Spanish cuisine
Spanish cuisine (Spanish: Cocina española) consists of the traditions and practices of Spanish cooking. It features considerable regional diversity, with important differences between the traditions of each of Spain's regional cuisines.
Olive oil (of which Spain is the world's largest producer) is extensively used in Spanish cuisine.[1][2] It forms the base of many vegetable sauces (known in Spanish as sofritos).[3] Herbs most commonly used include parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme.[4] The use of garlic has been noted as common in Spanish cooking.[5] The most used meats in Spanish cuisine include chicken, pork, lamb and veal.[6] Fish and seafood are also consumed on a regular basis.[6] Tapas and pinchos are snacks and appetizers commonly served in bars and cafes.
Boquerones en vinagre
Croquetas
Pincho de tortilla
Mejillones en escabeche
A continental-style breakfast (desayuno) may be taken just after waking up, or before entering the workplace. Common products taken during breakfast include coffee, milk, chocolate drink, biscuits (most notably Marie biscuits), magdalenas, toasts (featuring ingredients such as oil, tomato and butter) or churros.[45]
Due to the large time span between breakfast and lunch, it is not uncommon to halt the working schedule to take a mid-morning snack.
Lunch (el almuerzo or la comida, literally meaning "the meal"), the large midday meal in Spain, contains several courses, especially in restaurants. In some regions of Spain, the word almuerzo refers to the mid-morning snack, instead of lunch. Lunch usually starts between 2:00 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. finishing around 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and is usually followed by sobremesa, which refers to the table talk that Spanish people undertake. Menus are organized according to these courses and include five or six choices in each course. At home, Spanish meals contain one to two courses and a dessert. The content of this meal is usually a soup dish, salad, a meat or a fish dish and a dessert such as fruit, yoghurt or something sweet. Tapas may also be typically served before or during lunch.
In recent years, the Spanish government took action to shorten the lunch break, in order to end the working day earlier. Most businesses shut down for two or three hours for lunch, then resume the working day until dinner time in the evening.[46][47]
La cena, meaning both dinner or supper, is taken between 8:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. It typically consists of one course and dessert. Due to the large time span between lunch and dinner, an afternoon snack, la merienda, equivalent to afternoon tea, may take place at about 6:00 p.m. At merienda, people typically drink coffee, eat something sweet, or eat a sandwich or a piece of fruit.
Some country-wide staple dishes common throughout Spain include croquetas (croquettes), paella (a rice dish from the Valencian Community), ensaladilla rusa (the local name for the Olivier salad), gazpacho (a vegetable cold soup), and tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelette).[48] There is a disagreement in Spanish society when it comes to preferring onion as an ingredient in the Spanish omelette, often accompanied by exclusionary and vehement takes by either side.[49]
Tapas (appetizers), taken before lunch or dinner, or during them, are common. It is also common for tapas to be provided as a complimentary appetizer in bars and cafes when ordering a drink.[50] Aside from some of the aforementioned specialties, other signature tapas include: mejillones en escabeche (marinated mussels), gildas, albóndigas (meatballs), callos, torreznos or raxo de cerdo.[51]