Interested in regional Spanish food? Do you know the difference between Catalan and Andalusian cuisine? Our guide to foods from the different regions of Spain gives you the facts & information you want to know.
Due to the typographical nature of Spain we find a great variance in the kind of food that people eat. The different regions in Spain have their own specialties and method of cooking. Diverse climatic conditions and geography are the main factors that are responsible for this difference. The overall result is an extremely rich and diverse Spanish cuisine that has all kinds of foods to tantalize the taste buds.
Northern Spanish Food
This is the region which borders with the Atlantic and Contrarian Seas. As a result fish is found in great abundance in the North. The excessive rainfall also makes the region suitable for a lot of dairy products, different kinds of cheese and a wide variety of fresh vegetables. Cod is the most popular fish in the Basque Country. The most popular cod recipes from the region are bacalao en salsa verde, bacalao al pil-pil and zurrugutina. Famous regional meat dishes from the area include perdices ederra, tripotcha, chuletas de cordero a la Guipuzcoana. The northern area of Galicica is known for its cold meats like Maside, Lugo, Sarria, Coruna and Lalin. Then you have the hearty soups and stews that the northern areas are known for such as the caldo gallego and a tasty fish pie called ampanada. The north is also known for some amazing sweet dishes but fish by far is the specialty of this part of Spain.
Eastern Spanish Food
The east coast is credited with having the healthiest diet in Spain. The region of Catalonia is known for its sausage specialties such as the butifarra sausage and the llangoniseeta. Mato cheese is another specialty of the region. The spicy romanesco sauce made out of red peppers, chilies and tomatoes is also from this region. Amanida is a local salad, butifarra am mongetes is a sausage dish and cream catalana is an egg custard from the region. The most famous Spanish dish known as the Paella also originates from the eastern region of Valencia. The sweets from the region are the garrapinadas and the guirlache.
Southern Spanish Food
The southern region of Andalucia is known for its wonderful variety of cheeses such as the Grazalema. Other traditional Spanish dishes from the region are the jamon sessano, trevelez and jabugo. Grilled fish, stews and sherry sauces are a common feature of the southern cuisine. The region is best known for the tapas that have originated from here. The most popular items from the region are cachorrenas- a fish soup, gazpacho-a cold vegetable soup and cadiz a casserole made from a bull’s tail. Yemas de San leandro and Tocino de cielo are the sweet dishes that originated from the Arab influence in the region.
Food from Central Spain
Central Spain is home to the dishes like the el frite fried lamb, pollo al padre pero and the gazpacho de pastor. The region is also known for its variety of buns and cakes like the furrinillas. This region is also the world leader in the production of saffron which was introduced by the Moors. The pisto machego, liebra a la mancha and courgettes are other popular dishes from the region.
These are some of the different kinds of dishes found amongst the various regions of Spain. By no means are these the complete range of dishes that you will find in each area rather the actual list is quite extensive to document. Even the little islands of Spain have made their contributions to forming the unique cuisine of the Country.
