10 Food in Spain Every Traveler Needs to Try

Visiting Spain isn’t only about the tours, destinations, and activities, but also about the glorious spread of foods. Coming here, travelers can be overwhelmed with a wealth of traditional dishes to try, tapas to devour, and desserts to finish. From an outsider’s perspective, the food in Spain is a whole new experience, spilling with lots of fragrances and colors.

Simple ingredients are turned into mouth-watering specialties, every traveler needs to discover. Plenty of towns, villages, or cities have their unique signature dishes that highlight local produce such as seafood, sherry for wine, meat, and others.

The sheer amount of options to choose from, make dining memorable. From the appetizer, down to the dessert, travelers can get a hint of what eating is like for Spaniards: bonding. Every bite is cherished for the explosion of flavors and high-quality ingredients.

Here are the 10 most famous foods in Spain every traveler needs to try on their visit.

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10 Food in Spain Every Traveler Needs to Try

1. Paella

Paella
via Pxhere

Everyone who visits Spain will probably have paella on their bucket list. It’s definitely famous, and people head to Valencia just to taste a traditional rice dish.

The common types include the regular Paella Valenciana, seafood paella, and the paella mixta. The differences in meat and seasoning make these dishes distinct from one another.

For instance, the Valenciana version has rabbit meat, chicken, and duck, while the seafood obviously contains mussels, clams, snails, and crabs. The Mixta consists of chicken and seafood, then flavored with spices and saffron.

Popular food in Spain, like paella, can be seen almost everywhere; streets, malls, seaside restaurants, and narrow alleys. Tip: Never order a ‘red’ paella because this doesn’t exist. Locals will raise their eyebrows hearing the word ‘red’, so make sure to drop the color.

2. Tortilla Española

Tortilla Española
Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Known as the Spanish Omelette, Tortilla Espanola is a kind of tapas that can be eaten with the main dish. This is more exciting than the regular omelettes because of the overflowing potatoes and onions, chorizo, ham, courgettes, and eggs.

From the look of it, Tortilla Espanola looks like a pancake, but exciting filling awaits a diner. The secret to a delicious Spanish omelette is slowly frying the potatoes and onions in the olive oil, then beating the eggs.

There’s even a controversy about onions in the Tortilla Espanola, as the traditional omelette comes without it. With this, restaurants specify whether their version includes onions or not.

3. Gazpacho

Gazpacho
via Wikimedia Commons|Paul Goyette

One of the staple dishes in summer is gazpacho or cold tomato soup. It’s commonly served with grilled pita bread or a rind cheese, but most regions only serve it in bowls or glasses. The dish is refreshing, which is the reason why tapas bars always have a jug ready on the counter.

What most travelers don’t know is, the rich, silky, and juice-like consistency of this tomato soup is achieved using a blender. Ripe tomatoes are blended together with olive oil, garlic, pepper, cucumber, and bread, then poured into a bowl.

In Cordoba, gazpacho is different, as locals maintain a thicker soup with Iberian ham on top. This is the beauty of food in Spain, locals can create changes and get satisfied with the result.

4. Crema Catalana

Crema Catalana
via Wikimedia Commons |Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0

The famous Catalan dessert similar to creme brulee is a must-try. When visiting Catalonia, travelers must order some crema Catalana, oozing with a sweet custard topped with crystalized sugar. This food is always on the menu, for its rich taste and creamy texture.

Compared to creme brulee, the Spanish crema is made with milk and thickened using corn starch. The French counterpart uses heavy cream, why provide a different consistency once cooked. For the flavor, crema Catalana uses cinnamon and lemon for that zesty note combined with the sugary goodness.

Other versions of the crema Catalana involve the use of cava or champagne, but the ones sold in markets and quaint eateries don’t have one.

5. Gambas al Ajillo

Gambas al Ajillo
via Wikimedia Commons |Krista, CC BY 2.0

When visiting Spain, particularly the coastal cities, gambas al ajillo is always on the menu. This is a classic tapas served with crusty bread to dip into the sauce and absorb the juices. The American equivalent of this dish is garlic prawns, topped with chili flakes and toasted garlic.

The gambas al ajillo isn’t only common in coastal cities like Barcelona, but also across Spain. It’s incredibly easy to make, but the freshness of the prawns affect the overall taste of the dish. For this, most travelers visit the fishing villages to taste the best gambas al ajillo tapas.

