Local Dishes

1. paella

   Paella

   Usage

   Rice dish from Valencia. The authentic "paella valenciana" uses chicken, rabbit and beans; the seafood version is "paella de marisco". Traditionally eaten at lunch

   Grammar Note

   Feminine: "la paella". The word means "frying pan" in Valencian — the pan gave the dish its name

2. tortilla de patatas

   Spanish potato omelette

   Usage

   Thick omelette with potatoes, also called "tortilla española"; "tortilla de papas" in Latin America. Not to be confused with the Mexican corn tortilla

3. gazpacho

   Gazpacho (cold tomato soup)

   Usage

   Cold soup of tomato, cucumber, pepper, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. An Andalusian summer staple, sometimes served in a glass to drink

4. salmorejo

   Salmorejo (thick cold tomato cream)

   Usage

   From Córdoba. Much thicker than gazpacho because of the bread, and served as a starter topped with hard-boiled egg and cured ham

5. jamón ibérico

   Ibérico cured ham

   Usage

   Cured ham from the Iberian black pig; the top acorn-fed grade is "de bellota". Pricier than "jamón serrano" (white pig) and listed separately on menus

6. croquetas

   Croquetas

   Usage

   Thick béchamel chilled, breaded and fried. "Croquetas de jamón" (with cured ham) is the most common version and a bar staple

   Grammar Note

   Feminine plural. One piece is "una croqueta", but you normally order "unas croquetas"

7. patatas bravas

   Patatas bravas

   Usage

   Fried potato cubes with a spicy sauce, a classic bar dish ("papas bravas" in Latin America). Madrid serves the red sauce alone; Barcelona often adds aioli

8. gambas al ajillo

   Garlic shrimp in olive oil

   Usage

   Originally from Madrid; served bubbling in an earthenware dish, with bread to soak up the oil. Note that "al ajillo" is a cooking style, not a dish name on its own

9. pulpo a la gallega

   Galician-style octopus

   Usage

   Boiled octopus sliced onto a wooden plate with coarse salt, paprika and olive oil. Called "polbo á feira" in Galician and served at a "pulpería"

10. bocadillo de calamares

    Fried calamari sandwich

    Usage

    A Madrid speciality: battered squid rings in a baguette and nothing else. Famously sold around the Plaza Mayor

11. cocido madrileño

    Madrid chickpea stew

    Usage

    Chickpea, meat and vegetable stew traditionally served in three courses ("vuelcos") — broth first, then chickpeas and vegetables, then the meats. A winter lunch dish

12. fabada asturiana

    Asturian bean stew

    Usage

    Rich stew of large white "faba" beans with chorizo, blood sausage and pork. The signature dish of Asturias, usually paired with cider

13. pimientos de Padrón

    Padrón peppers

    Usage

    Small Galician peppers fried and salted. Most are mild but the odd one is hot — hence the saying "unos pican y otros no"

14. pan con tomate

    Bread rubbed with tomato

    Usage

    A Catalan staple: bread rubbed with tomato, then olive oil and salt. Catalan "pa amb tomàquet", colloquially "pantumaca"

15. tapa

    Tapa (small bar dish)

    Usage

    A small dish served with a drink. Bar-hopping for them is "ir de tapas" or "tapear"; in cities like Granada they come free with the drink

    Grammar Note

    Feminine: "una tapa", plural "las tapas". Menus also list "una ración" (full plate) and "media ración" (half)

16. pincho

    Pincho (skewered bar snack)

    Usage

    A slice of bread topped with food and held with a toothpick. A Basque speciality, spelled "pintxo" there; they sit on the bar counter to point at

17. churros

    Churros

    Usage

    Fried dough sticks, dipped in thick hot chocolate. The thicker, shorter version is sold separately as "porras"

18. crema catalana

    Crema catalana

    Usage

    Catalan custard with a burnt sugar crust. Similar to crème brûlée, but made with milk rather than cream and scented with cinnamon and lemon

19. tarta de Santiago

    Santiago almond cake

    Usage

    Galician cake of almond, egg and sugar with EU protected geographical indication status. Recognisable by the cross stencilled in icing sugar; contains no wheat flour

20. empanada

    Empanada

    Usage

    Filled pastry, baked or fried. The Galician "empanada gallega" is a large pie cut into portions, while Latin American versions are hand-sized individual pastries

21. taco

    Taco

    Usage

    Mexican dish: a corn (or wheat) tortilla folded around a filling. Singular is "un taco"; "tacos" is the plural

22. cebiche

    Ceviche (citrus-marinated seafood)

    Usage

    A Pacific-coast dish (Peru, Ecuador, Mexico): raw seafood cured in lime juice with chilli and onion. In Peru it is eaten at lunchtime

    Grammar Note

    The RAE accepts four spellings — cebiche, ceviche, sebiche and seviche. Menus commonly use "ceviche"

23. mole poblano

    Mole poblano

    Usage

    From Puebla, Mexico: a dark sauce of many chillies, spices and cacao poured over chicken. It is not a sweet dish — the cacao adds depth, not sugar

24. arepa

    Arepa (corn cake)

    Usage

    A staple in Colombia and Venezuela: a round griddled corn cake, often split and filled. In Spain, found in Latin American eateries

25. asado

    Asado (grilled meat)

    Usage

    Charcoal-grilled meat in Argentina and Uruguay. The word names both the food and the social gathering; the cook is the "asador", the grill a "parrilla"

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