Spain Travel Guide: Nice To Know Facts About Spain. Interesting Facts.

Sumptuous Spanish Cuisine: Paella, Tapas and Chorizo

Spanish cuisine has made its mark in the culinary world for its use of simple yet fresh ingredients. Spanish food is full of flavor, expertly blending together spices and other ingredients to come up with food items that are colorful and pleasing to the palate. Many dishes are also surprisingly healthy, cooked with the influence of the Mediterranean diet, using fresh seafood, Spanish olive oil, garlic and many other heart healthy ingredients. There is no one official food from Spain, although many dishes and food items are strongly identified with the country. Paella, chorizo, jamon or ham, sausages such as chorizo and embutido and tortilla de patata or potato omelet are just some of the Spanish food items that locals frequently prepare and tourists have grown to love.

Much of the food in Spain is regional, which is why Spanish food seems so varied. There is no particular national dish, and it would probably be difficult to choose just one dish to represent Spain, given the variety of delicious and mouth watering food items available. The style of cooking has been heavily influenced by the climate, culture and area wherein it was developed. Certain regions have become famous for specific food items, such as Paella for Valencia, Cocido Madrileño or chicken stew from Madrid, Fabada Asturiana or bean stew from Asturias, Percebes or gooseneck barnacles from Galicia or Marmita or tuna fish stew from Cantabria.

Travelers shouldn’t leave Spain without trying a pan of paella. This dish made of rice, saffron and a variety of meats is colorful, delicious and a meal all onto itself. Paella has its birthplace in Valencia, back in the 18th century. The short grain of rice that is used in cooking this dish was introduced to the region in the 15th century and the fertile soil of the area proved to be perfect for cultivating the particular variety of rice. The name of the dish originated from the name of the flat round cast iron pan called paella or paellera (which means pan) in which the dish is cooked.

Moorish Spain introduced the eating of rice casseroles. It is said that paella was considered a laborer’s dish, since it was prepared in a cast iron pan over an open fire prepared with whatever meats were available and eaten right out of the pan using a wooden spoon. The original paella was actually made of meat such as rabbit, chicken, duck or even snails. Saffron gave the dish its unique yellow tint and subtle flavor. In its original form, paella wasn’t made out of seafood, since Valencia isn’t a coastal city and so seafood items weren’t readily available.

Today, many Spanish families prepare the dish for Sunday lunch. The three common varieties of paella are paella Valenciana, seafood paella and paella mixta or mixed paella. Paella is typically eaten as lunch fare and not served for dinner. Also, seafood is now readily used, which is why many travelers think that the original paella is made of fish, squid and shrimp. In fact, many families have created their own special recipes for the dish, using whatever ingredients are available, such as beans, artichokes, chorizo and a number of vegetables. There are sometimes contests in the preparation of paella. The Guinness World Record for the world’s largest paella is said to have fed 110,000 people. Some towns also have paella festivals, where a large pan of paella is made for the whole town to share.

There are also many other varieties of paella that have evolved, aside from seafood paella. Paella Negra or paella made with the black ink of squid and noodle paella or paella cooked with pasta noodles instead of rice, are just some of the other varieties of this dish. It takes a while to prepare paella, at least twenty minutes to half an hour, so travelers should be prepared to wait if they want a fresh pan of paella specially made for them. Restaurants readily serve this dish since it can be made early in the day in large batches and it holds its flavor well throughout the day.

Another food item that travelers will enjoy is tapas. The word tapas comes from the Spanish word “tapar” which means “to cover”. Some say that the Andalusians used slices of bread or meat to cover their glasses of sherry or their drink to protect it from fruit flies. The meat typically used was slices of chorizo or ham, which served as a perfect complement to the sweet sherry because of the saltiness of the meat. There are also those who believe that tapas were popularized by King Alfonso X of Castille in the 13th century. It is said that he was able to recover from a long illness by switching his heavy meals with small plates of food served with wine. Today, Spaniards place their plate over their glasses when in bars to protect their drinks and also due to space constraints.

