Meals and the Culture of Spain

Spanish Meals
By Lisa & Tony Sierra, About.com

Tortilla and Chorizo (c) 2007 Lisa Sierra Licensed to About.com

Lisa Sierra

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Spaniards love their food! In fact, the typical Spaniard probably puts away more
food than any one of us in the USA, but Spaniards spread their meals throughout the
day and walk between meals. Below is a brief description of a day of Spanish meals,
when they are eaten and sample menus.

El Desayuno – Breakfast
• The Smallest Meal of the Day
• Continental Breakfast

A typical breakfast might include café con leche - strong coffee with hot, frothy milk,
bollos (sweet rolls) with jam, or toast with jam or mild cheese.

Tapas - Little Spanish Meals

Tapas are eaten well after breakfast, but before lunch, the large mid-afternoon
meal!

• Tapas-time includes bar-hopping to wine-taste and chat

• A Different Tapa at each stop

Spanish love tapas so much, they made a verb out of it. The phrase Vamos a tapear!
means “Let’s go eat tapas!” A few of the most popular tapas are:

• Tortilla Española - Spanish Omelet

• Patatas Bravas - Potatoes with Spicey Brava Sauce
• Gambas al Ajillo - Shrimp in Garlic
Want more tapas recipes? Read our Tapas FAQ .

La Comida – Lunch
The midday meal, la comida as it is called in Spain is the largest meal of the day. It
is definitely a large meal, usually with multiple courses. Traditionally, Spaniards
have a 2-3 hour break from work or school in order to enjoy la comida and take a
nap or siesta and the entire country closes up shop from about 2:00pm to 4:30 or
5:00pm. The siesta is a tradition that goes back centuries. When most people
worked in agriculture and air conditioning did not exist, it is easy to understand why
folks needed a large meal and a rest from the hot Spanish sun before returning to
work outside. Everyone in Spain enjoyed this afternoon break, from school kids to
shop workers and government officials. Most Spanish still enjoy the break and large
meal, but life is slowly changing. Many people spend over an hour commuting to and
from their work, making it impossible to go home for a meal and siesta. Because of
this, Spanish government employees in Madrid now work a standard eight-hour day
with a one-hour lunch break. Many large supermarket and retail chains in large cities
no longer close for lunch either. Still, in most of the country folks close up shop and
enjoy their meal and break.

• The Largest Meal of the Day

• Multiple Courses
• Eaten between 1:30 and 3:30 pm

Below is a sample meal that you might find on a menu at a restaurant or if you were
invited to someone’s home for lunch:

• Vegetable or Seafood Soup

• Fresh Fish or Seafood, Roast Chicken or Lamb, Fried Potatoes, Rabbit Stew,
etc.
• Green Salad or Vegetables
• Dessert - Flan, light pastry, fresh fruit or ice cream
• Coffee, Brandy and a Cigar

Bread is ALWAYS on the Spanish table. It is plentiful and fresh and used to mop up
sauces. Spanish lunches are always large! Courses come one at a time, so pace
yourself!
Since Spaniards love eggs and dairy foods, you will find that many desserts are
made from fresh milk or cream. Fresh fruit is typical to see on the dessert menu, and
may be served with a soft cheese. Don’t forget the coffee – You’ll probably need that
after the big lunch!

La Merienda - Snack
The late-afternoon snack in Spain is called la merienda and is necessary since lunch
is done by 3:30pm, but dinner isn't usually eaten for another five to six hours. La
Merienda is especially important to children, who always seem to have lots of energy
and play soccer in the streets, etc. La Merienda can be anything from a piece of
French-style bread with a piece of chocolate on top, to bread with chorizo, ham or
salami. La Merienda is eaten around 4:30 or 5:00pm and since dinner isn't served for
at least another 3-4 hours, nobody worries that this snack will ruin the appetite for
dinner!

