Red-yellow-red

Grab a glass of red Rioja with pan con tomate and jamón ibérico. For yellow, there's paella with saffron in it, patatas bravas and Spanish tortilla. It is not at all difficult to recreate the flag with the delicious food from the land of the sun.
Text: Marjolein Schuman | Image: René Mesman

There is no better way to get to know a country than through its cuisine. Every major event in history leaves traces on the dinner table. Spanish cuisine is a tasty fusion of Arab, Jewish, French and even Italian influences, fanned out across its different regions. 

Little trappings

Cooking in Spain is done with minimal but high-quality produce and the cuisine has few frills. A jar of paprika, a bag of onions, garlic, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves will do the trick, so to speak. Do choose the very best ingredients you can find, even if it means cooking with the seasons. Ripe, sweet tomatoes really do make a better tomato sauce. Modestly enjoying everything the country has to offer, that's what it's all about. The same story applies to wine.

Classic tapa

From the new Bible of Spanish cuisine, written by Raquel Palla Lorden, we get to share recipes with WINELIFE readers and we give wine tips to go with them. First of all, we chose a classic tapa from southern Spain: meatballs in tomato sauce. Make some more of a tapa and you turn this into a main dish - and vice versa, of course. Next, we prepare two dishes with fish and potatoes in them. Common ingredients, because on the Spanish coasts all sorts of things are angled from the sea, and potatoes belong to the land like oranges do

Further reading? You will find more information in WINELIFE Magazine, issue 88. You can order this here. 

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