These are literally small plates of food that are meant to be served as appetizers. Dinnertime in Spain starts at 8 or 9in the evening, so Spaniards typically go to bars before heading to dinner to pass the time. Also, keep in mind that when the Spaniards eat, the meals take a long time to be served and if you’ll be eating paella, the dish won’t be coming out for at least half an hour. Tapas get the meal started in a delicious way, a perfect accompaniment for a glass of wine or cerveza and a round of conversation among friends. Tapas also encourages conversation between guests since many people eat tapas while standing up and the focus is on the interaction, rather than sitting down to eat a heavy meal.

Tapas can be served either cold or hot and are eaten with small toothpicks of various sizes. Some typical cold tapas are olives and cheese, and chorizo al vino. Hot tapas are chopitos (fried baby octopus), calamares (fried squid), croquetas (potato balls stuffed with chicken or ham) and albóndigas (fried meatballs). Aside from these, seafood items or mariscos are also popular tapas, such as anchovies and sardines in olive oil, as well as gambas (shrimp cooked in garlic and olive oil). Tapas are also served with a few slices of bread, perfect for absorbing any extra sauce or oil from the small plate.

Chorizo is another famous Spanish food item that traveler’s shouldn’t miss. It’s a red colored sausage that is highly flavorful and can be eaten all over Spain, as it can be enjoyed alone or added to a number of other Spanish dishes. The unique color of the sausage comes from the dried smoked red peppers or pimentón (Spanish paprika) used in the cooking process. This ingredient was brought to the Spaniards from the Americas in the 16th century and has been used in making this delicious sausage ever since.

Spanish chorizo evolved from the La Matanza. This is the slaughtering season of pigs when families would come together in preparation for the winter season. The legs of the pig would be cured and dried as ham, while the belly and other parts would be made into sausages. The pimentón was used as an excellent preservative and at the same time added a deep rich flavor to the cured meat.

Spanish chorizo is made of pork stuffed into a casing of animal intestine and is seasoned with salt and paprika before being smoked or cooked. Each region in Spain has made its own style of Spanish chorizo, so the sausage will be thicker in Pamplona compared to other parts.

The thickness of the chorizo determines how it will be served. Thinner chorizo is best served as tapas, while thicker sausages are fried, cooked and served in sandwiches and other dishes. Spanish chorizo either comes in a sweet (dulce) variety or spicy (picante) variety. In many instances, the long, thin sausages are usually sweet while the short and fat chorizos are usually spicy.

Travelers can enjoy chorizo as tapas with their meal or taste how it enhances the flavor of other dishes. It also makes for a delicious and unique souvenir item to give to friends and loved ones back home. Spanish chorizo can be purchased in vacuum sealed packages or canned and can be enjoyed back home to recreate the delicious flavors of Spain.

Bull fighting in Spain

Bull fighting or toreo can be called a sport, art form or entertainment. Bull fighting is done in Spain, Portugal, Mexico and other parts of France, although it is in Spain where it is most associated. The bull is baited with a red flag by the torero, toreador or matador, much to the delight and awe of the crowd. It is considered an art form because the specially trained toreador executes moves quickly, gracefully and with panache all within close range of the animal, while avoiding injury to himself as he avoids the bull. It appears to be a dance, though many detractors call it more of a blood sport. After several minutes of the dance on the bull ring, the matador or toreador finishes off the bull with a single sword thrust to the bull. This finale is called the estocada.

Bull fighting traces its roots when people worshiped bulls and performed animal sacrifices. The cave painting called “El Torro de Hachos” found in Spain is proof of the long tradition that early Romans and Spain have had with the bulls. Some say that Emperor Claudius introduced bull fighting to the Spaniards, as a form of entertainment in place of gladiators. Later, the practice evolved as something done on special occasions, such as during royal wedding celebrations and other religious festivities. Noblemen would ride their horse and compete with the bull in town plazas to impress the royal court and win the admiration of the public.

