La gastronomía de España es una variada forma de preparar platos, que se ve enriquecida por las aportaciones de las diversas regiones que componen el país.
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Cocina de origen que oscila entre el estilo rural y el costero, representa una diversidad fruto de muchas culturas, así como de paisajes y climas.3 La cocina española está fuertemente influida a lo largo de su historia por los pueblos que conquistan su territorio, así como de los pueblos que posteriormente coloniza. Esta situación le ha proporcionado una gran variedad de técnicas culinarias e ingredientes.
Fue durante muchos siglos desconocida en Europa, y es entre finales del siglo XIX y comienzos del siglo XX cuando cobra una identidad nacional, fundamentada en los diferentes platos y técnicas culinarias propias. Todo este conocimiento culinario sale a la luz gracias a la aparición a comienzos del siglo XX de escritores especializados en gastronomía capaces de ensalzar y alabar sus platos, de investigar en su historia y su origen.4 A este grupo de escritores se le ha venido a denominar como la «generación gastronómica del 27». A partir de este instante la cocina española evolucionó hasta lo que en la actualidad conocemos como la nueva cocina española.
El concepto tan variado de la cocina hace que algunos autores la denominen en plural, como las «cocinas de España».5 En la cocina española actual conviven dos realidades: la cocina clásica y popular fundamentada en la tradición, y la cocina actual que emplea las más novedosas e ingeniosas técnicas de cocina de autor, con cocineros que han alcanzado fama internacional reconocida.3 A pesar de ello la cocina clásica posee unas raíces religiosas muy profundas.6
Algunas formas de comer típicas de las regiones españolas se han internacionalizado, tal y como pueden ser las tapas.7 8 Entre los ingredientes españoles caben destacar los quesos, que son de una gran variedad, fruto de una actividad ganadera milenaria.
También destaca en la gastronomía española la gran variedad de vinos que posee, habiendo alcanzado algunas de sus regiones vitivinícolas fama y reconocimiento internacional. Si bien el vino es la bebida nacional, en algunas regiones del norte son muy populares otras bebidas, como en el caso de la sidra.Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes, which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country’s deep maritime roots. Spain’s extensive history with many cultural influences has led to an array of unique cuisines with literally thousands of recipes and flavors. It is also renowned for its health benefits and fresh ingredients, as Mediterranean diet.
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Typical dishes
Gastronomía manchega, Pedro Muñoz, Spain
Potato omelette («tortilla de patata», «tortilla española» or just «tortilla»), paella, various stews, migas, sausages (such as embutidos, chorizo, andmorcilla), jamón serrano, and cheeses.
Iberian pork embutido
There are also many dishes based on beans (chickpeas, lentils, green beans); soups, with many regional variations; and bread, that has numerous forms, with distinct varieties in each region. The regional variations are less pronounced in Spanish desserts and cakes: flan, custard, rice pudding (arroz con leche), torrijas,churros, and madeleines are some of the most representative examples.
Other foods include:
- Arroz con leche (rice pudding)
- Calamares a la romana (Fried squid)
- Sopa de marisco
- Cocido montañés typical dish from Cantabria
- Chorizo (spicy sausage)
- Chuletillas grilled chops of milk-fed lamb
- Gazpacho a chilled tomato soup from Andalusia (light and refreshing)
- Salmorejo, a chilled tomato soup thickened with bread and served with croutons of ham, egg etc. (creamy and substantial)
- Percebe typical from Galicia
- Merluza (white fish)
- Fabada Asturiana (bean stew)
- Fideuà
- Jamón serrano (cured ham)
- Butifarra a kind of sausage from Catalonia
- Lechazo asado (roasted milk-fed lamb)
- Shellfish
- Marmita typical from Cantabria
- Pa amb tomaca, rustic bread and fresh, chopped tomato, herbs etc. (Catalonia)
- Paella (saffron rice)
- Peladillas, Sugared almonds, typical fromValencian Community (especially, Casinos).
- Pescaito frito, battered (sometimes in adobo) fried fish, typical from Málaga and Western Andalusia
- Tortilla de patatas or tortilla española (potato omelette)
- Turrón, a type of nougat with almonds and honey, typical at Christmas
- Polvorón, a type of Spanish shortbread, typical at Christmas
- Tortas de aceite, from Seville, a sweet olive oil pastry
- Olla podrida
- Gofio, roasted flour used in a type of porridge in the Canary islands.
- Meat is also very popular in Spanish cuisine; sheep, lamb, pork, and beef are staples.
- Madrid: the cocido madrileño (Madrid’s chickpea stew) and the tripe dish callos a la madrileña, strawberries from Aranjuez or melons from Villaconejos, the wines from Navalcarnero and the Anís (anisette) liqueur of Chinchón.)