La Cena – Dinner
• Smaller than Lunch
• Eaten between 9:00 pm and Midnight

A dinner might include fresh fish or seafood, roast chicken or lamb, fried potatoes or
rice. A simple and quick dish, commonly eaten at dinner is arroz cubano, which is a
mound of white rice, topped with tomato sauce and a fried egg. Green salad and/or a
vegetable dish are standard at lunch and dinner. A lighter dessert of fresh fruit or
flan (Spanish vanilla custard) may also be eaten.

After Dinner
Spaniards are night owls. The typical Spaniard does not eat dinner until at least 9
o’clock in the evening and probably does not get to bed until close to midnight. On
the weekends, on holidays and during the summer months, it wouldn’t be unusual
for a Spanish family to turn in round 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. So, after the late-
night dinner, Spaniards continue their socializing in their neighborhood cafés and
taverns or go out to a nightclub or disco-pub.
The last stop on the way home from an evening of fun might be to a churreria or a
churro stand. Churros are fried pastries that look something like huge fried potatoes,
though they have nothing to do with potatoes. The closest thing that we have in the
USA would be fritters or donuts. However, fresh churros, bought from a street vendor
or sidewalk café, served hot and sprinkled with sugar are delicious and very light.
To accompany your churros, hot chocolate is the drink of choice! Chocolate in Spain
is NOT like the chocolate that you may have had in the USA. It´s not like Mexican
chocolate either, which has cinnamon and other flavors in it. Spanish chocolate is
made hot and very thick. It is usually made from fresh, whole milk, not a "just add
water" chocolate packet. It’s sweet and so thick that you can practically stand a
spoon in it!

• Chocolate Caliente - Spanish Hot Chocolate

What are the national dishes

of Spain?
By Lisa & Tony Sierra, About.com

Question: What are the national dishes of Spain?

Answer:
Since each of Spain’s regions has its own regional specialties, it is difficult to say that
there is a national dish of Spain. Historically Spain was divided into small kingdoms;
each one with its own language, culture and cuisine. Even today, Spain remains
divided into 17 Autonomous Communities, each one with its own unique cuisine.
However, there are a few dishes that have gained popularity all over Spain and some
internationally:

• Tortilla Española – Spanish Omelet, made of eggs, potatoes and onions.

• Gazpacho – Andalusian Cold Tomato Soup. This refreshing dish originated in
the region of Andalucia, but is served everywhere during the hot summer
months.
• Paella de Marisco – Spanish Seafood Rice. Paella Valenciana originated in the
fields of Valencia, where country folk mixed rice with rabbit, snails and
vegetables and cooked it over an open fire. It has evolved into Spain’s most
well-known dish, where fish, shellfish, meat, pork and/or chicken may be
used.
• Jamon Serrano – Spanish Ham. Several regions are known for the ham they
produce, but it is eaten all over the Peninsula.
• Chorizo Sausage – Spanish Pork Sausage. A wide variety of chorizo sausage
is eaten in every corner of Spain on a regular basis.

In addition to the dishes listed, you must remember that tapas, the little dishes of
Spain that are served in taverns all over Spain are also “national” dishes. There is a
huge variety of them! Each town may have its own specialty tapa, although some
tapas dishes are eaten nation-wide, like olives, ham and chorizo.

• FAQ: What are Tapas?

An Introduction to Spanish
Food and Cooking
By Lisa & Tony Sierra, About.com

Spanish cooking has popular roots. It is the people’s cuisine. Most of it is down-to-
earth, uncomplicated food, based on the ingredients available locally or the crops
grown regionally. Mountains run through Spain in several directions, acting as natural
barriers to communication and making transportation difficult until the last half of the
20th century. This is one of the reasons why cooking differs so much from region to
region.>
Many dishes are prepared today using the same cooking methods and ingredients as
they were two or three hundred years ago. Other dishes sprung up from European
and American influences and were adapted to the Spanish taste. One thing is for
sure, food in Spain is fresh, abundant and full of taste and the Spanish love their
food dearly.

