A very popular among the Spaniards is the soup of shellfish, as well as bowlis( fish soup), which is very similar to the Marseilles buyabes.
Of all the soups, garlic soup is the most popular. In many restaurants in Spain after this dish is usually served an intermediate snack, which can consist of stewed vegetables or pasta. For a snack and lunch, the Spaniards are very fond of using canola meat. And they gladly eat dried cod.
The second is usually served meat dishes, grilled or stewed. The Spaniards are very fond of the second dishes, made from poultry meat, veal, pork and young lamb. The famous paella in its classic version is prepared just from chicken meat. And such a Spanish dish as a puchero is made from ham, garlic sausage chorizo and chickpeas. This dish is usually served along with dumplings from ham, bacon, garlic and parsley. The most popular side dishes in Spain are potatoes and rice.
As desserts, Spaniards eat caramel pudding and pies with almond cream. Very rarely, at the end of a meal, cheese can be served here. Despite the fact that a very large number of grapes are grown in Spain, wine production in this country was taken seriously relatively recently. However, vintage wines produced here today can confidently compete even with French wines.
Kitchens of the Spanish people
The real connoisseurs of Spanish cuisine know that this country is divided into eight gastronomic regions, each of which has its own specialties and drinks. Thus, in the Basque country, in the northern part of Spain, the "pil-pil" dish, which is prepared from cod, is well known. In the restaurants that are located here, you can be offered "Viera", which is ground with mushrooms and onion scallops and baked in its own sink. After you eat this dish, you will necessarily be offered cheese and a bottle of cider, and if you want, you can drink here and a pink chakkoli( young wine).In this area of Spain very often come the French in order to buy octopuses, jellyfish and various sweets.
If you are a lover of meat, then know that here you will be served half-baked meat with blood, which will not be filled with spices at all. But even in spite of such unusual cooking methods, and maybe on the contrary thanks to them, Basque cuisine is very valued not only in Spain, but all over the world.
Once in Catalonia, be sure to order a smoked sausage "fuet", roast "casuela" and sauce "alioli".Here you must also try kava( sparkling wine) or red wine.
In Valencia, you should definitely try a paella consisting of rice, lobster meat, shellfish or shrimp. Biting these dishes the Spaniards used to bread with tomatoes, garlic and rubbed with oil.
If to speak about Andalusia, then you need to try the local ham, sausages and baked meat. The signature dish is cold soup "gazpacho".