Gastro tourism in Spain: the tastiest dishes and unusual restaurants

Spain is the country with rather vivid division into autonomous communities and those are not just administrative units, since every region really has a lot of differences. History, traditions, and principal kinds of economic activities left their impact on cooking.

When people speak about the national cuisine of Spain, they mostly mean common features typical for all its regions. Frequent use of rice, chickpea and lens, mixture of several kinds of fish in one dish can indeed be considered distinctive for Spanish cuisine; even though these traits were partially borrowed from Arabian cuisine. The use of olive oil, onion, garlic, edible greens, and compulsory appropriate drink is also typical for neighboring countries, so it cannot serve as an exact description. To be more specific, let us take the most famous dishes of Spain and separately consider the cuisine of Catalonia.

Seeing how much attention Spaniards pay to food makes you wonder: when do they find time for anything else? Household chores, work, friends? And also siesta, walks, hobbies… In reality there is a great difference in attitude to food: in all of Spain one can clearly see its social and not only biological role. Family dinner is the time to communicate with friends. Neighbors, colleagues, and friends get together at dinner and during the meal discuss everything: starting from regular talks about the weather to politics, mutual help, philosophy, and particular interests.

Lunch (la comida) begins for Spaniards not earlier than 2 pm. It is much more substantial than dinner (La cena), which is quite logical, since the time for dinner is 9-10 pm. And certainly, they serve wine and other beverages with meals.


In modern cities traditional attitude to food is not so clearly seen – office standards of work and urban conditions are not so suitable for long conversations. But to some extent the historical eating culture can be encountered all over the country.

The gastronomical masterpieces associated with Spain appeared in its different parts. But even if you do not visit "the motherland" of a particular dish, – try them in the region where you are spending your time.

Gazpacho – a cold soup traditionally served for lunch in Andalusia. It is made with tomatoes and cucumbers without thermal processing. When it is very hot, the soup is served with ice cubes.

Madrid soup – is the complete opposite to Gazpacho. Rich meat broth with beans and spices is meant to make you warm during cold winter; and if earlier it was the food of the working class, today Madrid soup has become a common restaurant delicacy.

Potato tortilla (do not confuse with Mexican tortilla) – is a Spanish rich omelet with added onion and potatoes. There is a legend that during the trip of the Spanish king around Navarra one local woman treated him to what she had at home. The king liked the dish of eggs, onion, and potatoes, and it came into the menu as Spanish omelet.

Tapas is not exactly a dish. In Spain, this is the name for practically all snacks served with wine and beer. All over the country you can find tapas-bars where alcoholic beverages are always accompanied by miniature tapas snacks. It can be bread with meat, fish, or mini versions of different dishes.


It is thought that originally tapas were served as a piece of bread with jamon to cover the glass from flies and dust. That is why it is always present in the bar and has miniature size. It is not known if this is true or not, but today every tapas bar has its special recipes, and it is quite common for Spaniards to move from bar to bar, visiting a few of such places during the night.

Pinchos – is almost the same as tapas, but in the Basque country. These mini sandwiches are not included in the price of drinks in the bar; therefore, they are historically more original. It is considered that no one really used much effort making free tapas, but pinchos were prepared with care combining different ingredients, frying the baguette in olive oil, and decorating it with an olive. Modern tapas and pinchos are not really so different, but if you are traveling around the north of Spain, ask for pinchos and never doubt their difference!

Sobrasada – is dry-cured sausage from Majorca. It is traditionally med from pork with generous addition of red pepper and other spices.

Jamon is probably the most famous Spanish meat. Dry-cured pork ham is considered a delicacy not only because of its taste: it is practically free from cholesterol and other harmful substances typical for pork meat. A long period of good use allows tourists to take it with them as a souvenir.

There are also hundreds of versions of dishes made from all possible combinations of meat and seafood; and there are so many ways of cooking potatoes in Spain that at least 10 different options will be offered to you in every region. Probably this is why gastro tourism is actively developing in Spain, even though you can find the most popular dishes during a regular trip.

Catalan cuisine gave the world a few famous dishes. Traditionally in this region they prepared a lot of fish and meat taking rice as a basis, combining many ingredients in dishes, and added different sauces besides spices.