Ingredients & Typical Foods

The two basic ingredients of all Spanish food are olive oil and garlic. However,
because Spain has very distinct geographical regions, settled by different ethnic and
cultural groups, and because the weather is so different from province to province,
the regional cuisines are very different. Many times the only common ingredients are
olive oil and garlic!
Here is a list of typical ingredients and foods:

• Olive oil – Spanish recipes either call for olive oil or lard, mainly olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil is worth the added expense. Spain is a leading producer
of olive oil and olives are grown all over the south of Spain. Learn Tips for
Frying with Spanish Olive Oil.
• Ham - or as the Spanish say, jamón is a very prized food. Spaniards take
their ham very seriously and will pay a high price for top-quality ham. There
is even a denomination of origin for certain types of ham! So proud are
Spaniards of their ham, that there are several museums of ham, or museo de
jamon. You will see different types on menus or in supermarkets, but typically
it will be jamón serrano or ham from the sierra or mountains. Learn all about
jamón español in our introduction!
• Fish & Seafood – Because Spain is surrounded on three sides by water,
fresh seafood is always plentiful in the markets and is eaten daily. Everything
from halibut to shrimp and even octopus is common to see in the markets
and on menus.
• Cheeses – Wonderful cheeses of every type can be eaten in Spain. Spanish
cheeses are made from sheep, cow, goat milk and mixed. Types range
from aged cheeses, such as the manchego variety from La Mancha, to the
soft creamy cheeses such as tetilla from Galicia and everything in between.
There are even blue cheeses that mature in limestone caves, such as
Cabrales. Cheese can be eaten as a tapa as well as during meals and for
dessert.
• Sausages – Spanish love sausage, in particular their chorizo, a pork sausage
made with paprika. Again, there are many types of chorizo, from fresh and
soft to smoked and aged. Every local market offers a variety and Spanish
families often make their own in the winter and hang them in the cellar or the
attic to dry.
• Beef, Lamb and Pork – All three meats are common and can be roasted,
grilled over the coals or sautéed in a sauce. Generally, Spanish prefer veal
and suckling lamb and pig. Roasted meats are a popular dish for holidays and
festive occasions.
• Eggs – Eggs are eaten daily either fried, deviled, or in a Spanish omelet.
They are an essential part of many recipes, including desserts.
• Chicken – Chicken is very popular and is eaten regularly. It is prepared in
every way, but mostly commonly is fried, roasted or stewed.
• Fruits and Vegetables – Spanish eat lots of fresh fruit as snacks or as the
last course to their meals. A fresh fruit bowl sits in every kitchen. Simple
salads and sautéed vegetables are eaten every day. Popular dishes often
include eggplant and zucchini.
• Legumes - Beans of all types are eaten regularly. Beans and chickpeas
(garbanzo beans) have been a staple of the Peninsula for centuries and
rivaled bread as the most commonly eaten food!
• Nuts - Spain is one of the top producers of almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts.
Almond-based and milk-based desserts are very common. Turron, the almond
nougat candy eaten at Christmas is probably the best-known of these sweets.
Many recipes of Arabic origin contain crushed almonds. Hazelnuts, not
almonds are the most popular nut to be mixed with chocolate.
 • Herbs and Spices – Garlic, onions and herbs such as oregano, rosemary and
thyme are used, but garlic more than the others.

Cooking Methods
Cocido, olla, pote, guiso, estofado or escudella are the Spanish terms for stew. This
is one dish that could be called characteristic of Spain, although each region has its
own version. Spanish do not only stew, they roast,fry and saute many foods. It is not
as common to bake or broil, although they do grill meats on a metal plate or on a
charcoal grill.
As the Spanish say to wish everyone a good meal, "Buen provecho!"

collection
An assortment of tastey Paella recipes in English.
Everyone's favorite, Tortilla de Patatas.
Sweet Flan for dessert.
Real Spanish Gazpacho - to put hair on your chest.
Milk of the gods - Horchata de Almendra (English).
Some favorite Spanish Christmas recipes
Staight from Valencia - Horchata de Chufa. (Good luck finding chufa!)
That awesome Spanish bread you craved - Pan de Horno.
How to make delicious, hot Churros with chocolate that taste like fresh ones from a churrería.