Spanish Cuisine

Spanish cuisine

1.Paella, its origin

Paella was originally farmer's meal and it was prepared for dinner. It consisted rice and any other available ingredients that poor people had at home. The snail was a very popular ingredient because the farmers were poor and they did not have enough money for other ingredients like what is used nowadays such as shrimps, fish, and oysters. Valencia paella also includes rabbit, duck, chicken, tomatoes, beans and onions. Saffron was added to give to more flavors, color and the aroma to the dish. This famous dish is cooked in a circular iron casserole and typically comes with a wooden spoon. The casserole has two handles in every side and it was cooked on a wooden fire. Today, paella becomes more famous and diverse due to other Hispanic countries that cook different kinds of paella, with different tastes and different ingredients.

There are many different types and many different ways to prepare it. Paella is very popular in restaurants and many tourists want to try it. Since Valencia is on the coast, the main ingredients have become seafood in the paella today. This seafood includes squid, mussels, and clams. Paella is a local pride for Valencia and many people compete to make it better than other countries.

2. Gazpacho, its origin

Gazpacho is a Spanish soup. While it is of an uncertain origin, its possible origin is Andalusia. Andalusia is the most populated and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities. In Andalusia summers are very dry and extremely hot. Gazpacho is a soup that unlike common soups is served cold and in a clay pot that helps keep it cool and give it a distinctive flavor.

Gazpacho was prepared with bread, olive oil and vinegar but today's gazpacho's ingredients are: bread into pieces, olive oil, vinegar and some raw vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and garlic. It was a popular soup in the south of Spain for centuries. Different regions of Spain were changing their ingredients according to what is most abundant in each region, or the tastes of each region.

The best known and the most popular gazpacho is Andalusian gazpacho and can be also prepared hot. The hot gazpacho is known by the name of gazpacho manchego and is from La Mancha and is located in Castile-La Mancha in central Spain.

The gazpacho manchego (hot) consist of a meat dish (soupy stew) served hot. Based rabbit, partridge and hare.

http://www.ecured.cu/index.php/Cocina_Española

http://cocina.facilisimo.com/reportajes/ingredientes/arroz-pasta-cereal/la-paella_184685.html

http://www.solocarnes.com/ver-articulo.php?id=80

How to prepare