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Travel bucket list ideas:

Last updated: 24 July, 2023

From sizzling prawns to suckling pig, tapas to tortilla, we asked Spain specialist Dana Facaros to select the best Spanish foods and flavours you must try while you’re in Spain.

Table of Contents
pernil asado slow cooked shredded pulled pork close-up on a plate on the table. horizontal top view from above
Experience

Asados

Spain

Asados are roasts, as in suckling pig (cochinillo) or baby lamb (cordero lechal) baked in wood-fired ovens in restaurants called asadores or mesones, and served with potatoes and a salad.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Boquerones – marinated anchovies. close up of a wooden platter of small fish in oil
Experience

Boquerones

Spain

Anchovy fillets marinated in vinegar and salt water, then served with garlic, olive oil and parsley. A very popular summertime tapa, perfect with a cold beer.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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close up of Churros with sugar and chocolate sauce
Experience

Churros

Spain

Deep-fried tubes of dough (think sausage-shaped doughnuts) made for dipping in cups of thick hot chocolate­ a popular snack any time of day.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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close up of a Creme brulee
Experience

Crema Catalana

Spain

Perhaps the most popular dessert in Spain, crema catalana is believed to have inspired the French creme brulee, although it’s made with milk and corn starch instead of cream, and flavoured with orange and cinnamon.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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A view of an appetizer plate of croquettes.
Experience

Croquetas

Spain

Croquettes – thick bechamel filled with jamon serrano, mushrooms,  meat etc, then rolled in egg and breadcrumbs and fried until golden.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Spicy grilled fresh scampi or lobster with garlic and herbs served in a brown ceramic bowl in close up
Experience

Gambas Pil Pil

Spain

Also known as Gambas al Ajillo, these are fat juicy prawns quickly cooked in olive oil with garlic and sweet paprika (pimenton dulce) and sprinkled with parsley.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Close up of a bowl of gazpacho soup with fresh cucumber
Experience

Gazpacho

Spain

The refreshing summertime classic from Andalusia: a cold salad-soup made from chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and onions, thickened with bread crumbs.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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An overhead photo of a Spanish cold meats platter with jamon and payes sausage, with green olives, on a dark background.
Experience

Jamon Serrano

Spain

Those air-cured hams hanging from the ceiling in a Spanish bar are a national delicacy, and always sliced paper thin. Jamon iberico ­– ham made from free-range, acorn-gobbling black Iberian pigs is the most prized (and expensive)

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Spanish manchego cheese portion with a special cutting knife on a wooden board
Experience

Manchego

Spain

Spain’s best-known cheese, made from sheep’s milk, is rich and tangy. When aged up to two years (Manchego Viejo) it becomes more piquant, and often sliced as a tapa.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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paella dish with rice, prawns and mussels
Experience

Paella

Spain

The rice and saffron dish that originated in Valencia but has become popular everywhere in various forms – the classic paella includes peas, rabbit and chicken, although you’re more likely to find it with seafood.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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cubed potatoes covered in spicy pink mayonaisse
Experience

Patatas Bravas

Spain

A classic tapa invented in 1960 in Madrid: golden fried cubes of potato with a ‘bold’ spicy sauce made with tomatoes or red peppers, garlic, paprika, cumin, vinegar and chili pepper.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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pieces of fish and seafood in fried batter
Experience

Pescado Frito

Spain

A mixed fish fry, which may contain fresh anchovies, hake, sole, pawns and squid rings, lightly dredged  in flour and perfectly cooked in hot olive oil until crispy but still moist inside.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Fried green peppers Padron with olive oil and sea salt. Traditional Spanish tapas.
Experience

Pimientos de Padron

Spain

Little green peppers from Galicia are another tapas classic throughout Spain: although most are mild, some are spicy hot. They are sautéed in olive oil with a bit of garlic and sprinkled with salt.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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shop counter with plates of small tapas treats
Experience

Tapas

Spain

Small dishes served in bars (the name comes from the plates covering glasses to keep out dust and flies). Pinchos (or pintxos in Basque) are tapas served on slices of bread, attached with a toothpick.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Spanish omelette with potatoes and onion, typical Spanish cuisine. Tortilla espanola. Rustic dark background
Experience

Tortilla

Spain

Not to be confused with the Mexican flatbread, a Spanish tortilla is a thick, golden omelette packed with onion and potato, served warm or cold in wedges.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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