What is typical Spanish food like?

Spanish cuisine is well known throughout the world. Among its typical dishes are some that are internationally renowned, such as paella, an iconic dish in Spanish cuisine, especially in the region of Valencia. It consists of yellow rice cooked with a variety of ingredients that may include seafood, chicken, rabbit, vegetables or a combination of these. Paella is known for its unique flavour and characteristic colour, which comes from saffron.

Ham is a world-renowned star product. Other classics are tortilla de patatas (potato omelette), tapas and gazpacho.

There are many other typical regional dishes, such as fabada asturiana (Asturian bean stew), croquetas (croquettes), pulpo a la gallega (Galician-style octopus) and desserts such as crema catalana (Catalan cream) and churros with chocolate.

Iconic and regional dishes

A trip through Spain is a journey through the flavours of the land and sea. Each region has its own typical dishes, which reflect the cultural and gastronomic richness of the country. From the north, with its fresh fish and seafood, to the south, with its rice dishes and Iberian meats, Spanish cuisine is a true feast for the senses.

Pay attention to our review of Spanish geography and the typical dishes of Spain by region.

Andalusian cuisine

Gazpacho. It is one of Spain's most famous traditional dishes, and with good reason. Its freshness and unique flavours make it the perfect dish for summer, although it is becoming increasingly common to enjoy this dish throughout the year.

Salmorejo is one of the great delicacies of this region. Slightly thicker than gazpacho, it has a very silky texture that melts in the mouth. A cold cream made from natural local ingredients such as tomatoes, bread, garlic and olive oil.

Within Andalusia, you will also find different dishes depending on the province you visit. If you travel to the coast of Malaga or visit the most beautiful vilalles in Cadiz, you cannot miss out on trying the famous shrimp tortillitas, fried fish or Malaga-style skewers.

When it comes to desserts, Andalusians and their visitors delight in Almería's medias lunas (half-moon pastries), Cádiz's pan y gañotes (bread and gañotes), Huelva's pezuñas (hooves), Utrera's mostachón, pestiños, torrijas, Málaga's torta loca, and Córdoba's pastel.

Aragón: The tasty ternasco de Aragón lamb

In case you haven't heard of it, ternasco is young lamb that is slowly roasted until it is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Can you imagine it? We can, and our mouths are already watering. It is one of the great emblems of Aragonese cuisine. So much so that it is even protected by a specific designation of origin.

Equally delicious are (lamb tripe), bacalao ajoarriero (cod with garlic), pollo al chilindrón (chicken with peppers), huevos al salmorejo (eggs with tomato sauce), borraja con patatas (borage with potatoes), among many others.

Calatayud sponge cake is one of its most famous desserts, along with trenzas (braided pastries) and suspiros de Teruel (meringues).

Asturias: the legendary Asturian bean stew

This bean stew accompanied by cured meats (chorizo, black pudding and pork shoulder) is one of the most hearty and well-known dishes in the north. Ideal for warming up on cold days.

However, there is much good food to discover in this region: Cabrales cheese, scorpion fish cake, chorizo in cider, beef cachopo, beans with clams, chipirones afogaos (baby squid in sauce), bonito roll, kid in cider and many other iconic dishes.

As for desserts, it is worth learning how to make rice pudding, imperial shortbread from Avilés or walnut casadielles.

Balearic Islands: the fluffy ensaimada and the tasty sobrasada

Without a doubt, the most popular element of Balearic cuisine is the ensaimada, with its soft dough and sprinkled icing sugar. In addition to the classic and traditional version, there are new options filled with angel hair, cream.

Sobrasada is known as Majorcan sausage or simply sobrassada; it is a raw, cured sausage from the Balearic Islands of Spain, made from finely minced pork, salt, paprika, and pepper. Its characteristic red color and soft texture, ideal for spreading on bread or cooking, make it a symbol of Mallorcan gastronomy and a versatile culinary ingredient.