- Asturias:
Asturian chuletillas
The most famous regional dish is Fabada Asturiana, a rich stew made with large white beans (fabes), pork shoulder (lacón), morcilla, chorizo, and saffron(azafrán).
Apple groves foster the production of the traditional alcoholic drink, a natural cider (sidra). It is a very dry cider, and unlike French or English natural ciders, uses predominantly acidic apples, rather than sweet or bittersweet. The proportions are: acidic 40%, sub-acidic 30-25%, sweet 10-15%, bittersweet 15-20%, bitter 5%.[1]
Andalusian «pescaíto» frito.
Sidra is traditionally poured in by an expert server (or escanciador): the bottle is raised high above his or her head to oxygenate the brew as it moves into the glass below. A small amount (~120ml) is poured at a time (called aculín), as it must be drunk immediately before the sidra loses its carbonation. Any sidra left in the glass is poured onto a woodchip-strewn floor or a trough along the bottom of the bar.
Asturian cheeses, especially Cabrales, are also famous throughout Spain and beyond; Cabrales is known for its pungent odour and strong flavour. Asturias is often called «the land of cheeses» (el pais de los quesos) due to the product’s diversity and quality in this region.Other major dishes include faba beans with clams, Asturian stew, frixuelos, and rice pudding.
- Catalonia: Alongside Valencia, Catalonia has a long tradition of rice-dishes and seafood. In addition, cooked and cured sausages from Vic are famous. Perhaps the most well-known dish is the Catalan cream, similar to crème brûlée. Catalan cuisine is rich, pa amb tomàquet and botifarra are typical food of Catalonia.
- La Rioja: above all its international Rioja wines, as well as its vegetable soups and its pepper and potato dishes.
- Extremadura: Cocido extremeño (a rich stew of bacon, fowl, ham, meats, and vegetables), embutidos of Iberian pork, such as Jamón serrano and Lomo, cheeses (including the indispensable torta del casar, a close relative of the Portuguese queijo da serra), pitarra wine and Migas Extremeñas.
- Andalusia: (Andalucia) fried fish (Málaga), salmorejo and gazpacho. Seafood, especially shrimp, squid, mackerel and flatfish. Jabugo ham and Sherry wine. Olives and olive oil (special in Andalucia)
- Aragón: Somontano, Borja and other wines. Jamón serrano (cured ham) in Teruel. Migas, very typical in small villages. Nuestra Señora del Pilar sweets in Zaragoza. «Ternasco con patatas a lo pobre», one of the most popular dishes in Aragón. «Borrajas», vegetable typical of this zone. Peaches with red wine (from Calanda, in Teruel). And «chiretas», very popular in «Ribagorza» and «Somontano de Barbastro».
- Murcia: The products of its rich market gardens, such as zarangollo; fish and lamb stews; and the wines of Jumilla, Yecla or Bullas. There are also the Murcian migas.
- Valencia: The Valencian region, specialises amongst others in the famous Paella, and is its birthplace. This dish is very popular, and it’s common to cook one each Sunday for family lunch. In fact, in Valencia, during Falles, one of the biggest holidays there, it is quite normal to find big paellas being cooked in the street. The typical Valencian paella contains meat and vegetables, but many other variants of rice-based dishes can be found, with shellfish, meatballs or just covered in egg («Arròs amb crosta»).
- Balearic Islands:A typical island-based diet of seafood and simple, vegetable-based dishes as well as Sobrasada. Samfaina (Ratatouille) and Cocas are typical of Catalan cuisine generally.Majorca’s biggest export is the Ensaimada, a pastry.
- Basque country: skillfully cooked dishes such as «txangurro relleno» (spider crab) «marmitako» and hake and clams. Idiazabal cheese and a distinctive wine called «txakoli». Piquillo peppers, filled with cod or tuna.
- Navarre: vegetable stews, Tudela’s lettuce hearts with anchovies, salmon, or a simple vinaigrette (oil, salt and vinegar); piquillo peppers, which are often stuffed with meat; trout à la Navarra(cooked stuffed with bacon and cheese), Roncal and Idiazabal cheeses, curd from Ultzama, claret wine, and patxaran liquor.
- Galicia: Caldo gallego; an array of seafoods, especially octopus, cod and goose barnacles; Tarta de Santiago, a tart made of almonds and lemon; empanadas; Albariño wine from the Rias Baixas.
