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The Spanish like to gather around the table to celebrate the art of eating well. Not only is food shared, but life is also shared. Incredibly social eaters, Spanish culture is tightly intertwined with their dining customs.
With its location at the crossroads of North Africa and Europe and its Arab and New World influences, Spain has been a melting pot of culture and cuisine for centuries. Its autonomous regions with strong identities and traditions have helped to create a diverse culinary experience.
The Spanish know that food always tastes better when shared in good company. Gather your friends together and enjoy the art of social eating like a true Spaniard!
Biodiverse in plants and animals, a meeting point and origin for many cultures, miles of coastline due to being situated on a peninsula, comprising mountains, valleys and rivers and a warm climate it’s not surprising that the Mediterranean diet of Spain is an immense source of pride.
The Romans brought wheat and new cultivation techniques. They also built ports to export the Spanish oils. The migrant Visigoths came with fermented milks and new theories. During the Middle Ages the culture settled but monasteries started a food processing industry leading to sweets, cheeses, sausages, wines, liquors and preservatives. The Arabs added irrigation systems, improved crops, cultivated new plant species and improved hygiene. The discovery of America completely transformed the diet of the Old Continent. Not only the introduction of corn, peppers, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, turkey, etc. but a huge increase in food resources that were desperately needed in Europe at the time. The succession of domestic revolutions of the 17th and 18th centuries meant that, for the peasants, replacements were made with whatever resources were available and this greatly influenced the heritage and richness of Spanish food. The palace always had food and gained from Italian and French influences during this time.
Tapas are small portions of different dishes. Traditionally, they were considered an appetiser or small snack eaten before dinner since many people in Spain eat at a later time. Nowadays, it’s popular to have an entire meal of tapas known as “tapear”. Tapas culture varies depending on the region. In some areas, it’s common for friends to go to multiple bars and try one or two tapas at each.
In Spanish, a ”tapa” is also a word for a lid and it’s thought that the practice originated from when barmen would cover their customers’ drinks with a slice of bread with a piece of cheese and ham to prevent flies or dust from spoiling the drink. Another popular origin story is of King Alfonso X The Wise who was prescribed large amounts of wine to cure an illness. He began eating small portions of food to avoid getting drunk and made it public policy after his recovery.
With 17 autonomous communities, including 2 island communities, each with its own identity, there are many different local customs, cuisines and languages. We’ll break down mainland Spain to 6 larger regions.
Starting on the south coast, Andalucian cuisine is rural with clear Muslim and Jewish influences. Here fresh seafood and olive oil are a staple, while the caves provide a perfect curing spot for Spain’s famous hams. Moving east to Valencia, you will find many rice-based dishes like Paella thanks to the vast rice fields interspersed with orange groves. In the north-east region of Catalonia, the diverse geography of mountains, valleys and stunning coasts gives rise to a wonderful cooking culture, expect sweet and savory combinations with sauces flavored with various varieties of nuts. The northern region of the Pyrenees with its many rivers, streams and fertile valleys has a cuisine that is a universe in itself. The peppers that grow here are essential to their local dishes and the meat and fish dishes are some of the main highlights. In the north-west region, the green mountains and rugged coast provide a spectacular backdrop for the cattle that provide a variety of dairy and cheese products. With a rich and hearty cuisine, it’s particularly famous for its traditional bean stews and soups that come from a strong Celtic influence. Our final stop on this culinary journey is to the central region, with its mountains, lakes, forests, vineyards and natural beauty, its renowned for its game meats, roast suckling pig and lamb, breeding pigs that feed on acorns, various cheeses as well as its spicy chorizo, blood sausage and stews.
Spanish tables are full of fresh produce that can easily be picked or bought in the market. In doing so, table decorations showcase this bounty by using oranges, lemons, and Mandarin oranges as centerpieces. These can be as simple as bowls of fruit displayed on the table to topiaries created from these fruits. Dipping bread is always present on Spanish tables. Spain is the largest exporter of olive oil, but they keep plenty for their own tables as well.
To keep the eye from traveling too far from the centerpiece, the Spanish table is covered with a simple cloth of one color. Sometimes to break up the blocks of a single color, a textured or lacy tablecloth will be used.
The Spanish table setting consists of clean lines and single-colored plates. Napkins are normally placed on top of the plate, which creates the perfect stage for a place card. Continuing with the theme of bounty, a simple place card can be created using some of the fruit from the centerpiece. There are many approaches one can take when creating place cards for your Spanish-themed dinner party but one of the easiest is to simply place a small ribbon of brown paper around your fruit, tie it off at the top, and add a green leaf with your guest’s name.
At a Spanish table you’re unlikely to hear the music over the volume of the conversation. However, a little background music can really help to set the mood. It’s not uncommon to have a musician playing Spanish guitar outside on restaurant terraces during the evenings.
Flamenco is very popular in Spain and many people enjoy taking in a show with dinner. If guitar or flamenco aren’t to your taste, Spain’s long and rich history and multiple regions means there are many types of traditional music you could also sample that your guests are sure to enjoy.
Wait until invited to sit, you may have a particular seat assigned and only begin eating when the host starts. Eating does not begin until everyone has sat down. Use utensils to eat most food and always keep your hands visible when eating, you can rest your wrists on the table edge. The Spanish don’t waste food, it is better to decline additional food than to leave any on your plate. Bread is used to dip in sauces and soak up leftover liquid or olive oil on the plate, it’s a complement to the chef on the taste of the food.
Never eat the last portion before asking if anybody else would like it. Known as “la de la vergüenza“ meaning “the one of shame”, eating the last bite would be a sign of selfishness. It is customary to wait until somebody asks and, if 2 or more people would like some, to split the portion. If you’re having a snack in between courses, such as chips or almonds, then offer it to others..
Patience is a necessity in Spain, nothing is done fast and that applies particularly when eating. You always take enough time to eat and there is always a reason for celebration. Expect ample time for conversation between courses. Spaniards love the atmosphere of a crowded table, the laughter, the toasts, the celebrations between family or friends.
In Spain it is common to say “salud” when toasting which means “to your health”. A common phrase to begin the meal is “que aproveche” which literally translates to “take advantage” from times when peasants would take advantage of having something to eat. This would have been considered impolite by the nobility so safer phrases include “buen apetito” meaning “good appetite” or “disfrute su comida” meaning “enjoy your food”.
This article is taken from our free recipe ebook, Our Delicious World, available here.
