Spanish cuisine
The growing of crops of the so-called tríada mediterránea (the "Mediterranean triad": wheat, grapes, and olives) underpinned the staple meal products for the inhabitants of the south of the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman Era (bread, wine and oil).
[8] The Visigoths' limited but lasting contributions to Spanish cuisine included the spread of the consumption of fermented milk and the preference for avoiding mixing water and wine.
[11] Other ingredients possibly introduced in the Iberian Peninsula during the Hispano-Muslim period include sorghum, spinach, eggplant, peach, apricot and saffron.
[13] Moors also developed the basis for the art of pastry-making and introduced escabeche,[14] a food preservation technique relying on vinegar.
Dishes like ajo blanco, alboronía,[15] alajú,[16] hallulla,[17] albóndigas,[18] mojama,[19] arrope,[20] were some of the many legacies of Moorish cuisine.
[21][13][22] Although Muslim religion did not allow alcoholic drinks, the consumption of wine was widespread as the Qur'anic precepts never got to overrule the preexisting traditions.
[24] Observing the kashrut regulations, Jews and judaizantes opted for blood-drained meat without fat, outright rejecting bacon.
[33] Influenced by Arabic harisa, grain-based soups such as farinetes (along the Mediterranean coast) and, similarly, gachas (in the Central Plateau) were customary in Early Modern Spain.
[38] Modern Spanish cuisine was gestated in the late-19th to early-20th century, with gastronomes and writers such as Mariano Pardo de Figueroa (Dr. Thebussem), José Castro y Serrano, Ángel Muro, Emilia Pardo Bazán, and Dionisio Pérez, some of whom put effort into developing the idea of a "national cuisine" recognisable by Spaniards as their own.
According to a 2017 report, the Spanish government has taken steps to shorten the traditional long lunch break in an effort to end the workday earlier.
[52] Aside from some of the aforementioned specialties, other signature tapas include: mejillones en escabeche (marinated mussels), gildas, albóndigas (meatballs), callos, torreznos, or raxo de cerdo.
The Andalusian dish that has possibly achieved the most international fame is gazpacho, a cold soup made with chopped vegetables, such as tomatoes and green peppers, vinegar, water, salt, olive oil, and bread (crumbs).
Legumes are very important to Aragonese dishes, but the most popular vegetables are borage and thistle, as well as the famed tomate rosa de Barbastro [es].
Fruit-based cuisine includes frutas de Aragón [es] (English: 'fruits of Aragon', candied fruits covered in chocolate) and maraschino cherries.
Asturian cider, Sidra de Asturias [es], made of a special type of apple, is traditionally poured escanciada from a certain height, usually over the head of the waiter/server.
Notable desserts are frisuelos [es] (similar to crêpes, usually filled with cream or apple jam), rice pudding (white rice cooked with milk, lemon zest and sugar), and carbayón (dulce) [ast] (puff pastry cakes filled with almond mash and covered with sugar glaze).
Some well-known food items are the sobrassada, arroz brut [es], mahón cheese, gin de Menorca (pelota), and mayonnaise.
[57] Common meat dishes include beef steaks, pork loin with milk, fig leaf quail, and marinated goose.
Txakoli or chacolí (a white wine characterised by its high acidity and a lesser-than-average alcohol content) is a staple drink from the Basque Country, produced in Álava, Guipúzcoa and Biscay.
The islands' close proximity to continental Africa influences the climate and creates a range of warm temperatures that in modern times have fostered the agriculture of tropical and semitropical crops: bananas, yams, mangoes, avocados, and persimmons.
The aboriginal people, Guanches, based their diet on gofio (a type of flour made of different toasted grains), shellfish, and goat and pork products.
Some classic dishes in the Canary Islands include papas arrugadas, almogrote, frangollo, rabbit in salmorejo sauce, and stewed goat.
Some popular desserts are truchas (pastries filled with sweet potato or pumpkin), roasted gofio (a gofio-based dough with nuts and honey), príncipe Alberto (a mousse-like preparation with almonds, coffee, and chocolate), and quesillo (a variety of flan made with condensed milk).
Because its lands are dry, and thus unable to sustain large amounts of cattle living on grass, an abundance of small animals, such as rabbit and especially birds (pheasant, quail, partridge, squab), can be found.
This has led to game meat being incorporated into traditional dishes, such as conejo al Ajillo (rabbit in garlic sauce), perdiz escabechada [es] (marinated partridge) or huevos de codorniz (quail eggs).
Similar to neighbouring Asturias, Galicia shares some culinary traditions in stews and soups with the Celtic nations of Atlantic Europe.
Madrid, due to the influx of visitors from the nineteenth century onwards, was one of the first cities to introduce the concept of the restaurant, hosting some of the earliest examples.
Regional dishes include michirones (beans cooked with bay leaves, hot peppers and garlic), olla gitana, cocido murciano con pelotas, and sopa de mondongo.
Some meat products from Murcia are morcilla (black pudding), which is flavored with oregano, and pastel murciano, made with ground beef.
A popular and famous Valencia creation is paella, a rice dish cooked in a circular pan and topped with vegetables and meats (originally rabbit and chicken).
