Spanish cuisine currently holds a reputation for innovation and creativity previously only given to French cuisine. However, the imaginative recipes being developed by today's Spanish chefs are, despite their innovation, based on the solid traditions of Spanish food which is unpretentious, simple, healthy, and delicious.
Traditional Spanish cuisine is very much a product of the resources, geography, and the different cultures that have influenced Spain. Spain and Portugal form the Iberian Peninsula, separated from mainland Europe by the Pyrenees Mountains and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Spain's miles of coastline, more than any other country in Europe, provide bountiful seafood and fish which appear in many traditional dishes like paella, Spain's national dish. Spain is also a very close neighbor to Africa (Morocco is only fourteen kilometers/eight miles across the Strait of Gibralter) and many of the spices, like cumin and safron, used in Spanish cooking are from African influences. Different cultures that settled in Spain throughout the ages brought their own contribution to Spain's cuisine. The prominence of wine is a result of the time Spain spent as part of the Roman Empire. The Greeks introduced the quintessential Spanish ingredient, olive oil, while seasonings and spices that we associate with Spanish food are a legacy of the Moors.
Spain's culinary traditions rely on an abundance of locally grown vegetables and fruits as well as meats and poultry. The Greeks may have brought olives to Spain, but the arid climate of Spain is perfectly suited to grow them as well as many other fruits and vegetables. Jamón serrano, a cured ham, and chorizo, a seasoned sausage, are very popular as well as a multitude of other dishes with ham and pork. Seriously, they like ham so much that there is a museum, El Museo de Jamón in Madrid, and they have jamón flavored chips. Seafood and fish are popular in coastal areas like Valencia and Andalucía. Other popular foods are cheeses, eggs, beans, rice, nuts (especially almonds), and bread (a crusty white bread, baked fresh daily, is common and was part of my daily diet). Olive oil and garlic are also common ingredients; my señora made a traditional dish called sopa de ajo (garlic soup) made with olive oil, day-old bread, and garlic.
One of the best-known Spanish dishes, a stew called paella (pie-AY-ah), originated in Valencia, an eastern province on the Mediterranean Sea. Rice, a main ingredient, is grown in Valencia's tidal flatlands. Though there are numerous variations, paella is usually made of a variety of shellfish (such as shrimp, clams, crab, and lobster), chorizo (sausage), vegetables (tomatoes, peas, and asparagus), chicken and/or rabbit, and long-grained rice. Broth, onion, garlic, wine, pimiento (sweet red pepper), and saffron add flavor to the stew. My señora also made paella with chicken, which I liked better than the traditional seafood paella.
