Going on vacation to Spain? Want to know what famous Spanish foods you simply must try? Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner or in between, our guide gives you the Spanish food facts you want to know.
When in Spain eat like the Spanish do. This means you will not be loading up on the first meal of the day. Nor will you be confined to just three meals per day. Rather you will have your food for the day evenly spaced out so as to keep you healthy and happy. The tradition in Spain is to have four to five meals a day and a walk between the meals is also an integral part of the Spanish culture. There are certain food items that have gained considerable fame for each particular meal time. This is what has given the Spanish cuisine diversity and increases the number of famous Spanish foods.
Spanish Breakfast Food
Breakfast in Spain is the smallest meal of the day but that does not mean that there are no famous Spanish breakfast foods. The bolos are sweet jam filled rolls that are amongst the most famous breakfast items in Spain. Magdalenas, lemon flavored cupcakes and sugary churros are other famous Spanish food items that are consumed at breakfast.
The Spaniards take to the table again at a time much later than breakfast but well before lunch. This meal time is known as the Tapas and it is usually a small meal. Tapas are an integral part of the Spanish culture and a day is not complete without indulging in one of the famous tapas items. The most popular tapas foods are the Tortilla Espanola which is the Spanish omelet with potatoes and onions, the Patatas Bravas which are potatoes served with spicy Brava sauce. The shrimps in garlic are another famous tapas food item which is known as the Gambas al Ajillo.
Spanish Lunch Food
Enter noon time and get ready for the largest meal time of the day. Lunch time in Spain consists of multiple courses. The lunch break in Spain is usually about 2 to 3 hours which includes time for a midday nap as well. Vegetable soup or a traditional seafood soup is consumed to kick start the lunch. The most famous items for the main course are Roasted chicken or lamb and Fresh fish or other seafood. No Spanish lunch is complete without either of these two items. Fried potatoes are also served on the side as an accompaniment to the main course. Another unique Spanish dish is the rabbit stew which not a lot of people would be willing to try out. Green salad and other vegetables are also on the lunch table.
The lunch table is cleared up with fresh fruit or ice cream for dessert. Flan and light pastry are also popular dessert items from Spain. There is one item that is always on the table during the lunch hours and that is bread. It is used to clean up the sauces.
Spanish Dinner Food
The heavy lunch is followed up by the mid afternoon snack known as the La Merienda. Famous food items eaten during this time are French style bread with chocolate topping, Chorizo and salami. Famous dinner time Spanish foods include the Arroz cubano which is a rice dish with a topping of tomato sauce and fried egg. Thus we see that certain Spanish foods from all the meals that they consume during the day have gained considerable fame.
