Spain is celebrated for being one of the most culturally rich nations in the world and is epitomised by its gastronomy, with each region boasting several amazing dishes. The quality of Spanish cuisine is shown in its accolades, with around 210 restaurants currently holding a Michelin star or better. El País Vasco, a small region in the north of Spain, actually holds the most three Michelin-starred restaurants of all the regions, and the town of San Sebastián includes 2 of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Cataluña is, however, probably the most recognised region in Spain for food, the main hotspot being Barcelona. In general, Spanish cuisine is so successful because of the quality of ingredients - there is a wide variety of climates, landscapes, and environments perfect for the cultivation of local products of the highest quality. Also, its coastlines are host to some of the best fresh fish and other seafood in the world.
One of the most notable Spanish chefs currently is José Andrés, who moved to the USA at age 21 to try to kickstart his career. He has plenty of successful restaurants in America where he has promoted the idea of small plates/tapas to a wide audience. His most famous restaurant would be Minibar, which has a unique dining experience, including 25 small courses to only 12 diners at a time. Alongside his culinary success, he is a well-known philanthropist who founded the World Central Kitchen, an organisation that provides food to those in need.
The Arzak family is very well recognised for Restaurante Arzak based in El País Vasco. It started as a small wine shop and tavern and thanks to Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena, it has developed into a world-renowned 3 Michelin-starred restaurant which still cooks local Basque cuisine.
Probably the most famous Spanish restaurant of all time is El Bulli, which is based in Cataluña and run by Ferrna Adrià. Unfortunately, it had to close its doors in 2011. This doesn’t take away from its prestige, though, as it was ranked first on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants five times within the space of 8 years. Only open for a couple of seasons a year, reservations were said to have gone for the next year only a single day after closing the current season - it accommodated 8,000 diners a season out of a total of 2 million requests.
Spain is known for many delicacies, and none are more prestigious than high-quality Jamón Ibérico. The Black Iberian pigs are free-range and fed organic grains and nuts, and this special treatment they receive can make the meat very expensive, up to around £1000 per kilogram. The delicious result, however, is a rich, fatty and salty ham cut very thinly by expert “cortadores de jamón”.
A Valencian classic is paella, an amazing dish comprised of rice, vegetables, and different meats or fish. Typically, it is made and served in a paellera, each family or restaurant will have its own way of preparing it, and my personal favourite would be “arroz negro”, which contains squid ink, making the rice black. It is served with prawns, cuttlefish, and other shellfish.
There are of course hundreds of incredible dishes I could choose from, but my favourite each time I visit Spain is always “gambas al ajillo”. Large, fresh prawns are served sizzling in olive oil in a clay dish, with sliced garlic and chilli to top it off. For me this dish embodies Spanish cuisine as a whole - It's the perfect example of high-quality, simple ingredients combining with straightforward techniques to produce something truly exquisite.
