Food and Drink in Spain

Spanish cuisine is famous the world over; for it's paella, tapas, red wine and sherry.

Tapas is more of a great Spanish tradition than a type of meal or method of cooking, and a very integral part of the cuisine as a whole. Tapas may be cold, such as sun dried tomatoes, olives and cheese, or warm, such as chorizo in hot oil or part of an omelette.

Gazpacho, or cold soup, as it's better known, is another favourie amongst the Spaniards - especially on an extremely hot, sunny day.

Seafood is another favourite, especially, of course, along the Spanish coastlines. Seafood such as oysters, sea snails, clams, lobster and more are popular in restaurants. Paella immediately comes to mind when thinking of Spanish cuisine, as so it should do.

Mediterranean cuisine is famously healthy and the mixture of vitamins from the salad, the oils and red wine are thought to prolong life, although this could well be an old wives tale!

Breakfast - El Desayuno
Breakfast is somewhat uneventful in Spain; usually consisting of coffee and possibly some toast with jam. However, on the more eventful days is can comprise omelettes, sumptuous fruits, juice, more coffee and pastries you can eat on the run.

Lunch - La Comida
Lunch is by far the main meal of the day, with breakfast ensuring you're not too full for it, and dinner being tapas with a few after work drinks. Usually taken around 2pm, lunch can last 2-3 hours, of eating the three or four courses and chatting with your fellow eaters. Salad or soup, feature for the first course, accompanied by bread with olive oil. The main course is usually fish, meat or poultry, or an omelette or possibly mushrooms or a more substantial salad for vegetarians, followed by fruit, or a cake or pudding all accompanied by some easy-going wine and much chatter and laughter.

The Evening Meal - La Cena
Taken around 9pm, the evening meal is light, as tapas is usualy consumed between lunch and the evening meal, and as such there's not much room left! La Cena is usually soup or salad, or a selection of tapas.

Beer
Known as cerveza, beer is very popular in Spain. San Miguel and Cruzcampo are two popular brands popular among the rest of Europe.

Order a cana; a small glass, or a 'turbo'; a large glass.

Wine
Spain has a rich wine-related history - with the wine making going back 2000 years. The regions Rioja and Temperanillo are famous for their sumptuous red wines, whilst the white wines are becoming increasly good from regions such as Rueda and Rias Baixas.

Sherry is yet another of Spain's popular exports; with the Jerez region having a type of sherry named after it due to the high number of palamino grapes grown in the area.

Spirits
Brandy is popular in Spain; a common favourite to eat after an evening meal. There are different types of brandy ranging from mild to sweet, dependant on the length of maturation by way of the solera system.