But it goes much further than that, as its cuisine is rich in exquisite dishes, such as tumbet de pescado (fish tumbet), lobster stew, Mallorcan soups, various cocas (flatbreads), frito mallorquín (Mallorcan fried dish), ensalada payesa (country salad), lamb pies...

Among the sweets, panellets, coca mallorquina de tallades (Mallorcan flatbread) and almond sweets such as gató also stand out.

Basque Country

Basque cuisine is also very varied, so much so that it is difficult to choose. Without a doubt, its rich variety of pintxos has been very well exported and is one of its most recognisable features.

Bacalao al pil-pil (Cod pil-pil) is another of its star dishes, along with marmitako, Basque-style hake, hake kokotxas pil-pil, potatoes with chorizo, bacalao a la vizcaina (cod à la vizcaína), squid in its ink, porrusalda...

Have you heard of goxua and pantxineta? They are the most popular sweets in this region.

Canary Islands: their incredible papas arrugadas con mojo (wrinkled potatoes with mojo sauce)

Have you tried wrinkled potatoes with mojo picón? Would you like to know how they are prepared? There are many other interesting traditional dishes, such as Canarian sancocho, rabbit in salmorejo sauce, roasted cheese with green and red mojo sauces, watercress stew and scalded gofio, which demonstrate the richness and variety of the local cuisine.

Traditional Canarian desserts include pumpkin tortillas and frangollo.

Cantabria: the classic mountain stew

Our journey now takes us to Cantabria, to discover and taste the stimulating flavours of cocido montañés (mountain stew), A typical Cantabrian winter stew that combines the best of white beans with vegetables such as cabbage and classic sausages: chorizo, black pudding and bacon. Very hearty and tasty.

Be amazed by its spectacular anchovies, its most popular product. The list doesn't end there: clams marinara, squid rabas, sorropotún, scorpion fish pudding...

And who hasn't tried sobaos pasiegos? This is a typical Cantabrian sweet that you have to try there, in its original and authentic version.

Castilla-La Mancha: dip your fingers in pisto manchego

The most popular flavour is that of pisto manchego, an explosive mixture of tomato, courgette, peppers and onion, slowly cooked to delight your palate. To make it even more delicious, it is served with a fried egg or some cold meats.

Gazpacho manchego is also famous, a meat and torta stew that has little to do with the Andalusian version beyond sharing the same name. Other typical dishes include sopa de ajo ( garlic soup), migas manchegas (breadcrumbs), lamb stew, pickled quail, asadillos (fried vegetables) and atascaburras, made with cod and potatoes.

And what about desserts? The most traditional are Miguelitos de La Roda, small puff pastries filled with cream.

Castile and León: the famous roast lamb

Cooked in a wood-fired oven, cordero lechal (suckling lamb) is one of the most spectacular dishes you can enjoy in areas such as Burgos or Valladolid.

The meats served in succulent dishes, such as lamb or roast suckling pig, so typical of Segovia, are particularly noteworthy. Don't miss out on trying morcilla de Burgos (Burgos black pudding), León's cocido maragato stew, Castilian soup, patatas a la importancia (potatoes), bacalao al ajoarriero (cod), etc.

And special mention must be made of its pastries, with San Marcos cake, tocinillo de cielo and Santa Teresa yemas as outstanding examples.

Catalonia: the delicacy escudella i carn d'olla

Delve into Mediterranean cuisine and discover calçots with romesco sauce in Catalonia. Also try escalivada, exqueixada de balao, samfaina (a close relative of ratatouille), vegetable, meat or fish cocas, escudella and Carn d'Olla, botifarra, suquet de peix, mongetes (white beans), zarzuelas de pescado, etc. There are also countless fish dishes, as it is a region linked to fishing and coastal life.

Escudella is traditional stew with pelota (a kind of large meatball) is made with meat, chickpeas, vegetables and pasta. It is very typical at Christmas time, although it can also be enjoyed at other times of the year. Also essential on Catalan tables are escalibada (roasted vegetables), cannelloni and butifarra (sausage). A whole world to savour!

