Typical Spanish Food

By Mireia Bach 

Spanish food is often recognized as one of the top cuisines in the world. We have a lot of traditional Spanish dishes and recipes. However, I’m going to write about the most typical ones – paella, tortilla de patatas, croquetas and gazpacho -.

Paella, is the most famous dish in Spain. Everybody knows it. The main ingredient is the rice-based and you can mix it with meat like chicken or rabbit (Paella de montana), or with seafood such as calamari, mussels, clams, prawns and fish (Paella de marisco). Moreover, you can mix shellfish and meat together, which, in my opinion is not the best option but, there are people who do it (Paella mixta / Paella de mar y montana). In addition, you can find another type of paella, that it’s not so common, but it tastes so good too. It’s called black rice (Paella de arroz negro) because the rice is stained by octopus ink and then mixed with seafood. 

The Spanish omelette more commonly known as Tortilla de patatas, is another famous Spanish dish. The main ingredients are eggs, potatoes and if you want, you can add onion. Also, there is another choice while the people cook the Spanish omelette. You can cook it a little bit raw or well cooked, always using olive oil. Spanish people eat this type of omelette as a starter for lunch or dinner. It’s called tapa de tortilla.

The third dish is called croquetas, you can find six flavours: meat, cured ham, cheese, mushrooms, chicken or fish. My favourites are the ones which have meat inside. The croquetas is another meal that you can eat as a tapa in every Spanish restaurant or bar. The ingredients that you need for cooking this typical dish are: the flavour that you choose and bechamel sauce, after that you breaded and fried.

The last one but not least, is the gazpacho. This is a typical summer dish and it’s made with full-flavoured fresh tomatoes, olive oil, green peppers, cucumbers, garlic, onions, vinegar and herbs. It’s a refreshing meal that you eat inside a bowl as an appetizer. It is also a good option if you prefer to eat fresh and healthy because is a low calorie dish. As you can see in the picture, you can add some fresh cut vegetables and little pieces of bread to make it tasty.