the appetizer:
Though Spanish cuisine has roots in Roman and Mediterranean cooking, influence from Jewish and Moorish settlers differentiates Spain's cooking from the rest of Europe. Later, Spanish conquistadores brought back numerous foods from the Americas that were then introduced to the rest of Europe, including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and beans.
Spain
Festivals & Feasts
The Spanish are wild for festivals. Look at their most insane one, Pamplona's Running of the Bulls. What a crazy thing to do! But don't belittle the bullfights to a Spaniard—the bullfights are the country's finest art and the only time when punctuality matters in Spain.
Month by month, here are some key festivals where food plays a larger than usual role:
Feb/March
Carnival
—in Cadiz, and also Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands
—on Ash Wednesday
—the last festival before Lent, so everyone parties hard
—consumption of mass quantities of food and drink
—mood: reckless abandon, wild rhythms, vivid costumes
June
Haro, the Wine War in La Rioja
—a messy battle—people use bota bags to squirt wine at each other —later they actually drink the famous Rioja wine
July
Running of the Bulls
—Pamplona
—July 6-14
—Festivities for this San Fermin Festival include much drunken revelry. Why else would anyone want to run with the bulls. But even the experts advise: being drunk while running is a sure way to get trampled or gorged. It's a truly sobering experience.
August:
Tomatina—Tomato Fight in the Town Square
See the Tomatina story for more information. This event is a riot—literally.
Spain
- Backgrounder
- Customs & Hospitality
- What toEat
- Menu Guide
- Festivals & Feasts
- Tapas
- The Tomatina (Tomato Fight)
Spanish Cookbooks with Recipes
- Catalan Cuisine by Colman Andrews
- El Farol: Tapas and Spanish Cuisine by James Campbell Caruso
- My Kitchen in Spain by Janet Mendel
- Savoring Spain & Portugal by Joyce Goldstein
- Olive Oil: From Tree to Table by Peggy Knickerbocker
- The Basque Table by Teresa Barrenechea
- The Best of Gourmet Magazine: Flavors of Spain
Tapas by Penelope Casas
Recipes
- Fried Goat Cheese with Onion Confit
Queso de Cabra Frito Sobre Cebolla Confitada - Vegetable and Goat Cheese "Lasagna"
Lasana de Verduritas con Queso de Cabra - Fried Beer-Marinated Chicken Wings with Salsa Brava
Alitas de Pollo Marinadas en Cerveza con Salsa Brava
- Fried Goat Cheese with Onion Confit
More Spanish Tapas Recipes
- Alioli Potatoes
- Bravas Potatoes
- Chicken Croquettes
- Fried Almonds
- Fried Calamares
- Fried Olives
- Red Pepper with Anchovies
- Salt Cod Fritters
- Shrimps with Garlic
- Spanish Orange Tart
- Spanish Tortilla
- White Beans with Vinaigrette Sauce
Back to the main Spain page
Spain on Wikipedia
More country Destinations
This page modified January 2007
Return to the
Global Gourmet®
Main Page
Global Gourmet®
Shopping
Gourmet Food, Cookbooks
Kitchen Gadgets & Gifts
Advanced Search
Recent Searches
Departments
Kate's Global Kitchen
Kate's Books
Cookbook Profiles
Global Destinations
Holiday & Party Recipes
I Love Desserts
On Wine
Shopping
New Green Basics
Cooking with Kids
Archives
Conversions, Charts
& Substitutions
Forums/Message Boards
Search
About the
Global Gourmet®
Contact Info
Advertising
Feedback
Privacy Statement
IACP Cookbook
Award Winners
Fish Forever
Local Breads
Asian Flavors (Jean-Georges)
Morimoto: Japanese Cooking
Chocolates & Confections
Julia Child
Cook with Jamie
The World Atlas of Wine
Food: The History of Taste
Cook Everything Vegetarian
All Cookbook Winners
JBF Cookbook
Award Winners
River Cottage Meat Book
My Bombay Kitchen
Country Cooking of France
Whole Grain Breads
The EatingWell Diet
Cooking
Geography of Oysters
All Cookbook Winners
Classic Cookbooks
Betty Crocker Why It Works
The Bon Appétit Cookbook
Joy of Cooking
Fifth Taste...Umami
The Professional Chef
New American Cooking
Vegetable Love
Vegetarian Cookbooks
Copyright © 1994-2008,
Forkmedia LLC
The Global Gourmet® — www.globalgourmet.com