Four sauces are considered typical for Catalonia: garlic-onion sofrito with edible greens, tomato-eggplant samfaina, almond picada and garlic-olive all-y-oli.

Visiting Barcelona or its vicinity make sure to try monkfish soup. However, soup from several kinds of fish, sea urchin and other seafood is also worth trying if you get a chance.

Paella is a rice dish originating in Valencia. Due to the use of saffron, it gets its characteristic yellow color. But its other ingredients are those that were found in the fridge. Catalonians may add chicken, beans or kidney beans, fish, or seafood, but spices, edible greens and white wine are always added to any recipe.

Zarzuela is a dish of stewed fish. It necessarily includes several types of fish, cuttlefish, mussels, and stewing takes place in a rich fish broth. The more ingredients in a Zarzuela – the more delicious and richer it is.

Interestingly, the more liquid Zarzuela with the addition of potatoes becomes the famous Catalan fish soup suket. Some time ago in fishing families, it was cooked from the unsold part of the catch and the soup included all kinds of fish and shellfish left at the end of the day. Today the presence of several types of fish and seafood on the contrary is considered a sign of a good rich dish.

Pa amb tomàquet is Catalan bread with tomatoes. This appetizer may well be considered a type of Tapa but differs in that it is served not with drinks, but with main dishes. The bread is toasted and rubbed with garlic and tomatoes, then olive oil and salt are added. Despite such a simple recipe the result is very delicious.

Escalivada is a traditional Catalan snack made from eggplant, sweet pepper, onion, and tomatoes. Vegetables are baked on coals, then cooled, peeled, and seeded, seasoned with wine vinegar, garlic, and olive oil, and served chilled. Today, escalivada is often prepared in the oven, but compared to cooking on coals, this option certainly loses its flavor.

Butifarra, also known as Catalan sausage – is a pork sausage with a very interesting recipe. The meat is prepared with honey, lemon, and cinnamon, which very unusually enrich the taste of the dish. Butifarra is traditionally served with white beans, although today you can find it with other side dishes.

Fuet is a classic of cured sausage originally from Catalonia. Cooked from pork, it gets a light touch of noble mold and has an appetizing mushroom flavor. Due to long storage, it is considered a good souvenir, no less interesting than jamon.

Caramel souffle - Crema catalana is a kind of pudding, but always with a crispy crust. Perhaps it is this combination of soft middle and thin crust that makes it so delicious and unusual.

Where to eat is no less important than what. And the Spaniards know a lot about atmospheric places. There are Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain in every region, and the country ranks second in the world after France in terms of their number. But even without Michelin stars, the country is full of places that are worth visiting on occasion.

If you are going to the Canary Islands, be sure to include the island of Lanzarote and the restaurant El Diablo in your itinerary. Located above the crater of an active volcano, it is famous for the unusual opportunity to taste food prepared in such an unusual heat. And Martian landscapes from panoramic windows complement the unusual environment.

In the vicinity of Madrid, one of the most famous restaurants is La Cueva del Lobo. It is located in ancient caves that were used as wine cellars until recently. However, the cellars are still there, and there was enough space in the winding mazes for a restaurant.

In Barcelona, there are about 30 Michelin-starred restaurants and so many interesting places that it is simply impossible to list them. Let us stop at a very unusual restaurant Dans le Noir, where you can enjoy dinner in complete darkness. Yes, there are many such establishments now in other cities, but it is believed that the idea originated here.


And if one can argue about which institution to award the title of the best restaurant in Spain, the oldest is officially recorded in the Guinness book of records. This is the Madrid restaurant Casa Botin, whose history can be traced back to 1725. It is noteworthy that at the beginning of his career, the famous artist Francisco Goya worked here.

Cava, Rioja, sherry, sangria – the most famous Spanish drinks, each with its own history and traditions. Registered wine regions, unique production recipes, tricks and features of Spanish cellars attract connoisseurs from all over the world. If you want to learn more about the wines of Spain, be sure to go on a tour to bodega - special wine cellars, where you will find interesting tasting, architectural features and, of course, the wine production itself. Our article will help you to get acquainted with Spanish wine making in absentia: https://cocktailvoyage.net/vine_tour