Dear Foodie Fam,

Eating in Spain is one of my favorite food memories of all time. I think all food lovers should try to visit Barcelona or Madrid to eat their heart out!

Here is a list of the Spanish foods I recommend for any foodie visiting Madrid and Spain!

IN THIS POST:

• Popular Dishes

• Popular Drinks

• Popular Tapas

• List of additional traditional foods, drinks and desserts

• Cool Infographics (Not Mine)

Jamón ibérico

The notorious PIG...⁠ The famed Jamón Ibérico...⁠

This is a foodie must-eat, not just a Spain must-eat.

I've heard so much about it and yet was still blown away by the nuttiness, the sweetness, the way the fats tasted oddly sleek and clean.. the strangely brilliant , dark earthiness.⁠.. ⁠ I've NEVER tasted anything like it. It was a dream.⁠

Jamón Ibérico (Iberian ham)⁠ is dark ruby red and marbled like CRAZY. It’s sweet, nutty and not too salty. The fat is golden and slightly pink.⁠ It’s made from pigs that are at least 50% Black Iberian breed- the original swine of Spain.⁠

Then, there’s Jamón Ibérico de Bellota: THE MOST RECOGNIZABLY BEST (and pricier) kind of Spanish ham. This ham comes from⁠ pigs that spend their entire life acorn fed (22lb/day) in open air (usually in small family clans). For thousands of years, they've traditionally been "sacrificed" (the matanza) by the farmer's entire family who proceed to work together to age the meat. Because the pig has so many layers of fat, they can be aged a long time... De Bellota is aged for at least three years ('reserva' and 'gran reserva' status).⁠

You’ll see jamón Ibérico almost everywhere in Barcelona - from stores specializing in it to grocery stores. The best way to eat jamón, however is hand-sliced by a master. They know how to slice strategically distributing fat.⁠

BELOW: A popular place to grab Jamón Ibérico through out Madrid is Museo del Jamón. The range of ham products to choose from at reasonable prices is stunning. Even locals grab tapas or a quick meal from here. Photos by Deets On Eats.

Cephalapods are very native to Spanish waters. Try squid, octopus and baby squid! Here’s the difference between them all!

Pulpo/ Octopus

A popular octopus dish is Pulpo a la Gallega. It’s actually a Galician-Style tapa. It’s a salad of tender, thinly sliced octopus, olive oil, smoked paprika and salt. The octopus is boiled in a copper pot (or with a clean penny) and  served on wooden plate. It’s sometimes served over boiled potato and often paired with bread. PRO TIP: Locals take it with red wine!

Another popular octopus dish is Pop a la Graella /a la Parrilla. This is a whole, grilled tentacle topped with extra virgin olive oil and salt.

Calamar/ Squid

In Spanish, “calamar” means “squid.” It’s popular as Calamares a la Romana (battered/breaded and fried squid rings) served with lemon juice and mayonnaise or garlic mayonnaise, as Bocadillo de calamares (Calamari sandwich) as popular fried squid tapas (calamares fritos) or stuffed (Calamares Rellenos).

Chipirones/ Xipirones/ Baby Squid

Chipirones are small (baby) squid the size of a thumbnail. They are eaten with particular excitement during the Summer.

While these are a super popular snack fried or grilled whole, they are especially relished stewed in its own ink (calamares en su tinta /chipirones en su tinta). The squid is traditionally stuffed with a mix of it’s own meat. This recipe, hailing from the Basque country has a particularly marine taste.

Manchego Cheese

Manchego is the national cheese of Spain! It's made in LaMancha (you'll know that region thanks to Don Quixote) from sheep's whole milk. The milk is aged 60 days to 2 years! The cheese sits in a traditionally set grass molds that gives the cheese a cool zigzag herringbone textured rind

Cheese.com says: "It's semi-soft, firm and supple, has a waxed rind and is fruity, nutty, sweet and tangy."

I did really like that softly crumbly texture and nuttiness!

Churros/ Porras and Hot Chocolate

Porras and churros are like Spain’s donut but more delicate. They are fried pastries of flour, water and salt. They’re eaten a lot during breakfast or as a snack (“merienda”). They have a crunchy, crispy, sugary outside. In Spain, these are served with a dense, slightly bitter hot chocolate ("churros con chocolate") for dipping!

Churros are long and thin. Sometimes you can find them shaped like a horseshoe or a loop.