Another reason why this garlic shrimp dish tastes divine is olive oil. Food in Spain mostly involves the use of olive oil, for added depth and flavor.

6. Croquetas

Croquetas
via Flickr|Jonathan Pincas

Another tapas bar classic that every tourist shouldn’t miss is croquetas or fried balls of goodness. This is considered art in the kitchen for the distinctive cooking method to achieve golden brown finger food.

What’s inside this fried dish is a carnival of flavors, including fresh cod, blood sausage, cured ham, and béchamel sauce.

One can usually find croquetas in scrubbed-down alleys or streets, and come with different varieties like chorizo, crab, foie gras, turkey, or aubergine. What’s served in Spanish restaurants is fried seafood with béchamel sauce, pistachio and ham, and walnuts.

Next time travelers visit Madrid for tapas crawl, be sure to taste the croquetas in every bar. Each establishment has its own rendition of the dish, surprising the taste buds with an explosion of flavors.

7. Patatas Bravas

Patatas Bravas
via Flickr|Jessica Rossi

Almost every restaurant or bar in Spain serves fiery hot or creamy garlic patatas bravas. It’s a classic dish that’s already a huge part of every social affair in the country. Even kids love this appetizer, which bridges the gap between the mid-day meal and dinner.

Basically, this dish consists of deep-fried cubed potatoes, then served with a spicy sauce. Most bars add toppings like chorizo and cheese on top, for a more flavorful taste. Travelers can also encounter bars serving fried fish and chicken as toppings for the patatas bravas.

In Madrid, the version is simple, drizzled with Spanish paprika, olive oil, and fino sherry. There’s a host of toppings and sauces available, but never tomatoes.

8. Leche Frita

Leche Frita
via Wikimedia Commons |Tirithel, CC BY-SA 3.0

If there’s one thing to describe the Spanish cuisine, that’s experimental. The use of the freshest ingredients and local produce allows cooks to develop tasty dishes and reinvent the classics.

One of the most popular food in Spain is probably leche frita or fried milk. It’s crunchy on the outside and terribly soft, creamy inside.

The traditional leche frita uses flour, milk, sugar, deep-fried then glazed with sugar or cinnamon powder. Most restaurants also add ice cream on top, for a more sweet taste.

9. Pisto

Pisto
via Wikimedia Commons|Boca Dorada

Bringing out the classic Mediterranean flavor, one needs to have a taste of caramelized onion, tomatoes, zucchini, and garlic, then drizzled with lots of olive oil for an added depth in flavor. If the list of ingredients is familiar, that’s because pisto is a Spanish version of the Italian dish ratatouille.

Pisto can be a side dish, appetizer or main course, usually served with crusted bread, meat, and salad. To complete the meal, some restaurants even serve with a bottle of local wine. While it’s all over the country, travelers can find the best-tasting pisto in southern Spain, across the plains of La Mancha.

For the ultimate pisto experience, try the traditional Spanish recipe but with rustic bread and fruity red wine, or what locals call pisto con huevos.

10. Turrón

Turrón
via Wikimedia Commons |Jonathan Pincas from Leon, Spain, CC BY 2.0

Probably the most important treat during the Christmas holiday is turrón, or almond nougat. There are two types available in every restaurant, these are soft smooth jijona and the Alicante turrón with pieces of almonds. This is made with locally-grown almonds with honey and egg white.

When visiting open-markets, travelers can see varieties of turrón, sold as small and huge rectangular tablets or a round cake. This food in Spain is every child’s favorite, along with churros or tarta de Santiago.

About me

About Me

Evan Kristine a.k.a Pretty Wild World is a professional travel blogger with over 10 years of experience in content creation. Originally from the Philippines, she's been living in Finland for 15+ years working as a chef and entrepreneur in Tampere, Finland.

She's an expert in Finland travel and explores the country often sharing her insights and tips in this blog and social medias. She also splits her free time either going for weekend getaways in Europe or galavanting to different European destinations on her holidays. All her useful Europe travel guides are also in this blog!

Evan Kristine is also the food blogger behind at The Kitchen Abroad and on her free time, she enjoys decorating her 75m2 apartment and shares her experience over at Solía Avenue.

A true master of her own life and despite her busy schedule juggling life as a chef, blogger, and entrepreneur, she still finds time to read 50+ books a year and indulge in several hobbies like hiking, working out, yoga, and painting.

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