Get to know typical Spanish dishes - what must you try?

Today, Spanish cuisine is rightly ranked among the best in the world. A country with a rich history, which is also reflected in typical Spanish dishes and dishes, attracts millions of lovers of excellent gastronomy every year.

Modern Spanish dishes are full of variety and rich flavors. From regional specialties such as paella from Valencia to global favorites such as tapas main course, Spanish cuisine offers something for everyone. The country is also known for its excellent wines and olive oil, which are important ingredients used in many typical Spanish dishes.

Heading to Barcelona and want to make sure you visit the right establishments and taste authentic food? Take a look at the offer of Devour Food Tours, where a professional guide will take you to selected establishments in a few hours and you will taste various local specialties... 

View this offer >>>

Where did Spanish cuisine come from and how did it develop?

Spanish cuisine and its dishes date back to the times of the Roman Empire, when they mixed Roman culinary techniques and recipes with local ingredients such as olives, beans and fish. All of this together formed the foundations of Spanish cuisine as we know it today.

During the Middle Ages, Spain was influenced by Arab influences that brought new spices and techniques, such as using almonds and rosemary in the kitchen. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spain became the cradle of maritime expeditions, which significantly influenced the local cuisine. Spanish chefs became pioneers of new raw materials at the time such as tomatoes, peppers, corn or even cocoa.

Do you want to avoid gluten or lactose in Barcelona?

Check out my list the best gluten-free restaurants, cafes and bakeries in Barcelona. 

What do traditional Spanish dishes taste like and what do typical recipes contain?

One of the typical ingredients, without which almost no Spanish recipe is complete, is olive oil. The Spanish use it in practically every meal, which gives the cuisine its specific taste.

Olive oil, an ingredient without which Spanish recipes would not be what they are

It is also an important factor use of spices and herbs, such as paprika, garlic, saffron and rosemary, which gives Spanish dishes their unique aroma and taste.

Herbs and spices of Spanish cuisine

In addition, it is typical for Spanish cuisine variety of seafood and fish, such as tuna, sardines, shrimp and squid. The Spanish too they excel in meat preparation, most often it is pork or lamb. 

Also read: The best places for brunch in Barcelona, or my top 12 establishments where you can have a combination of breakfast and lunch.

What to taste in Barcelona?

Although Barcelona is the capital Catalonia, you definitely don't have to worry about being deprived of all the other typical Spanish dishes as I have described them to you. On the contrary – Barcelona's gastronomic scene is truly diverse thanks to the huge interest of tourists, and local restaurants are not limited to regional Catalan dishes at all, but often also offer a trip beyond its borders. After all, probably every other tourist in Barcelona wants to have paella, which actually has its origins in Valencia...

Catalan cuisine is rich and varied, it is definitely not just paella

The style of Catalan cuisine is influenced by both coastal fishing traditions and agricultural influences coming from the interior. They are the basis of the Catalan menu fish and seafood, different types of meat and lots of vegetables, especially peppers and tomatoes, herbs and the aforementioned olive oil.

My tip: It can give you a quick introduction to typical Spanish dishes and ingredients any of the food markets – there are a lot of them in the city and they are the most sought after by tourists La Boqueria.

One of the of the most famous Catalan dishes Pa Amb Tomàquet (recipe), which is a slice of bread spread with olive oil and tomato sauce. This dish is often served as an appetizer or side dish to a main meal.

Pa amb tomàquet may not look attractive, but it is tasty

Another typical dish from is scaly (recipe), which is a mixture of grilled vegetables, most often peppers, onions and eggplant. This is usually also served as an appetizer or as a side dish to meat.

Grilled or roasted vegetables, that's escalivada

Spanish paella as the main national dish of tourists...

Given the huge variety of Spanish cuisine there is no such thing as a national Spanish dish – each region has a few "own" dishes that they think are the best.

However, if a survey was conducted among tourists, what is the main Spanish food, chicken paella would definitely win.

Is chicken paella the national dish of Spain? No, even though a lot of people think so

This original and extremely tasty delicacy made of rice, meat, a mixture of spices and vegetables originates from Valencia, but there are also many places in Barcelona where you can have it. And you definitely won't regret it!

