About Spanish Cuisine
When people think of European cooking, they think Italian or French, or perhaps German. Even Irish or Swedish often comes up before Spanish. Yet Spanish cuisine has a range of dishes that are as regionally diverse and delicious as any in Europe, if not more so. Although Spanish tapas is becoming more popular, there is more to Spain than tapas, as it is a country that boasts cooking that truly merits to rank high in international cuisine.
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Misconceptions
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Spanish cuisine is not the same thing as Mexican, or even more generally Central American cuisine. While many Latin American cuisines have dishes with either Spanish roots or Spanish influences, Spanish cuisine has been influenced very little by South and Central America.
History
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Spanish cuisine has a long history, with basic foods being introduced from abroad throughout its history. Celtiberians brought wheat with them from Gaul (modern France), the Phoenicians or Carthaginians introduced the olive and the Greeks brought the vine. Tomatoes and potatoes were brought in as a part of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Besides the importation of crops, Spain has been home to Celts, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Germans and Moors. The influx of peoples and regional diversity has created a varied and exotic cuisine.
Types
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Spain was not a unified kingdom until the late 15th century. Even today, there are at least two distinct ethnic groups that reject the identity Castile and its language, Castilian Spanish: the Basques and the Catalans. Spanish cuisine can be divided into Andalusian, Asturian, Aragonese, Basque, Castilian, Catalan, Galician, Leonese and Valencian.
Features
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Common and well-known Spanish dishes include paella (white rice with meat or seafood), cocido (chickpea and meat stew), sausages like chorizo, gazpacho (a cold soup) and jamon (ham). The Spanish adore pork products, and the pork chops, ham and sausages of Spain are outstanding. They are also very fond of seafood, with cod, squid, prawn, octopus and shellfish dishes. The Spanish region of Andalucia is the world's leading exporter of high quality olive oil, so both olives and olive oil are usually very good there and throughout Spain. Spain is also very famous for its tapas, or appetizers. It is common for people to eat at bars or cafes and treat a collection of tapas plates as a meal.
Considerations
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Spain has had the vine since ancient times, and Spanish wine enjoys a well-deserved reputation. Sampling Spanish cuisine, especially tapas, without also trying the local wines would be a criminal oversight.
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