A very popular dessert in Catalonia and the rest of Spain is crema catalana.

Ceuta: its kebabs

The North African heritage is evident in these skewers of meat marinated with delicious spices such as cumin and paprika. They can be cooked on the barbecue or in a frying pan.

Valencian Community: the unrivalled and popular Valencian paella

The original and the one that never fails, the exclusive and delicious Valencian paella. With chicken, rabbit, garrofón beans and vegetables, lovingly cooked in a paella pan over a wood fire to be enjoyed at any time of the year. Without a doubt, the most international dish in Spanish cuisine. If you want to try one of the real ones, we recommend you travel to this region.

The Valencian Community is another region characterised by its orchards, which offer a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, as well as exquisite seafood dishes. Don't miss out on fideuà, esgarraet, all i pebre, baked rice, etc.

The coca de llanda, panquemao and horchata de chufa with fartons are among its most popular sweets.

Extremadura: traditional Extremaduran migas

Migas extremeñas or migas del pastor (shepherd's breadcrumbs) is a dish made from fried bread with garlic, to which bacon, pork crackling and chorizo are added. Veal, kid, lamb and pork are common ingredients in this cuisine, typical of its ecosystem, which is why popular dishes such as frite de cordero (fried lamb) and chanfaina (lamb stew) are so popular.

Cojodongo is a cold soup similar to Andalusian gazpacho, made with fresh water, bread, oil, vinegar and garlic, ideal for the hot months. Another traditional dish is croquettes filled with Torta del Casar, a very creamy and aromatic sheep's cheese.

As for sweets, torrijas, pestiños, perrunillas, leche frita and curly biscuits are particularly noteworthy.

Galicia

Galicia is the home of seafood: mussels, barnacles, clams, scallops, scallops, spider crabs... not to mention its exquisite beef and characteristic vegetables.

One of the most typical dishes is undoubtedly pulpo a feira (octopus), along with lacón con grelos (pork shoulder with turnip greens) and caldo gallego (Galician broth). But what about Galician empanada (savoury pie), Padrón peppers or its incredible cheeses?

Filloas (crepes) and tarta de Santiago (Santiago cake) round off the menu in the dessert section.

La Rioja

Almost without thinking, we quickly associate patatas a la riojana (Riojan-style potatoes) with the name of this region.

But there is much more: vegetable stew, bacalao a la riojana (Riojan-style cod), calamares ala riojana (Riojan-style squid), fritada (potato and vegetable stew), pisto riojano (Riojan ratatouille), cardos en salsa (cardoon in sauce), caparrones coloraos (red beans), a stew with red beans and chunks of meat and vegetables.

In La Rioja, let yourself be surprised by its desserts: pears in red wine, fardelejos, arrope...

When we think of a Rioja, what probably comes to mind is a red wine, mainly Tempranillo, aged for a certain time in barrels and bottles, elegant and full-bodied.

This description is quite accurate, however, there is much more to Rioja than Tempranillo and crianzas. There are other red grape varieties, such as Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo, and Graciano.

Madrid

Madrid, the capital and centre of Spain, brings together a large part of the country's cuisine, but if we had to highlight one dish, it would undoubtedly be cocido madrileño, a stew that is perfect when the weather turns bad.

Also very famous are callos a la madrileña (tripe stew), chopitos (small squid), gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns), grilled pig's ear and snout dishes, patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), huevos rotos (scrambled eggs)...

Its most popular sweets are churros and porras.

Navarre

In this case, Navarre's asparagus is the first thing that comes to mind, due to its well-deserved international fame. Another of its traditional dishes is peppers stuffed with cod. The culinary pedestal of Navarra also has room for artichokes with clams, pochas (white beans) with chistorra sausage, trout Navarre-style, served with a slice of ham, cod with garlic sauce, etc.

As for desserts, leche frita (fried milk), cuajada (curd) and cream-filled canutillos (pastries) are particularly noteworthy.