Amazing Spanish Recipes

The Spanish cuisines is diverse and often a unique blend of meat stews. There is a distinct mediterranean touch to many of the cuisines from this region. There has also been considerable influence of the Spanish colonies and many recipes where borrowed from them. The Jewish influence is also noticed in its tastes and cooking style. The most favorite non vegetarian food here is Pork and pork stew is a component of many spanish dishes.

The cuisines here use plenty of butter, lard and olive oil with olive oil being by far the most popular. Infact olive oil is part of most of the popular Spanish delicacies and not surprisingly so, in fact Spain is the largest producer of olive oil with more than half of the world's production coming from Spain alone.

Other characteristics of Spanish food, include the widespread use of garlic and onions, the serving of bread and wine with most meals, and the consumption of fruit or dairy products as desserts. One particularly well-known Spanish custom is the serving of small appetizers ("tapas") with drinks.

Some famous Spanish dishes include:

Gazpacho: Gazpacho is really a sort of vegetable soup made out of garlic, stale bread and olive oil and sometimes tomato and bell paper is also added. This is served both cold and hot. The cold variant is called Gazpacho and the hot variant is named gazpacho manchego and often includes mushrooms and rabbit meat that is less of a soup and more of a stew.

- Paella - A rice dish originally from Valencia. The main ingredients are rice, saffron and olive oil, and the dish is generally garnished with meat or seafood, and vegetables.

- Chorizo - A spicy sausage made out of fatty pork and seasoned with chili and paprika. There are a couple of varieties: hot ("picante") and sweet ("dulce"). Most varieties can be eaten cold, although there are some regions of Spain which produce varieties that need further cooking. Chorizo is not just eaten on its own, but can also be used as an ingredient in other dishes.

- Jamón serrano - Dry-cured ham.

- Fabada Asturiana - A bean stew that also contains black blood sausage ("morcilla"), chorizo and pork, and which is flavored with saffron and other seasonings.

Olla Podrida: This is a thick stew made out of pimentos, tomatoes, onions and potatoes.

Calamares: Squid dish that is fried in olive oil.

- Pescaíto Frito - Marinated fish, battered and fried.

Tortilla de patatas: A type of omlette laced with smashed potatoes and seasoned with onions.

By: ifood007

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For additional information and video clips on the different spanish recipes please visit Spanish Recipes. You might also want to take a look at some of the famous Spanish Desserts