If you want a classic, have paella valenciana. Her recipe, which refers to the original place of origin of this delicacy, includes rice, chicken, rabbit, beans, tomato, garlic and a mixture of rosemary, thyme and saffron. 

In Barcelona restaurants that offer paella, however, in addition to the traditional recipe, you will come across many different variations: paella with shrimp (or other seafood), paella with chicken, paella with pork, fish, and so on and so forth. Somewhere you can also find that paella does not contain rice, but short noodles. Such food carries a label Fideua (recipe).

Have that paella you're craving. 

Enjoy the flavors of Barcelona accompanied by a local guide

Finding the right restaurants and businesses near where you will live may not be easy at all. If you want to try Spanish cuisine and go on the safe side, so to speak, book an afternoon "food tour". During three hours over lunch, you can visit 5 establishments in a small group with a professional guide, where you can taste more than 10 Spanish dishes and 4 local drinks. Also suitable for children.

View details of the experience >>>

Try Spanish tapas, fuet sausages, jamón ham and other delicacies

They are a typical dish for all of Spain tapas main course representing a kind of small but delicious trinkets that are served with meals or on their own. Tapas are popular for their social nature and allow you to try different flavors and food combinations in a short amount of time.

Goodies for a few bites, that's Spanish tapas and pinxtos (that on a stick)

Some classic tapas are for example Spanish potato omlette (potato omelette), Shrimp Scampi (prawns with garlic), patatas bravas (crispy fried potatoes with sauce) or mentioned Pa Amb Tomàquet (toast with tomatoes and olive oil). If you want to try Spanish tapas, head to any of the bars on Carrer de Blai – there are plenty of great establishments where you can have this typical Spanish dish.

A gastronomic experience for everyone who wants to try tapas in Barcelona

If you want to taste tapas and at the same time don't want to deal with anything, book a Tapas & Wine Tour. During 3 hours (from 18:00 to 21:00) you will visit 5 restaurants with a guide, where you will get to taste local tapas and a glass of wine, and you will also learn something else...

View details of the experience >>>

If you are in Catalonia, try the typical one tortilla with any of the many types of fillings. Just be careful, in the original Spanish recipe there is a tortilla without meat, it is actually a sunny omelet made of potatoes and eggs. 

Don't forget to taste the traditional in Catalonia botifarra pusher whether any of the fermented salamis by name fuet and of course dried pork ham ham.

Spanish sweet treats and desserts

The traditional dessert of the area is Catalan cream. This is a proven Catalan dessert with a caramel flavor that resembles the French crème brûlée.

Catalan cream is the number 1 dessert in the entire region

Panellets, small desserts made from chestnuts, sweet potatoes, almonds and sugar, are traditionally eaten during All Souls' Day celebrations. They often have a distinct flavor of anise or lemon peel. In Barcelona, ​​you can find several places to buy them even during the year. 

It also gives you a lot of calories xuixos, sweet pastries sprinkled with sugar with a filling based on crema catalana, which has its origins in Girona. This is traditionally eaten as breakfast or as an afternoon snack.

Popular pieces of fried dough with the name are also made from a similar barrel Churros. At wandering through the center of Barcelona with children we never miss a stop for this goodie in the store u Manuel San Román.

 

 

 

 

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Taste quality Spanish wines, cava or sangria

You will surely like drinking it excellent Spanish wines. These are classically produced as still wines or even in sparkling variants by name cava.

Spanish sparkling wine cava it is perfect as a supplement to food or to drink on its own

All over Spain you will find vast vineyards as well as smaller "family" fields with vines. The Spanish are proud of their wines, and when you taste the local products, you will recognize that rightfully so. The best Spanish wines come from the Penedès or Priorato regions.

And Penedès is one of the most important wine regions in Catalonia and the whole of Spain. If you like to travel for wine and head to Barcelona at the same time, the location of this region is something that makes it a great candidate for day trip out of town – directly from the center you can reach the sun-drenched vineyards in about an hour. 