Porras (“batons” in Spanish) are their thicker cousin and they are popular in Madrid. I like churros (especially stuffed ones) but I adore porras! I love churros con chocolate and porras hold up great to the thick liquid.

Bacallà/ Bacalao/ Codfish

Codfish is everywhere in Barcelona and eaten in lots of ways. Some popular bacalao dishes include:

• Bacallà amb Samfaina (“Cod with Ratatouille”): Fried cod in tomato sauce and topped with vegetables (often bell pepper, onion and/or eggplant).

• Esqueixada de Bacallà (Cod Ceviche”): This is a popular "Catalaan ceviche". It’s salt-cured, hand shredded raw cod dish (especially when it's hot out). Has tomatoes, peppers, onions, olive oil and vinegar, salt. Sometimes has olives or hard-boiled eggs.⁠

BELOW: Various bacalao tapas. Madrid, Spain. Photos by Deets On Eats.

MY FAVE: Gambas al Ajillo

It’s got to be one of my favorite seafood dishes of all time. I feel like the Gambas de Ajillo I’ve had in Spain is possibly some of the best shrimp I've had in my life.⁠ ⁠ I don't think I've ever had such a "seafoody" tasting shrimp. It’s like scampi leveled up!⁠

Gambas de Ajillo⁠ are fresh prawns cooked in sizzling olive oil with garlic and chili peppers. It’s served usually served in a pool of thin, transluscent, buttery, garlicky oil in a shallow sauté pan. You’re going to want to have something like bread to sop up that oil! If you’re lucky, you’ll get shrimp just gummy and bouncy enough but still flaky,

The dish I had had a pleasant umami taste and mushrooms with an almost a truffle-y buttery flavor. It also had radishes shaved so thin they were almost translucent.⁠

Montaditos

I loved montaditos! All the ones I had tasted so fresh. I think it’s because they are usually made with whatever best ingredients are on hand where they are made. BONUS for travelers: They’re easy to bag and travel with!

Montaditos are super traditional and predate the sandwich! These are small, tapas-sized often open-faced toasted sandwiches. Montaditos can have lots of beautiful toppings mounted on their long, slim, often garlic-rubbed bread! Infact, “montadito” comes from the Spanish word for “mount”.

Montaditos can come with meat, seafood, cheese, and vegetarian fillings. Some popular fillings are jamon serrano, tortilla de patatas, octopus, calamari, cod, tuna, salmon, anchovy, peppers, chorizo, manchego, goat cheese, olives, and tapenade.

Huevos Rotos/ “Broken Eggs”

These are fries topped with over-easy eggs. Sometimes, jamón ibérico or chorizo is placed on top of the eggs.

Canned Food

You’ll see lots of different foods canned in Spain. Don’t be afraid to get a bunch at your local market and bring them to your hotel to eat during siestas. Spain is known for their high quality tinned foods, which often taste on-par to their fresh equivalents!

Vermouth

Vermouth is Barcelona’s most popular aperitif. It’s so beloved that every midday is called ‘a la hora del vermut’ - the vermouth hour. Locals relish vermouth on a nice hot, summery day and often eat it paired with fresh fish tapas!

Vermouth is a sweet, fortified wine.⁠ It tastes mulled and comes in white, red and black. Usually, it’s served with an ice cube, anchovy flavored olives and an orange slice. ⁠

POPULAR TAPAS

(Click here to read up on Tapas Etiquette / Where to Find Free Tapas)

Tortilla de Patatas / Tortilla Española

This is one of the most famous Spanish tapas dishes. Stories say that in 1817, general Tomás de Zumalacárregui came up with this dish to feed his hungry soldiers. Today, it’s a national dish that is eaten as an appetizer, a snack, or light meal. “Tortilla” is “omelette” in Spanish and “patatas” is “potatoes”.

A slightly undercooked, lightly runny, open-faced omelette with a custardy texture. It’s a bit like a frittata. It’s made with potatoes bound with egg, cooked in olive oil and flavored with onions or scallions. Essentially, it’s cooked potatoes with lots of scrambled eggs on top.

As tapas, they are commonly served in small wedge and are best eaten at room temperature.

BEST DRINK PAIRING: Bold Red Wine

Patatas Bravas/ “Spicy/Brave Potatoes”

These are chopped, crispy fried potatoes. It’s served hot and topped with a spicy tomato sauce and garlicky aioli. This is a common dish to see at Spanish bars even in the United States.

Pimientos de Padrón

These are small, blistered peppers that come from Galicia (Northern Spain). They’re fried in oil, given a dusting of coarse salt and served hot oil.