In 1726, Francisco Romero introduced fighting the bulls with the toreador on foot from Ronda, Spain. This proved to be more exciting to the audience because of the closer proximity to the bull. It was also Romero who used the estoque or sword to finish off the bull, as well as the red cape or muleta. Commoners on foot soon replaced noblemen on their horses. This led to the building of structures dedicated to bull fights, to minimize the danger to the audience in the plazas. Original structures were built as a square, such as the Plaza de Armas, although it was later changed to a ring or a circular structure, so that cornering could be prevented.

Juan Belmonte is a legend among the Spaniards as he is considered to be the greatest bull fighter of all time. He is credited with the modern day bullfight, staying within inches of the bull during the corrida or fight.

Spanish-style bullfighting or corrida de toros begins with three matadors in the ring fighting two bulls each. Each bull weighs about 460 kilos each at no more than six years old. A matador de toros or torero is given six assistants in the ring to make up a cuadrilla or entourage: two picadores, who are men on horseback carrying lances; three banderilleros (also called toreros); and one mozo de espada (a sword page).

The program begins with each stage of the bullfight announced with the blowing of a bugle horn. The participants are paraded as an introduction to the awaiting crowd. The parade is accompanied by lively band music, with the torero wearing a special suit bearing gold accents, called trace de luces or suit of lights. The costume of the torero is inspired by the 17th century clothing in Andalusia. The assistants called “toreros de plata” (or bullfighters of silver) wear suits with silver accents.

The first stage of the bullfight is called the “Tercio de Varas” or “the lancing third”. The bull is brought out and is tested by the matador who is holding a capote in a bright magenta color. The job of the picador riding a horse is to lightly stab a portion of the neck of the bull to draw first blood and to weaken the supporting neck muscles of the bull. During this time, the torero carefully studies the actions of the bull to determine its strengths and style of attack. Eventually, this will allow the torero to kill the bull with his sword. This act also naturally angers the bull and makes it focus on a single target: the torero.

The second stage of the bullfight is called the “Tercio de Banderillas”. Here, the 3 banderilleros are tasked to further injure the bull by placing two sharp barbed sticks on the shoulders of the bull. This will further weaken the bull while increasing its aggression.

The third and final stage is called the “Tercio de Muerte” or the third of death. At this stage, the torero is now alone in the ring with the bull. The dance begins with the waving of the cape to draw the attention of the bull. Since bulls are color blind, it is the movement of the cape that draws its attention rather than the actual color of the fabric. This makes the bull tired so that it becomes easier for the torero to kill in the final act. The faena is the whole performance with the cape or muleta, comprising a series of passes or “tandas” that are meant to position the bull so that it can be killed with the estoque or sword, and the act of estocada can be performed. During the series of tandas, a wooden or aluminum sword is used by the torero, called an estoque simulado, because it is much lighter and easier to handle. When it is time to perform the estocada, the torero will use the estoque de verdad or the real sword. When placed properly between the shoulder blades, the sword punctures the aorta of the bull.

At the end of the faena, the crowd determines if the torero has done exceptionally well by waving white handkerchiefs. In some cases, he may be awarded an ear or two of the bull. Sometimes, even the tail is cut off and given to the torero. In some very rare instances, an exceptionally brave bull is given a pardon by the president and the crowd. Its life is spared and it is returned to the farm rather than being killed.

Bull fighting has been a tradition for a long time in Spain. The oldest bullfighting arena in the world is located in Seville, Spain, dating back to 1765. It is called the La Maestranza. To this day, there are bullfighting festivals held in the country, between the months of April and September. During festival season, there is a bullfight every day of the week. Sometimes, there are bullfights on Sundays. The Running of the Bulls festival in Pamplona is the most famous of the bull fighting festivals in the country.

Travelers to Spain will be enthralled by the beauty, grace, thrill and excitement of the Spanish bullfight. It is a long Spanish tradition that is truly a spectacular sight to behold, pitting man against beast. However, it has come under the close scrutiny of many animal rights activities because they consider it as cruelty to animals.

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