Spain: Where Food is an Art Form

Spain has always been known for its tempting cuisines and amazing flavours. Checking the place’s exquisite dishes, drinks, their rich culture, the countryside would be on everyone’s bucket list. So visiting any country without touring the marvellous food culture would be a total waste. If you visit Spain, you should definitely check out their traditional dishes from croquettes to Paellas( a rice dish, with a mixed flavour depending upon the meats added on top), tortillas to Gazpacho. Everything you can get your hands on is worth a try! Watch out for their traditional market that serve hot soups and snacks at affordable prices. From the Cava of Catalonia to pintxos of Basque Country, they have an amazing mixture of cuisines.

Take a sample of all the cuisines that this beautiful country has to offer, with each small town coming up with its own traditional cuisines to spice it up. This ultimate food and wine guide for Spain would help you explore all the options here. Go for wine tasting tours to check some of the best quality wines made here. Taste tempranillo wines of Ribera del Duero  and La Rioja and Monastrell wines of Jumilla and also wines from Jerez de la Frontera. All assorted types of wines from Red, white, Sparkling wines are made here, no wonder the country has a whole lot of vineyards!
Read on to check out the ultimate food and wine guide to Spain to help you with your next trip to Spain.

Go out and try the Paellas

The Paella is a classic dish that everyone who ever been to Spain definitely takes a bite. Be it the original one or a mixed seasoning of the local seafood, its sure going to amaze you! This dish which is believed to be originally from Valencia region of Spain, is generally made with chicken and pork toppings. Whereas, as you go west or southwards, a mix of seafood Paella is also quite popular.

If you are into SeaFood, taste the Paella de Marisco or Paella Negra  which is usually prepared with prawns, squids, clams and mussels. You can also taste the Paella Negra  that is prepared from the Squid Ink, which unusually gives a very dark color to the dish itself adding a salty flavour. If you are a Vegetarian, won’t say they don’t have Veg Paellas but its very limited and not quite popular. Some restaurant wouldn’t have them mentioned in their menu, but with a request you should be able to give a shot to the Veg Paella as well.

Eat some charcuterie

So what is typically on a charcuterie plate? You have all types of cured meat, some dry fruits, cheese, jelly, jam and some crackers. This one is not for the Vegetarian guy looking for a simple dish. Spaniards are generally people who would touch their dinner only at 10pm. So staying there if you want to go along with the locals and pretend to be a Spaniard for a week, you should definitely be trying out this dish once. Have it around the evening before supper, so that you can replace it for your evening snack for a day and with enough calorie to help you walk around the city.

You have the Chorizo kind of like a spicy sausage or smoked pork flavoured with Paprika and Garlic. Known to be quite spicy and fragnant, you will love it. Morcilla which is a black color sausage that is made from the pig’s blood. All through the world they make sure they don’t even waste the pig’s blood, from which a lot of cuisines are developed. Every place has its own recipe like in Korea they call it SoonDae and it is also known for its rich source of iron. In Spain, they cook it to perfection with rice and onion to add to its rich aroma.

Chew on some cheesy cheese

Just like we have a a variety of wine, Spain is home to some of the best cheese-making factories. You have cheese that are processed from cow to sheep and goats as well. Manchego made in the La Mancha region from the sheep’s milk has a buttery texture. Its melts easily in your mouth with a rich taste and gets it patterns from the baskets they are aged. Queso Zamorano, as the name suggests is prepared in the region Zamora. The climate here influences the cheese making process giving it a smooth and sweet taste. Another type of cheese made from the sheep is the Idiazábal cheese, which is known for its smoky flavour. It is a traditionally crafted partially soft cheese quite popular among the shepherds from Navarra and Basque Country .

Sipping amazing Wine

Explore the tastiest and tempting of the wines in this country. Spain is known to be one of the top exporters of wines because of the extensive cultivation of wines. Filled with vineyards over an area of 2.4 million acres, they are also famous for their guided tours across the green vineyards. Every wine enthusiast would love to try the recipe at source. But, with so many wineries across the country it becomes a little difficult to choose among them.

You can go ahead and try on Cava something similar to Champagne, with bubbly stuff. Barcelona had a lot of these Cava bars to have a sip on. La Rioja is known for its production of the world-famous Red Wines. The place divided into three regions, is supported by a naturally good climate that gives uniqueness to the wine. Vermouth is also another strong wine tasted by tourists.

Check out a couple of Spain holiday packages and you can also check the Spain Guides for further info. Connect with PickYourTrail and look forward to creating a memorable vacation with your family.

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