- Castilla y León: Morcilla from León, Burgos or Valladolid (black pudding made with blood and different spices), Judión de la Granja, Sopa de Ajo (Garlic soup), Cochinillo asado (little roast pig), Lechazo (Roast Lamb), Botillo del Bierzo, Hornazo from Salamanca, a great variety of sausages like Salchichas de Zaratán and cheeses like Cheese of Serrada or Burgos’s Fresh Cheese, and various of the best wines in Spain
- Ribera del Duero wines. Don’t forget Jamón de Guijuelo (Spanish cured ham from Guijuelo (Salamanca))
Chefs
Today, Spanish cooking is «in fashion», especially thanks in part to Ferran Adrià, who in the summer of 2003 attained international renown thanks to praise in the Sunday supplement of The New York Times. His restaurant El Bulli is located in the province of Girona, near Roses. In a long article, the New York Times declared him the best chef in the world, and postulated the supremacy of Spanish cooking over French cuisine.
Four other Spanish chefs hold three stars in the prestigious Michelin Guide:
- Juan Mari Arzak (« in San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa, since 1989)
- Santi Santamaría («El Raco» of Can Fabes, Barcelona, since 1994)
- Martín Berasategui («Berasategui» in Lasarte, Guipúzcoa since 2001)
- Carme Ruscalleda («Sant Pau» in Sant Pol de Mar, Barcelona since 2006)
- Karlos Arguiñano, who over the years has presented cooking programmes on various Spanish television channels, in which he shows his communication skills and sense of humour while cooking.
- Simone Ortega, author of the best-selling cookbook in Spain, «1080 recetas».
- Sergi Arola, chef at «La Broché« and a disciple of Adrià.
- José Andrés, chef/owner of «Minibar by José Andrés» in Washington D.C., and a disciple of Adrià. Current host of Made in Spain, airing on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television.
Prominent names in the history of Spanish cuisine include:
- Ángel Muro: 19th century food expert and author of the book «Practicón», which is equivalent to Ma cuisine by Escoffier.
- María Mestayer de Echagüe, «Marquesa de Parabere»: author of a two-volume cooking encyclopedia (with the second dedicated to the pantry) that is still in print, and that contains a large number of recipes, as well as chapters dedicated to table manners.
Other notable chefs specializing in Spanish cuisine:
- Ilan Hall, winner of Top Chef Season 2, was known for his Spanish-inspired dishes. He has worked at the acclaimed Casa Mono Spanish restaurant in Manhattan.[2
La cucina spagnola è fortemente radicata nelle tradizioni più antiche e ha il merito di aver promosso all’inizio del 1500 l’ingresso di prodotti nuovi (patata, pomodoro, mais, cacao ecc.) provenienti dalle Americhe. La gastronomia delle regioni affacciate sul mare (Catalogna, Valencia, Andalusia, Isole Canarie) comprende preparazioni a base di pesce e di carne ed è più varia e fantasiosa di quella all’interno, fondata essenzialmente sulla carne (maiale, agnello) e dai legumi.
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Tra gli antipasti (entremeses), i frutti di mare (mariscos), olive verdi e nere, salumi (serranos di trevelez e il salchichon di Vich sono le preparazioni più tipiche). Gli aperitivi sono noti anche come Pincho e Tapas. Tra gli antipasti caldi ricordiamo la tortilla (frittata con patate) che si serve soprattutto come piatto forte e preparata secondo molte varianti. Tra le minestre la più classica è la sopa de ajo (zuppa d’aglio) e il gazpacho (zuppa di vegetali crudi servita fredda). Anche le preparazioni di carne e pesce sono varie e gustose. la paella, la preparazione più famosa della cucina spagnola è il prototipo del piatto unico, preparata con Riso, carne pollo, salsiccia e coniglio, pesce (gamberoni e scampi, frutti di mare mitili e vongole, verdure pomodori, peperoni, piselli, olive e altri ingredienti). Il termine spagnolo «paella» si riferisce alla padella che si usa per cucinare questa pietanza, la «paellera» (padella di ferro larga e dai bordi bassi munita di 2 manici).
Altro piatto importante di origine contadina è il cocido, un bollito misto preparato con tipi diversi di carne a seconda delle regioni e con differenti verdure e legumi. Per finire le preparazioni a base di carne. Una preparazione caratteristica è il cochinillo (porcellino neonato) arrostito nel forno. I piatti di pesce, invece, trovano le migliori caratteristiche nella zuppa zarzuela, nel baccalà alla vizcayna e nel merluzzo alla basca.
Come contorno il più importante è il pisto manchego pomodori, cipolla, melanzane e Cucurbita pepo (zucchine tagliati a pezzi e cucinate in padella con olio per circa 30 minuti). Per quanto riguarda i dessert, sono ben rappresentati e alcuni ricordano da vicino le produzioni siciliane. L’ aspetto vinicolo in Spagna è imponente e di qualità. I più famosi sono i vini di Ribera del Duero e di Rioja, quelli di Jerez, i vini molto alcolici Valdepenas e i pregiati vini spumante della Catalogna. Derivato del vino è invece la sangria.