Spain Food & Eating Guide

Food & Eating Guide

Spaniards have a different timetable for meals than other countries. Breakfast is usually just a coffee and perhaps a galleta (like a cracker) or magdalena (sweet muffin-like bread). Possibly a tortilla midmorning, followed by the main meal of the day, lunch. This is the main meal of the day and consists of many courses followed by dessert. Lunch starts somewhere about 2pm and is usually followed by a short siesta. Dinner, which is a lighter meal than lunch, starts at 20:30 or 21:00. Spanish people are very passionate about the quality of their coffee and good freshly brewed coffee is available almost anywhere. Tapas which are like "appetizers" are served in bars as side orders to accompany your drink. In coastal areas fresh seafood is widely available and affordable.

There is a wide variety of regional cheeses. Chorizo is Spain's most popular spicy sausage, and of course many different variations of the famous rice dish, Paella can be sampled. A lot of vegetables are eaten in cooked dishes and soups - Spanish cuisine makes heavy use of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, beans and mushrooms. Garlic is a favourite and used in almost everything. Olives are also an integral part of Spanish cooking whether used in olive oil or marinated and eaten as an aperitif or in cooking.