Comida

Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes, which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround thecountry, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots. Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has led to an array of unique cuisines with literally thousands of recipes and flavours. It isalso renowned for its health benefits and fresh ingredients, as Mediterranean diet.

Spanish cooking has popular roots. It is the people's cuisine. Most of it is down-to-earth, uncomplicated food,based on the ingredients available locally or the crops grown regionally. Mountains run through Spain in several directions, acting as natural barriers to communication and making transportationdifficult until the last half of the 20th century. This is one of the reasons why cooking differs so much from region to region.

A Classic Tapa: Spanish Potato Omelet
Also called Tortilla de Patata orSpanish Omelet, it topped our list of favorite tapas. In Spain bars serve it as a tapa, but it is often eaten for dinner in Spanish homes. It's portable, which makes it great to take to holidayparties, too!

Tocinillo de Cielo - Custard from Heaven

Many Spanish and Latin Americans have fond memories of eating grandma's Tocinillo de Cielo as children. This treat is sweet and sticky, and rich!According to many, the dessert originated hundreds of years ago in the convents of Jerez, when egg whites were used to clarify sherry and other wines. The yolks weren't needed, so they were donatedto the nuns, who produced this easy, yet heavenly dessert.

Red, White and Blue Dessert for the 4th of July

Fresh blueberries and yogurt are mixed into this version of thetraditional quesadarecipe, so it is lower calorie. Because yogurtquesada is very simple and uses a single bowl to prepare, it is a popular version in households all over Spain. Top our blueberry version with whipped cream...