15 Traditional Spanish foods you must try in 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.