Spanish Cuisine
Spanish cuisine, with ages of tradition and excellent quality produce has always been a source of inspiration for chefs worldwide. Who doesn't know about typical Spanish dishes such as Spanish paella, Spanish tortilla de patatas (Spanish potato omelette), or fabada Asturiana (White beans in a stew with meats) and calamares a la Romana (Fried squid rings). Spain is a haven for fresh fruit and vegetables, all used in its typical Spanish cuisine; Spanish lemons and oranges; the Spanish mandarins and clementines you enjoy at Christmas time; fruity and piquant Spanish virgin olive oil, the very best almonds and of course saffron – typical ingredients of an abundance of typical Spanish dishes which make up the famous Mediterranean diet.
It has been over the last decade, however, that the typical cuisine of Spain has revolutionized the world by applying new techniques to traditional Mediterranean dishes and products without disguising the taste of the fresh product. Nowadays, Spain is an international culinary reference. Food lovers from around the world come to enjoy the incredible Spanish dishes made by three-star chefs Ferran Adriá at El Bulli (from 2012 El Bulli Foundation) in Roses, Joan Roca at Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Juan Mari Arzak of Arzak Restaurant in San Sebastian, Martin Berasategui of the restaurant of the same name in the Basque Country, Carmen Ruscalleda of Sant Pau Restaurant in Sant Pol de Mar, near Barcelona. The list is endless and confirmation that Spanish gourmet cuisine is a leader in the world.
Everywhere you go in Spain, you will experience the national fever for quality cuisine. What all our chefs have in common is their respect for the product - they promote local, fresh, seasonal products of highest quality, which abound in our Spanish markets and are many times organically grown in their own gardens. A visit to any market across Spain will reveal a precious selection of indigenous produce show-casing a splendid variety of typically Spanish food that varies with each season of the year – so many local delicacies which are just waiting for you to taste them!
Spanish manchego and other wonderful Spanish cheeses are today available around the world; the famed Spanish Iberian ham; seafood – from anchovies to king prawns and sea urchins to squid. Did you know we also grow rice in Spain? In the northern part of the country there are magnificent wild mushrooms and truffles, not to forget snails and sausages such as spicy traditional Spanish chorizo. There are unlimited possibilities for travelling around Spain and learning about its leading products, most traditional dishes and most emblematic gastronomic museums.
