Pulses are the mainstay of Spanish food making a hearty filling dish for the main mid-day meal, which would normally consist of chickpeas, beans or lentils.
A popular tapas, especially around Seville, is chickpeas with salt cod. They also appear in cocido which is basically a stew which is served in two parts. The first part would be the chickpeas, vegetables and stock served as a soup and the second course would be the meat, chicken legs, ham bones, pork fat, chorizo or black pudding and more often than not, hard boiled eggs.
Years ago the cooking pot or meat on a large platter would have been put in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves with fingers and bread!
Herbs and Spices in Spanish Cuisine
Almost any dish starts with a largish quantity of onion and lots of garlic, many recipes call for a whole head to be used. Bayleaves are a popular adddition to stews and rice dishes and are often crumbled in marinades.
Green coriander is a popular herb along with fennel, mint, parsley, oregano and the rampant wild rosemary and thyme, all of which can be found growing in the vegetable garden or in the hills and are dried for use in the winter months. Although rosemary isn´t used in many original recipes.
Chilli peppers are commonly grown and dried but used very sparingly in Spanish recipes but paprika, made from sweet red peppers is widely used and comes in three varieties.
Different Types of Paprika
- sweet - dulce
- mild and smoky - agridulce
- hot - picante
Paprika generally comes in tins and keeps fairly well it is used in many dishes but the main one is for colouring flavouring and preservative properties in chorizo, black pudding and other typical sausages. Try the different types for a tasty change.
Saffron is a widely known and used spice, cultivated in Spain since 960 AD. It is the dark orange stamen from the crocus sativus a purple autumn-flowering crocus, used for more for the yellow colour it imparts to dishes than for its flavour which can be slightly bitter.
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