Ajoblanco
Soup · Andalucía
A chilled almond and garlic soup finished with grapes or melon.
Pair with: A youngFino Sherry.
Knowledge Center · Food Guide
The Spanish Food Dictionary
An A–Z of the Spanish dishes and tapas you'll want to know before a bodega trip — from the Basque coast to Andalucía — with a wine to pour alongside each.
Albóndigas
Tapa
Pork or veal meatballs in a tomato or almond sauce.
Pair with: A youthfulRioja Crianza.
Bacalao al Pil Pil
Fish · Basque Country
Salt cod cooked slowly in olive oil, garlic and chilli until the sauce turns creamy.
Pair with: Txakolior a barrel-agedRueda.
Boquerones en Vinagre
Tapa · Andalucía
Fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar, garlic and parsley.
Pair with: Manzanilla Sherry.
Callos a la Madrileña
Stew · Madrid
Beef tripe stewed with chorizo, morcilla, chickpeas and paprika.
Pair with: A rusticGarnachafrom Gredos.
Chorizo
Cured meat
Pork sausage seasoned with smoked pimentón — cooking-grade or cured for slicing.
Pair with: Rioja Reserva.
Churros con Chocolate
Dessert
Fried dough sticks dipped in thick drinking chocolate — breakfast or midnight snack.
Pair with: Pedro Ximénez Sherry.
Cochinillo Asado
Meat · Segovia / Castilla y León
Milk-fed suckling pig roasted so tender it's carved with a plate.
Pair with: Ribera del Duero Crianza.
Croquetas
Tapa
Crisp-crumbed béchamel fritters folded with ham, chicken or salt cod.
Pair with: A dryAmontillado.
Empanada Gallega
Bread · Galicia
A flat pie of yeasted dough filled with tuna, peppers and onion.
Pair with: Albariño.
Escalivada
Vegetable · Catalonia
Aubergines, peppers and onions roasted over embers, peeled and dressed with olive oil.
Pair with: A youngPriorat.
Fabada Asturiana
Stew · Asturias
Fat white beans stewed with chorizo, morcilla and cured pork shoulder.
Pair with: ACider — or a robustMencía.
Gambas al Ajillo
Tapa
Prawns sizzled in olive oil with garlic and dried chilli.
Pair with: Rueda Verdejo.
Gazpacho
Soup · Andalucía
A cold blended soup of tomato, cucumber, pepper, garlic and olive oil.
Pair with: A chilledFino Sherry.
Huevos Rotos
Tapa
Fried eggs broken over crisp potatoes and slices of jamón or chorizo.
Pair with: A youngTempranillo.
Jamón Ibérico
Cured meat · Extremadura / Andalucía
Acorn-fed black pig ham, cured for years and hand-sliced translucent.
Pair with: A vintageFinoor a leanTempranillo.
Lechazo
Meat · Castilla y León
Milk-fed lamb roasted in a wood-fired clay oven.
Pair with: Ribera del Duero Reserva.
Manchego
Cheese · La Mancha
Firm, buttery sheep's milk cheese aged from 3 months to over a year.
Pair with: AnAmontilladoor a matureRioja Gran Reserva.
Migas
Bread
Stale bread crumbs fried with garlic, paprika, chorizo and grapes.
Pair with: A rusticGarnacha.
Morcilla
Cured meat · Burgos / León
Blood sausage seasoned with rice, onion and spices.
Pair with: Bierzo Mencía.
Paella Valenciana
Rice · Valencia
The original: bomba rice cooked over a wide pan with rabbit, chicken, snails and green beans.
Pair with: A rosado fromUtiel-Requena.
Pan con Tomate
Bread · Catalonia
Grilled bread rubbed with ripe tomato, garlic and olive oil.
Pair with: Cava Brut Nature.
Patatas Bravas
Tapa
Fried potato cubes with a smoky pimentón-tomato sauce and garlic aioli.
Pair with: A youngTempranillo.
Pimientos de Padrón
Tapa · Galicia
Small green peppers blistered in olive oil and finished with sea salt — one in ten is fiery.
Pair with: Albariño.
Pisto Manchego
Vegetable · La Mancha
A ratatouille-like stew of tomato, courgette, aubergine and pepper.
Pair with: A lightTempranillorosado.
Pulpo a la Gallega
Fish · Galicia
Boiled octopus sliced onto potatoes, dusted with pimentón and olive oil.
Queso de Cabrales
Cheese · Asturias
A pungent, cave-aged blue cheese wrapped in leaves.
Pair with: Pedro Ximénez Sherry.
Rabo de Toro
Stew · Andalucía / Rioja
Oxtail slow-braised in red wine with vegetables until fall-off-the-bone tender.
Pair with: Rioja Gran Reserva.
Salmorejo
Soup · Córdoba
A thicker cousin of gazpacho, bound with bread and topped with jamón and egg.
Pair with: A chilledFino.
Sepia a la Plancha
Fish
Cuttlefish flash-grilled on a hot iron with garlic, parsley and lemon.
Pair with: Rueda Verdejo.
Tortilla Española
Tapa
The thick omelette of egg, potato and slow-cooked onion.
Pair with: A youngRiojaorCava.
Turrón
Dessert · Alicante
A honey, almond and egg-white nougat eaten at Christmas.
Pair with: Moscatel de Valencia.
Zarzuela de Mariscos
Fish · Catalonia
A saffron-scented seafood stew with fish, prawns, mussels and squid.
Pair with: A barrel-fermentedXarel·lo.