I like how the salt grains add a touch of texture and flavor to the perfectly wilted, delicate green flavor. The bitterness is usually very delicate. They are sort of like a delicious Russian Roulette in that sometimes, while eating a plate of them, you will come across one that is super spicy!

Boquerones en Vinagre

Spain seems to have aced the boquerones (anchovy). They can be found salt-cured, marinated, or pickled, and even battered an fried. I’m not a big anchovy fan but I loved anchovies in Spain. Even canned anchovies are deliciousy fresh and elegant in Spain!

Boquerones en Vinagre are pickled anchovies. They’re a popular tapas in Madrid and so are often enjoyed with an alcoholic drink. They’re filleted and marinated in a mixture of vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic and parsley. You can sometimes find this dish served with capers, olives or potato chips.

PRO TIP: Have yours on a hot day with vermouth (Barcelona’s most popular apéritif)!

Croquetas

These fried balls are everywhere! They originated in France but Spain was crawling with this popular comfort food. As a lover of that fried crispiness, I will never tire of seeing their different variations and fillings. While they are definitely a popular tapas at bars, I have had particularly happy moments at croqueterías  (restaurants that specializing in croquetas).

Croquetas are typically rolled in breadcrumbs, egg wash coated and stuffed with a thick, creamy béchamel sauce. They can come round or tubular. The most popular fillings are ham and chicken but additional fillings can be anything from kitchen leftovers to experiments in fusion. You can bite into different meats, vegetables, cheeses and fish!

POPULAR TAKES:

• Ham Croquettes (Croquetas de Jamón Serrano)

• Pulled Chicken Croquettes (Croquetas de Puchero AKA Croquetas de Pollo)

• Mushroom Croquettes (Croquetas de Boletus)

• Cod Croquettes (Croquetas de Bacalao)

• Shrimp Croquettes (Croquetas de Gambas

• Spinach & Pine Nut Croquettes (Croquetas de Espinacas y Piñones)

• Blood Sausage Croquettes (Croquetas de Morcilla)

• Beef Cheek Croquettes (Croquetas de Carrillada)

• Garbanzo Bean Croquettes (Croquetas de Garbanzos)

Bomba – “Bomb”

This common appetizers and tapa is similar to croquetas in that it’s a fried breaded ball of mashed potatoes, meat, vegetables and spices. Bombas are topped with sauces like spicy pimentón or garlic aioli.

MY FAVE: Oreja a la plancha

My favorite (and pretty indulgent) tapas dish! It’s all about texture so beware if you’re not into that.

This is sliced or cubed pig ear that is grilled or fried in olive oil. Madrid eateries serve this with mushroom, bacon and lemon wedges. Parts of this dish are crunchy, chewy or smooth.

(Read up on Where to Eat in Barcelona and Madrid)

Other Foods to try:

• Calçots

• Callos

• Carpaccio

• Chorizo al vino

• Cochinillo Asado

• Ensaladilla Rusa

• Fideuà

• Gambas a la plancha

• Gamberi

• Gazpacho

• Gildas

• Morcilla

• Paella

• Queso con membrillo

• Zamburiñas

Desserts:

• Crema Catalana

• Napolitana de chocolate

Drinks:

• Cava

• Fricandó

• Sangria

COOL GRAPHICS

That are not mine!

GRAPHIC BELOW: by Matthew Coles

GRAPHIC BELOW: Seasoned Travelr

GRAPHIC BELOW: Matador Network

GRAPHIC BELOW: Matador Network

COOL BARCELONA/MADRID FOOD VIDEOS

Video Below- Source: Jaycation

OMG… When he eats the churros and porras!!!!

Sources

• 100Montaditos

• Barcelona Tourist Guide

•  Bon Appétit

• Curious Cuisiniere

• Cycle Fiesta

• Dish Dictionary

• Devour Madrid

• EHow: What Are Porras & Churros?

• Food&Wine: Gambas Al Ajillo

• New York Times

• Seasoned Travelr

• Serious Eats

• The Spruce Eats

  • Anchovies Marinated in Vinegar (Boquerones en Vinagre)

  • Calamares a la Romana

• TasteAtlas

  • Chipirones en su Tinta

  • Croquetas

  • Montaditos

  • Oreja a la Plancha

  • Tortilla de Patata

• The Tapas Lunch Company

• Wikipedia

  • Boquerones en vinagre

  • Churro

  • Squid

• Wikispanishfood