May 13, 2021 by Nicole Canún Our Top Picks 0 comments

10 Spanish Dishes that Influenced Global Cuisine

Spanish dishes are made of a splendid mix of cultural influences!

You can taste the Greek and Mediterranean heritage in its use of olive oil and spices and the Venician flavor in its sauces. Arabic cuisine influenced many Spanish dishes, and prehispanic American contributions include tomatoes, vanilla, chocolate, and potatoes.

Read on to learn about 10 incredible Spanish dishes and how they’ve spread internationally to impact thousands of palates worldwide.

¡Probemos!
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10 Influential Spanish Dishes

Spanish cuisine has influenced culinary traditions in many countries worldwide. Its unique style has traveled to America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa, finding a place at faraway tables. Check out these 10 globally influential—and delicious—Spanish dishes.

1. Paella Valenciana – Valencian Paella

This world-famous Spanish dish includes arroz (rice), garrofón seeds, aceite de oliva (olive oil), jitomate (tomato), ajo (garlic), sal (salt), judías verdes (green beans), agua (water), pollo (chicken), and azafrán (saffron). This unique spice is responsible for the yellow color of the rice and gives it a unique taste.

Other common ingredients include caracoles (snails), conejo (rabbit), romero (rosemary), pimentón (paprika), pato (duck), costillas de cerdo (pork ribs), and albóndigas (meatballs). Paella ingredients vary from town to town, region to region and country to country.

In Mexico, we eat paella with tocino (bacon), chorizo, salchicha de coctel (cocktail sausage), carne de res (beef), carne de puerco (pork), camarones (shrimp), calamares (squid), pulpo (octopus), mejillones (mussels), almejas (clams), pimientos verdes, amarillos y rojos (green, yellow and red peppers), chícharos (peas), and alcachofas (artichokes).

2. Tapas y Pintxos – Tapas and Skewers

Nothing compares to eating tapas at the Barcelona Ramblas during sunset. Or having pinchos. These Spanish dishes are famous for their variety and practicality.

Tapas are small rations of a main course, such as jamón serrano (Serrano ham) to caviar and salmon over a goat cheese bedding with a bread base. You need to use cutlery to eat them.

Pintxos is Catalan for the Spanish word pinchos. It comes from the verb pinchar, which means “to skewer.” Pintxos are smaller than tapas and have few ingredients. They are served as snacks and side dishes.

You can find tapas and pintxos in the U.S., Peru, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, and Argentina, and other countries.

3. Tortilla Española – Spanish Omelette

This delicious Spanish dish is a mix of eggs, starched potatoes, olive oil, and onions. It actually doesn’t look like an omelette at all; it looks more like a cake. It is pan-fried on both sides.

The tortilla española is served in almost all Spanish-speaking countries but is often eaten as a breakfast in Latin America. A Mexican variant is to put it inside a bolillo (a large bread roll or small baguette) with jalapeño chiles and to make a torta (Mexican sandwich). It is delicious!

4. Jamón serrano – Iberian ham / Serrano ham

Many Spanish dishes are cooked or baked with Iberian ham. Whether you have it as a snack or entree, you will experience an incomparable flavor representative of this Mediterranean country.

Iberian pork legs are sliced, salted and left to dry before getting to your table. It is a long process but it is worth it for two reasons:

This procedure modifies proteins and lipids, making it lighter and healthier than its fresh version.
It’s delicious! After being salted to perfection, they package it carefully so the slices won’t harden.

Pro-tip: If you go to a carnicería (butcher shop), ask the butcher for extra thin slices so you can make ham rolls. If you like, you can add melon pieces to the plate. It is surprising how well they go together. This snack will give your social gatherings a special touch!

5. Albóndigas – Meatballs

Albóndiga comes from the Arab term, “al-bunduqa,” which means “ball.” As you may remember from history class, Arabs besieged Spain for 800 years. So, many Spanish dishes were influenced by Arabic cuisine.