Experience: Small group wine tour

Would you like to take a trip to the local Penedès wine region during your stay in Barcelona? You can either go here on your own or use one of the travel packages. You can try, for example, Wine & Cava Premium Experience, which includes:

• transport from Barcelona Mercedes SUV
• personal guide
• guided tour of two wineries
• tasting of 4 classic and 4 sparkling wines together with something small to eat
• a jeep ride through the vineyards with a local winemaker

View details of the experience >>>

What is typical for Spain is excellent a refreshing sangría drink with licorice fruit, which is suitable as an addition to the evening feast and as a small refreshment during the day. Although it has a small percentage of alcohol, definitely do not drink more than two or three glasses so that you are not unpleasantly surprised in the morning... The Spaniards themselves drink sangria rather exceptionally, it is more popular with tourists. 

The most important meal in Spain is dinner

The Spanish devote a lot of time to dining and can turn an ordinary dinner into a social event where family, acquaintances and friends gather.

Breakfast here is rather less sweet. Various types of sweet pastries and fruit are classics. What the Spaniards save on breakfast and lunch, they make up for it with dinner, which consists of several courses and is complemented by a large number of vegetable salads and pastries.

Also, don't forget that in Spain everything related to food is slightly time-shifted (they have their typical siesta). Lunches therefore start at around 1 o'clock in the afternoon, dinners at 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening. Of course, in the center full of tourists, in Gothic quarter or there will be no problem with that in hotels - they are prepared for other "cultural customs" and you can eat at the same time as you are used to from home. 

 

 

 

 

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Where to eat well in Barcelona? Or a few of my tips for restaurants, bistros and bars

There are countless different restaurants, wine bars, tapas bars, pizzerias, pubs, cafes and pastry shops scattered all over Barcelona.

Restaurant El Pollos de Llull (website) in the Port Olímpic area near the beach will surprise you not only with excellent chicken specialties, but also with relatively pleasant prices. Close Can Ramonet (website) will satisfy your taste buds with famous fish and seafood specialties. The seaside district of Barceloneta boasts not only a traditional folk character, but also a large number of pleasant restaurants offering seafood and other popular Spanish dishes.

On the beautiful square Pl. Reial just a few steps away La Rambla visit a restaurant, for example Les Quinze Nights (website) with light meals and reasonable prices for the center.

Can't do without Czech cuisine? It might sound strange, but there are people among us who prefer home-made Czech cuisine even abroad. If you are one of them (or have been in Barcelona long enough to miss our food), you must visit Beer bar at Carrer de Provenca 505. The Czech owners will cook you a classic sirloin, dill, stew, and you can wash it all down with a pilsner or a beer.

If you get hungry near the neighborhood Montjuic, give it a try Restaurant de la Fundació Joan Miró with terrace and city view inside the museum of the same name (website). The restaurant is very popular among the locals the raft (website) and quarter Eixample, which offers various delicacies of Catalan cuisine. Definitely worth a try.

They have a huge selection of tortillas with different fillings Flash-Flash (website). Ingenious tapas will be offered in the restaurant Madrid Barcelona (website). 

In the center turn off ze the famous La Rambla boulevard for quick goodies to the market La Boqueria. In its back part you will find several stalls with food, the most popular one Pinoxto Bar (website) for your tapas and baguettes, if you're vegetarian try the nearby one Organic (map). If you happen to be in its vicinity, you must not miss a visit to the renowned confectionery caelum. Local delicacies such as turrón (nougat with dark chocolate) or yemas (egg yolk with sugar and almonds) will impress even true gourmets. If you want more authentic food for a reasonable price, I recommend exploring the nearby neighborhood more El Raval – there are a lot of amazing businesses where you can find good and reasonable money.

Do you avoid gluten or meat? No problem – the local dining scene caters to those with various dietary restrictions. You will find plenty in the city good gluten-free restaurants or restaurants that are strictly vegan and vegan. 

Do you want more tips and are you interested in more information?

How much does an average meal cost in Barcelona (see money and prizes)? What other places in the center do you recommend for breakfast, lunch and dinner? What about cafes? How to save on food thanks to the daily menu? You can also find lots of other tips about eating in Barcelona in my guide.

More food articles on my website

• The best places for brunch in Barcelona
• Where to have a bottomless brunch in Barcelona?
• Gluten-free restaurants in Barcelona