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Famous Food in Spain
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by: TerryRoberts
Total views: 23
Word Count: 432
One of the best things about visiting Spain is the amazing number of foods that are offered depending on what area of the country you travel.
On the coast, logically, you'll find some excellent fish and seafood dishes, and inland you'll be delighted with the wonderful dishes made from meat and vegetables. There are an infinite variety of ways of combining these ingredients - and you'll find excellent fresh fruit, too.
Of course all of Spain is famous for the wide variety of appetizers or tapas that are provided as either part of a main meal or as small tidbits to have with drinks.
Outside the main cities you'll not find many smart restaurants, but the food served in the tascas or bars will be tasty and based on fresh local produce. In places like Madrid, Barcelona and other larger cities, you'll find restaurants of all types - and prices - where you'll be able to try not only local specialties, but also international cuisine to the highest standard.
A popular dish for a snack or a main course is calamari, deep fried crispy rings of squid that are served with different dipping sauces. Shrimp are either deep fried or pan fried and spiced, usually served in a peel and eat style, not shelled and prepared as is more common in North America. For those that enjoy spicy foods a sausage called a chorizo or a salami like meat called salchichon is very popular with fresh sourdough bread.
But perhaps the best-known Spanish dish outside Spain is the paella (which is, in fact, the name of the pan where the dish is cooked). Paella is a dish based on rice, colored and flavored with saffron, which can contain any mixture of meat, vegetables, fish or seafood. The "original" paella comes from Valencia and was made with rabbit, broad beans and other vegetables, but the best known types of paella now are often "mixed" paellas, containing different kinds of meat, fish and seafood.
Spain is a country that produces wonderful fresh vegetables and fruit. A visit to a local market is a wonderful experience. It is very common to eat a dish of just one vegetable as an entree, or, perhaps more usually, one vegetable sauted with ham, or with ham and onion.
Desserts are perhaps not as varied as in some other countries, but you can still find a great variety, often varying from region to region. And after your dessert, why not end your meal in typical Spanish fashion, with "caf, copa y puro" (coffee, liqueur/spirit and cigar - although the cigar is becoming less and less common).
About the Author
Terry Roberts has lived in Spain since the 1970s. Check out his website, Travel to Spain, for tips and guidance on your upcoming visit there - and don't miss his ideas on the Top Ten Things to Do in Spain.
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