Spain
April 16, 2024
Minutes To Read: 2

The seven gastronomic wonders of Spain

Spanish omelette1
The Andalusian gazpacho, the fabada, the chilindrón chicken, the Mallorcan Ensaimada, the Catalan cream, the wrinkled potatoes with mojo picón, the Iberian ham, the omelette, the nougat ... Do they sound familiar to you? They are some of the best dishes in our kitchen, foods that, among others, have been taken into account when choosing the 7 Gastronomic Wonders of Spain. This is an initiative carried out by Allianz Global Assistance to "defend the importance of Spanish gastronomy as a means of cultural expression."

The objective of this initiative was to select the best dishes of national gastronomy in order to accumulate social support to propose a candidacy of Spanish gastronomy as an Intangible Good of Humanity before the Unesco, as well as countries like Japan, Mexico and France have done. To do this, they launched a contest in which users could choose their best dish from Spanish gastronomy among 20 options. Do you want to know what the winners have been? We show you below!

Wrinkled potatoes

The famous wrinkled potatoes with mojo picón from the Canary Islands have been the most voted dish. As they explain from Allianz Global Assistance, it is not surprising that the potato is a very important ingredient in the gastronomy of this area of Spain, since the islands were a port of passage for trips from America which, as you know, is the land of origin of this food. The dish consists of cooking small potatoes with skin in salted water and serving them with mojo picón.

Iberian Ham

In the second place on the list we find Iberian ham, which should not be confused with Serrano ham. And it is that while the second comes from white pigs, the Iberian comes from Iberian pigs. Of course, it is important to note that there are four types of denominations: Iberian Cebo Ham, Iberico Cebo Field Ham, Iberico Bellota Ham and 100% Iberico Bellota Ham.

Galician octopus

In third position we find the Galician octopus, also known as pulpo a feira. It is a traditional Galician dish that is prepared by emptying the entrails of the animal and cooking it to soften the meat. When the octopus reaches the right point of purity, it is cut into slices and drizzled with olive oil and paprika. It is also usually accompanied by coarse salt and cooked potatoes.

Valencian paella

As it could not be otherwise, the Valencian paella is also present in this list. Although there are many variations, some experts claim that the original recipe is made up of rice, rabbit and chicken meat, carafe, tomato, saffron and green beans. As for the name, it refers to the huge circular frying pan in which it is cooked, which is also known as paella pan.

Omelette

Spanish tortilla
Also on the list is the Spanish omelette, one of the most typical dishes in our country. In addition, it is important to note that this is a simple recipe: it consists of mixing beaten egg with previously fried potatoes. There are many who also add onion. Some research assures that the dish comes from the town of Villanueva de la Serena, in Badajoz.

Quesada Pasiega

In sixth place we find the quesada pasiega, whose origin dates back to medieval times. It is a traditional dish from the Autonomous Community of Cantabria that does not contain cheese in its original recipe. Thus, the base is made with cow's milk Curd mixed with butter, sugar, wheat flour, eggs, a touch of cinnamon and lemon zest.

Murcian parakeets

Murcian parakeets
Finally, we have to talk about the Murcian paparajotes, a dessert of Arab origin of simple elaboration. It is prepared by coating the leaves of lemon Tree in a mixture of egg, milk and flour and frying them in boiling olive oil. To finish, add a touch of sugar and cinnamon.