According to the traditional recipe, you need ajo (garlic), perejil (parsley), zanahorias (carrots), huevos (eggs), pan molido (bread powder), aceite (oil), sal (salt), pimienta (pepper), harina (flour), carne de puerco (pork meat), carne de ternera (veal), leche (milk), and nuez moscada (nutmeg) to make the meatballs. You can either bake them for 10 minutes or fry them until they are crujiente (crunchy).

To make the sauce, you mix cebolla (onion), ajo (garlic), aceite (oil), harina (flour), tomates fritos (fried tomatoes), vino blanco (white wine), agua (water), nuez moscada (nutmeg), and concentrado de carne (meat concentrate).

To get an idea of how much this Spanish food has influenced the world, see how people from around the world cook them:

Italians: albahaca (basil), bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, ground beef and salchicha italiana (Italian sausage).
Australians: Curry powder, clavo (cloves), italian seasoning, margarine, ketchup, white vinegar, café (coffee), jugo de limón (lemon juice), and azúcar morena (brown sugar).
Germans: with sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) and Worcestershire sauce.
Mexicans: with chipotle, jugo de carne (beef stock), tomato puree and boiled eggs as stuffing.
Americans: oregano, tomillo (thyme), vinagre balsámico (balsamic vinegar), tocino (bacon), brown sugar, mozzarella.
French: mantequilla (butter), sausage, thyme, and hojas de perejil (parsley leaves).
Chinese: green onions, soy sauce, water chestnuts, pineapple juice, cornstarch, and jengibre (ginger).
Japanese: Miso paste, grated, ginger, cebollín (scallions), maicena (cornstarch), limes, mirin seasoning.
Egyptians: Basmati rice, kale, yellow onion, cúrcuma (turmeric), comino (cumin), aleppo pepper, cilantro (coriander), star anise.

Hand-picked for you: 200+ Vocabulary Words of Herbs and Spices.

6. Gazpacho – Tomato Cold Soup

Of all the Spanish dishes, this is by far the most controversial. People either love or hate it. While not everyone is into cold soup, I have to say, it is enjoyable in warm weather.

Ingredients include pepino (cucumber), tomato, onion, black pepper, green pepper, olive oil, garlic, vinegar, pan (bread), and salt. The hot summers of Andalucia—gazpacho’s birthplace—explain the temperature of the soup.

Variations of this Spanish recipe include jamón (ham) in Cuba, aguacate (avocado) in Colombia, and fruits like piña (pineapple), mango, and jicama in Mexico.

7. Pulpos a la Gallega – Galician Octopus

Octopus, salt, paprika, and olive oil—this Spanish dish’s perfection relies on simplicity. After boiling the octopus, slice it in chunks and serve it over a wood plank. Add olive oil and sprinkle salt and paprika to taste.

Pulpos a la gallega (Galician octopus) has a Mediterranean flavor. The tradition of desalinating the octopus comes from the Greeks.

The rest of the recipe and process was created to accommodate societies that didn’t have refrigeration. People from León used to dry the octopus from Galicia to conserve it. They would rehydrate it with olive oil and season it with paprika and coarse salt.

8. Rabo de Toro – Bull Tail

This Spanish delicacy is known for its unique flavor. It has been eaten since ancient Roman times, but the modern recipe was born in Cordoba, Spain.

Traditionally served with onions, carrots, laurel (bay leaves), tomato, garlic, saffron, olive oil, vino tinto (red wine), black pepper, and salt, this tender bull meat is a favorite Spanish dish.

9. Fabada Asturiana – White Fava Bean Stew

This hot stew is perfect for winter weather. It has blood sausage, chorizo, bacon, and pork. Of course, white fava beans are the signature ingredient in a traditional fabada Asturiana.

Pro-Tip: White beans are frijoles blancos in Spanish, but if you want to sound like a local, try saying judías blancas.

