Spain, gastronomic destination par excellence
Wine, ham and olive oil are some of the elements that best define Spanish culinary culture. From north to south, the country offers a wide variety of native and local products of outstanding quality, although dishes from from all over the world can also be enjoyed.
Hero image: Destinations by DES - Desislava Panteva Photography
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1 Rioja wines
The DOC Rioja is probably the best-known in the world. With more than a century of tradition, Bodegas Riojanas produces one of the region’s most classic Tempranillos in Cenicero Monte Real.
With the arrival of autumn, other provinces such as Navarra become an authentic paradise for collecting mushrooms. Enjoying some delicious cream of mushroom soup is a must when it comes to learning about Navarra’s culinary culture. The Rioja Vega Edición Limitada, a wine with great personality, is the perfect pairing.If you’re in the area and keen to know everything you can about this product, don’t miss Marqués de Riscal’s City of Wine, a unique site dedicated exclusively to the world of wine.
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2 The kitchens of Castile and León
When it comes to gastronomy, Castile and León can be considered a continent in and unto itself due to the immense variety of traditional dishes in each of its nine provinces. Besides the well-known Burgos blood sausage, the cecina (a kind of jerky) from León and the hornazo (meat pie) de León, if there’s one thing the area’s restaurants are famous for it’s the size of their servings.
Be sure to enjoy them with Ribera del Duero wines, such as a Reserva from Matarromera or a Rueda made from an extraordinarily high-quality grape: el verdejo de José Pariente.
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3 International tastings in the capital
The capital is where you are most likely to find a variety of international products in restaurants and some of the more traditional places, like the San Miguel Market, also offer foreign products, such as oysters from Daniel Sorlut, from the Charente-Maritime region on the French coast. Another emblematic Spanish food is acorn-fed Iberian ham. Joselito – whose ham has been declared the world’s best – also has its own bistro on Velázquez Street.
The perfect accompaniment for these delicacies are close by and accessible in the city: Viña Albali and Los Molinos from Félix Solis are undisputed sales leaders, as is the Cremositos del Zújar, from Badajoz, named the world’s second-best cheese in the 29th edition of the World Cheese Awards.
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4 The third in discord: olive oil from the south
Andalusian olive oil is Spain’s liquid gold. The Seville-based brand La Española is the oldest and can be found in more than 100 markets worldwide, from China to Brazil. The south also has wines produced by foreigners. The Tesalia winery, located in Arcos de la Frontera, was founded by the Goldings. This English family fell in love with a small town in Cádiz and decided to follow their dream of helping Andalusia finding its place on the world’s map of great red wines.
Don’t forget to post your foodie efforts on the social networks, because Bodegas Izadi is on the hunt for the top foodie on Instagram in its The Best Foodie contest. Open until 15 November, the winner will take away a €5,000 prize.
