Traveling through Spain: the best regional dishes

Spain has one of the most varied cuisines in the world, and just like the landscape of the country - from the verdant north to the arid south - each region has something distinctive to offer. Here are the top mouth-watering dishes served in 12 dominant regions. Buen Provecho!

Originating in Andalucia but popular all over the country, Gazpacho is a blended raw vegetable soup, always served chilled during the hot summer months.

One of the jewels of Spanish cuisine, Ternasco is smoothly textured lamb with soft fat, marinated in red wine, and slowly roasted for maximum flavour.

Photo: Natalia Gusakova / Unsplash

Fabada, the warming signature dish of Asturias, is a rich butter bean stew, often served with morcilla, and designed to stave off the cold.

Found all over the Balearic Islands but particular to Majorca, Sobrassada is a soft, spreadable chorizo, packed with paprika and bursting with flavour.

Changurro is the meat of the European Spider crab. A delicacy of sorts, this well-flavoured crustacean is a staple of Basque cuisine.

Photo: Mael Balland / Unsplash

Ropa Viejo translates as ‘dirty clothes’ but don’t let that put you off. Popular across the Canary Islands, this simple Latin dish is a flank beef and tomato stew with a sofrito base.

Photo: Senuscape / Pexels

Traditionally grown around the city of Valls in Tarragona, Catalonia, Calçots are a type of green slender onion with a special designated status. Sweet, nutty, and truly unique, only calçots from this region can be considered ‘true’.

Cocido Madrilena is Spain’s ultimate comfort food. Simple but effective, several types of meat are stewed with winter vegetables - garbanzo beans, potatoes - then set aside to cool. The strained broth, mixed with vermicelli noodles, cleverly provides the first course too.

A popular tapa all over Spain, this moreish dish of chopped, boiled octopus served with potatoes, olive oil, and sweet paprika originates from the northwestern shores of Galicia.

Photo: Mecej Gerszewski / Unsplash

A classic Spanish dish often served in La Rioja and Navarra, Menestra de Verduras is a panache of seasonal vegetables and Jamon Iberico, cooked in stock and served with battered vegetables.

Photo: Jacobo Maiarelli / Unsplash

Perhaps the dish that most typifies Spain, Paella is a rice-based people pleaser that originates from Valencia but transcends being a regional specialty. Whether made with seafood or rabbit (never chicken and chorizo!) it’s a communal experience, where every grain gets scraped from the pan.

Photo: Armando Brenlha/Unsplash

Zarangollo is often on the menu in the Murcian countryside and is frequently served in tapas bars across the region. The dish is essentially courgettes, onion, and occasionally potatoes, sliced finely, fried in olive oil, and then mixed into scrambled eggs.

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