Must try food and drinks in Spain
One of my favorite parts of traveling is trying new food and drinks in each new destination. Spain provided a lot of delicious food and drinks that make my mouth water just thinking about it. On our visit to Spain we were mostly in the Barcelona and Gavà Mar, which are not short on amazing restaurant options.
Spain is known for tapas. Tapas literally translates to “small portion” and it a great way to enjoy Spanish culture while trying many different dishes. If you are ordering a tapas style dish it will be a smaller portion more like an appetizer. Tapas are eaten as an appetizer or many people also choose multiple tapas dishes to make into a full meal. Bring your appetites and don’t miss these must try foods on your next visit to Spain.
Also check out our posts for Barcelona, Spain Restaurant Reviews and Gavà Mar, Spain Restaurant Reviews for recommendations on some places to try some of the amazing food and drinks listed below.
Papas Bravas
Papas bravas generally is served as a tapas style dish. This potato dish originated in Seville, Spain but can be found across the country especially in tapas style restaurants. This dish may be seen on the menu under a few different names such as, papas bravas, patatas bravas, or patatas a la brava. Papas bravas are cubed potatoes that are fired and topped with a spicy sauce. I would describe patatas bravas as a sophisticated take on the french fry or home fries with the perfect heat from its spicy sauce.
Gambas al ajillo
Gambas al ajillo translates to shrimp or prawns with garlic, which is exactly what this dish is. Gambas al ajillo may be found as a tapas style dish or main entree style dish. This shrimp dish is popular in Madrid, Spain although can also be found across the country. It may also be seen on the menu as gambes al ajillo. Gambas al ajillo is generally pan sautéed shrimp in oil with garlic and may also have dried chili pepper to add a little heat. If you are a seafood lover and you see gambas al ajillo on the menu during your visit to Spain go ahead and give it a shot.
Chorizo
Chorizo is a traditional Spanish spicy pork sausage. While it is popular and traditional to Spain, it can also be found in Portugal where it is called chouriço. Chorizo can be found where it requires cooking or it may also be cured and smoked where it can be sliced and eaten without cooking. You may find chorizo that is spicy (picante) or it may be labeled as sweet (dulce) depending on the type of pepper or smoked paprika used. Chorizo may be found served as a tapas or used as an ingredient in a main dish. It is not uncommon to also find chorizo sliced and served on a sandwich. There also some other traditional Spanish dishes that use chorizo as on of their ingredients. One of the traditional dishes using chorizo are fabada asturiana or fabada, which is a hearty and rich bean stew.
Paella bite
Paella
Paella is probably one of the most well known dishes when people think of traditional Spanish food. Paella is a rice dish that originated from Valencia, Spain and literally translates to “frying pan”. The traditional way of cooking paella is in a large shallow paella pan over an open flame. One of the distinguishing attributes of a good paella is the layer of rice at the bottom of the pan that creates a crust and is considered to be the most delicious part. While there are many different versions of paella, paella de marisco or seafood paella is the version most people generally think of when they hear “paella”. This is one dish that is perfect to be share among friends, so make sure you bring others along with you and order a nice big order of paella on your visit!
Sangria
Sangria is not to be missed when traveling to Spain. Sangria is traditionally red wine (Rioja) with chopped fruit served over ice. The fruit in the sangria can vary and sometimes additional spirits are added to boost the alcohol content. It will hit the spot on a warm day as you soak up the sun and take in beautiful views of the ocean especially if on the Barcelona or Gavà Mar beach.
Have a favorite dish from Spain that I missed? Please share in the comments so others can check them out and I have another reason to go back to Spain!
Salud!
-Jessica