Spanish food

Spaniards are true gourmets, for whom eating and drinking is not just a boring consumption of food. They are happy to sit down at a lavishly laid table, and when they do go out to eat in a restaurant, the visit can stretch on for hours. A typical Spanish dish is paella, which is similar to our risotto. 


Breakfast
As the Spanish rhythm of life is different from the Central European one, the day starts a bit later with a moderate breakfast around 8:00 or 8:30. Stepping into the day with a strong coffee with milk (café con leche) and a sweet sponge cake or croissant is modest, but the next day's meals can be all the more hearty.

Around noon, the bars experience the first big demand for Spanish tapas, appetizers of various types (meatballs, marinated anchovies...). The ingeniously prepared snacks are eaten with a glass of red or white wine, dry sherry or beer. Tapas are usually displayed in glass cases and wait seductively prepared on the counter, which is very convenient for foreigners who do not speak the local language. Simply point your finger at the desired delicacy.


Lunch
Time for a hearty lunch comes at two o'clock until 2:30 in the afternoon. The classic order of meals in Spain is three courses at noon and in the evening: an appetizer, a main course and finally dessert. For those who don't want to spend too much, a menu of ready-made dishes is recommended at midday, which is also commonly chosen by Spanish workers and employees during their lunch break. Such a lunch menu costs between 9 and 10 euros, and the price is very good in this case considering the quality. Guests can usually choose from several different starters, main courses and desserts, and bread, water and wine or beer are also included. At the very end, Spaniards like to order an espresso.


Dinner
Dinner comes much later, at nine to nine-thirty. Famous tapas are popularly served to start. It's not a bad idea to emulate the Spaniards, going from one restaurant to the next and tasting something new and interesting all the time - staying in one place all evening is not the Spanish way. In tourist resorts, many restaurants serve meals earlier, as foreign guests are not used to such late lunch and dinner times. Only when foreigners leave the restaurants do the locals come to the table. Dinner is usually more expensive than lunch in Spain.


Drink
If you like quality wines, you've come to the right place in Spain. Good wines in Spain have a protected designation of origin. The Rioja region is famous worldwide for its red wines.
Spaniards don't drink sangria, they drink tinto de verano! It's a really popular summer drink among the locals and is made with red wine, lightly sweetened soda water ('gaseosa') or lemonade, lots of ice and lemon wedges.


Paella - spain's national dish? ... yes and no!
Paella is a typical Spanish rice dish, similar to risotto or pilaf. It originates from the Spanish city of Valencia. People who do not live in Spain usually think of paella as the national dish of Spain, but most Spaniards tend to think of it as a regional dish, found in the Valencia area. Valencians, on the other hand, regard it as one of their symbols.

As with risotto, there are plenty of recipes with different ingredients. Unlike risotto, however, seafood, vegetables and spices are more often found in paella. It is prepared in a special low flat pan with handles called a paellera and the resulting dish is less sticky.

Paella first appeared in the poorer areas of southern Spain. It was created on fishing boats in the manner of arroz caldoso, one of the poorest dishes for fishermen at the time. The most important ingredient in paella is rice, which is not washed, as the starch causes the necessary thickening when cooked.

High-end restaurants with excellent reputations are expanding rapidly across the country. Spain has developed to a high international standard in this respect and has produced a number of top chefs who use freshly harvested and foraged ingredients.