Spanish Cuisine

Spanish cuisine is one of the most distinctive, and subjectively one of the best, on the planet. Characterized by the incredible diversity of the Iberian peninsula, from arid highlands to temperate coasts to expanses of deciduous forest, and a robust culture that celebrates the act of feasting and wine-drinking, Spain's cuisine has developed an international reputation second only to that of its neighbor, France.

Two of the most prolific facets of Spanish cuisine are jamon iberico (Iberian ham) and paella, a hearty rice dish studded with seafood and seasoned with saffron, a highly expensive spice that is a remnant of the hugely profitable spice trade present in the Mediterranean centuries before.

Spanish ham has a well-deserved reputation of being the world's best. This isn;t just conjecture, either; twice the IFFA Delicat has selected jamon iberico as "The Best Ham In The World". Jamon iberico is characterized by a unique dry aging process, and a diet of acorns that is fed to the pigs. (Quick anecdote here; when my cousin Zac spent a semester in Madrid, one assignment was to interview locals about local culinary traditions. One of the questions was "Who produces the best ham in the world?", and the immediate response was always "Espana!", coupled with an affronted look. And when he would ask "Who has the second best ham in the world?", the bewildered interviewee would stare at him again and say "Espana!". Such is the confidence in their own cuisine.) .

All in all, Spanish cuisine is highly important on a world stage, mainly based on its sense of tradition; this point will allow me to segue into my next post, where I will talk about the proliferation of molecular gastronomy in the Spanish culinary universe, and why this is a huge deal, on a cultural and international front.