Traditional Spanish Cuisine: A Culinary Journey

We begin this journey through traditional Spanish cuisine by talking about one of its most international dishes: the potato omelette. This dish cooked simply with eggs, potatoes and onion is one of the dishes you can't miss.

It is said that this dish was invented in times of famine and according to some research, the first time this dish was first documented was in 1798 and is attributed to Joseph de Tena and the Marquis of Robledo.

Torrijas is a dish of European origin that managed to gain a place in the traditions of Spain, especially during Lent and Easter. In Spain they became known during the 15th century by Juan del Encina, poet and musician. And it became popular because during Lent and Holy Week were times of fasting and not eating meat, so it was important to have food that could provide enough energy to work.

This sweet dish, in addition to serving as a source of energy, was also used as a remedy for laboring women to recover after giving birth, to help them recover quickly.

For those of you who don't know them yet, it is a dish made from a slice of bread that is soaked in milk, syrup or wine and, after being dipped in egg batter, it is fried in a pan with oil. It is sweetened with honey, molasses or sugar and flavored with cinnamon.

Another star dish of traditional Spanish cuisine is  Paella Valenciana. It first appeared in the 18th century, but it was not until the 19th century that it became a popular food. In Spain, it is common for families to gather around a table on Sundays to eat paella as an excuse to bring the whole family together.

This dish has a great variety of versions and each person adapts it according to their preferences. 

Cocido Madrileño is a broth that mixes meat, vegetables and chickpeas. It is a typical spoon dish of Spanish cuisine, especially in the capital, ideal to enjoy on cold days.

This dish was consumed by the lower classes of society and became popular in the upper classes, who were the only ones who could afford to include all the ingredients to this recipe.

The Madrilenians enjoy this dish with their own ritual, which consists of drinking the broth and the rest of the ingredients separately in order to enjoy it better, 

Finally, let's talk about a very representative dish of Spain: The Andalusian Gazpacho.

This dish was born in the 16th century, when the day laborers, in order to take advantage of the dried bread from the previous days, soaked it with water and added crushed tomatoes seasoned with garlic, oil and pepper. 

Over time, other vegetables such as cucumber, bell pepper and onion were added to this mixture. The result is the recipe we know today.

Just thinking about these wonderful traditional Spanish recipes is making me hungry. In this lesson we have seen that it is possible to have fun learning Spanish and we look forward to seeing you in the next online Spanish lessons.

See you soon