10. Bacalao a la Vizcaína – Biscayne Cod

This Spanish dish was originally cooked with manteca (lard), fried garlic, citroned purple onion, choricero pepper, and bread or galletas (crackers). The cod was easy to conserve and transport on Transatlantic expeditions.

As soon as it arrived in Mexico (New Spain back then), natives began serving it with a tomato and chili sauce. It went back to Europe, where olive oil, thyme, bay-leaves, aceitunas (olives) and alcaparras (capers) were added.

My mom adds potatoes to it so they mediate the salt. She uses chile güero to spice up the bacalao. It is eaten during cuaresma (Lent), and it’s a special dish on Christmas in Mexico. Of all Spanish dishes, this is my personal favorite because it tastes like home.

Spanish Dishes and Ingredients Glossary

Use this glossary as a cheat sheet to practice each term. Consider making flashcards to learn these Spanish words.

Spanish Dishes

La tortilla española – spanish omelette
Las albóndigas – meatballs
Los pulpos a la gallega – galician octopus
El rabo de toro – bull’s tail

Proteins

El conejo – rabbit
El pollo – chicken
Los caracoles – snails
El pato – duck
Las costillas de cerdo – pork ribs
Las albóndigas – meatballs
El tocino – bacon
La salchicha de coctel – cocktail sausage
La carne de res – beef
La carne de puerco – pork
El jamón serrano – serrano ham
Los huevos – eggs
Las salchichas italianas – italian sausage
El jugo de carne – beef stock
Los camarones – shrimp
Los calamares – squid
El pulpo – octopus
Los mejillones – mussels
Las almejas – clams
El salmón – salmon
El caviar – caviar
El queso de cabra – goat cheese
El concentrado de carne – meat concentrate
El queso parmesano – parmesan cheese
La mantequilla – butter
El jamón – ham
La manteca – lard

Condiments, Herbs and Spices

El aceite de oliva – olive oil
El ajo – garlic
La sal – salt
El azafrán – saffron
El romero – rosemary
El pimentón – paprika
El perejil – parsley
El pimienta – pepper
La nuez moscada – nutmeg
El albahaca – basil
El clavo – clove
El tomillo – thyme
El cilantro – coriander
La cúrcuma – turmeric
El comino – cumin
El jengibre – ginger
El laurel – bay leaves
Las alcaparras – capers

Vegetables and Fruits

El jitomate – tomato
Las judías verdes – green beans
Los pimientos verdes – green peppers
Los pimientos amarillos – yellow peppers
Los pimientos rojos – red peppers
Los chícharos – peas
Las alcachofas – artichokes
Las zanahorias – carrots
La cebolla – onions
El perejil – parsley
El cebollín – scallions
El pepino – cucumber
El aguacate – avocado
La piña – pineapple
El mango – mango
La jícama – jicama
Las aceitunas – olives

Cereals Grains and Others

El arroz – rice
El agua – water
La harina – flour
El vino blanco – white wine
El vino tinto – red wine
El café – coffee
El jugo de limón – lemon juice
El azúcar morena – brown sugar
El vinagre balsámico – balsamic vinegar
El vinagre blanco – white vinegar
La maizena – cornstarch
El pan – bread
Las galletas – crackers

What Do You Think?

I hope you enjoyed this article on Spanish dishes and the culinary tour through Castilla y León, País Vasco, Andalucía, Cataluña, Extremadura, Cádiz, Asturias and Galicia provinces.

To immerse yourself in other gastronomic destinations, check out our articles on Puerto Rican food and Peruvian food.

If you try or cook these fantastic platillos, you won’t regret it! What do you think about how classic Spanish and Mediterranean flavors have influenced global cuisine? What other Spanish dishes should be added to this list? Leave a comment and let’s start a conversation!

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Nicole Canún

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Blogger, content creator, and marketer. Proudly Mexican. Been to 30 countries. I love learning from different cultures and trying their cuisines. Obsessed with Asia. Fluent in Spanish and English, not so much in French.