Spanish Gastronomy
Spanish cuisine varies from region to region, town to town and is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround Spain, and reflects the country's deep Mediterranean roots. Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has led to a unique cuisine with literally thousands of recipes and flavors.
Olives are synonymous with Spain and was introduced by the Phoenicians. Other major components of a Spanish meal are tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers, all of which were introduced from the Americas after Spanish colonization.
Foods like the “tortilla de patata” (potato omelette), Paella, various stews, migas, sausages such as chorizo and morcilla, Serrano ham, and Manchego cheese are considered common to almost all of Spain's regions.
Tapas
Tapa means "lid" or "cover" in Spanish. Tapas is the name of a wide variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine. No one really knows the history of Tapas, but there have been many theories.
- A commonly cited explanation is that an item, be it bread or a flat card, etc., would often be placed on top of a drink to protect it from fruit flies; at some point it became a habit to top this "cover" with a snack.
- It is also commonly said that since one would be standing while eating a tapa in traditional Spanish bars, they would need to place their plates on top of their drinks in order to eat, making it a top.
- Some believe that the name originated sometime around the 16th century when tavern owners from Castilla-La Mancha found out that the strong taste and smell of mature cheese could help disguise that of bad wine, thus "covering" it, and started offering free cheese when serving cheap wine.
- Another popular explanation says that the king Alfonso XII stopped by a famous venta (inn) in Cádiz (Andalusian city) where he ordered a cup of sherry. The waiter covered the glass with a slice of cured ham before offering it to the king, to protect the wine from the beach sand, as Cádiz is a windy place. The king, after drinking his wine and eating the tapa, ordered another sherry "with the same cover".
In Madrid, León, Asturias, Extremadura, and in parts of Andalusia, when you go to a bar and order a drink, you will often get a tapa for free. This happens mostly in the province of Jaén, Granada, Almería but it is not very common in the rest of Andalusia, where you generally have to pay for both the drink and the tapa.
Cuisine in Andalucia
The cuisine of Andalucía is varied due to the size of the region and is characterized by gazpacho, fried fish (often called pescaito), the jamones of Jabugo and Trevélez, and the wines of Jerez, particularly sherry.
Frying in Andalusian cuisine is dominated by the use of olive oil that is produced in the region. Fish is dredged in flour a la andaluza (meaning only flour, without egg or other ingredients, but may include flour from the chickpea especially for use in batters). They are then fried in a large quantity of hot olive oil.
Spanish Foods Include -
