Presented by: Group 1 &2 Spanish cuisine is heavily influenced by historical processes that shaped local culture and society in some of Europe's Iberian Peninsula territories. Geography and climate have had a great influence on cooking methods and available ingredients. These cooking methods and ingredients are still present in the gastronomy of the various regions that make up Spain. Spanish cuisine derives from a complex history where invasions and conquests of Spain have modified traditions which made new ingredients available. Thus, the current and old cuisine of Spain incorporate old and new traditions. History Lying in southeastern Europe, the Iberian Peninsula contains the countries of Spain and Portugal. Archeologists believe people first inhabited this peninsula about 100,00 years ago. The Iberians settled there 5,000 years ago and built the first cities in Spain. Throughout history, many invading countries left a great impact on the cuisines of Iberia Around 200 B.C., the Romans entered Spain from the south, bringing grapes for wine, garlic, wheat, and olives The Moors, Arabs from North Africa, invaded Spain in 711 AD and ruled for centuries. They introduced various culinary items, including oranges, lemons, and spices. Spanish cuisine, including tapas, became popular and influenced by the Moors. They also introduced cooking techniques like marinating and frying foods in olive oil. Arab influence is evident in Andalusia, southern Spain's cuisine, architecture, and religion. New World. Finally, another major influence on the Iberian cuisines came in the late 1400s when Christopher Columbus and other explorers returned from the New World. Along with their triumphs of discovering new lands and claiming them for Spain or Portugal, these explorers returned to their homeland with tomatoes, Corn, potatoes, sweet peppers, and chocolate from the New World. Empires. When all of the invaders were gone at the end of the fifteenth century, Spaincontrol of lands in South America, North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. They ruled their exinvading Spanish Armada, a fleet of ships that sailed to the British Isles to attack. Between this me and the 1700s, Spain lost the countries it had ruled and lost its rank as a major world power Spanish Inquisition. Under the leadership of King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I. the Spanish established the Spanish Inquisition in 1478. The purpose of this political action was to purge the country of Jewish, Muslim, and Protestant people. Those who did not convert to Catholicism
Geograpy Spain is the third largest and most mountainous European country, with only Switzerland and Austria having more mountains. The country is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and Mediterranean Sea. The climate is characterized by a dry climate with poor soil and meseta-high plateaus, primarily used for sheep and goat grazing. The north receives more precipitation than the south, with hot summers and cold winters. The Pyrenees Mountains, spanning 270 miles across the country, form a barrier separating Spain and Portugal from Europe. The central region produces thin cattle, while the southwest consists of dry basins, which are transformed into fertile farmland by water supply. The Mediterranean region in the south contains fertile plains. The Pyrenees Mountains form a significant barrier separating Spain and Portugal from the rest of Europe. Culinary Traditions In Spain, breakfast is typically at a coffee shop, with street vendors selling churros. In the late morning, tapas are consumed before dinner, followed by comida, a main meal consisting of soup, salad, fish, meat, and dessert. A siesta is followed by a rest period, followed by work. In the evening, people go to a tapas bar for sherry and tapas, and a light supper, cena, is consumed after nine. Cooking Methods During the Middle Ages, Spanish shepherds and nomads used one-pot cookery, with lamb being the most common meat. Braising remains a common cooking method in Spain. The Moors, Arabs from North Africa, introduced grilling and frying to Andalusia, influencing Spanish cuisine. The Moors' cooking techniques permeated Spain, and olive oil became a popular cooking fat. Today, Spain produces a large quantity of olive oil, and exporting it is a major industry. The introduction of olive oil by the Romans and Moors significantly influenced Spanish cuisine. Regional Cuisine
Galicia. This region supports many fishermen and
farmers. Plenty of dairy for milk and cheese and cold weathervegetables like cabbage, potatoes, and apples come from this region. Galicia is the home of the empanada traditionally a meat pie or turnover with soft, flaky crust that appears as a first course or entrée throughout Spain and Latin America. Fillings range from pork to seafood to vegetable mixtures Basque. Situated in the north of Spain, the Basque region contains a rugged terrain that led to significant isolation. Many think the finest and most simple food in Spain comes from this region. The Basque cuisine exhibits strong influence from its neighbor, France. The Basque region and bordering Catalonia are known for their use of many sauces. Because of the terrain, game and many types of mushrooms abound. La Mancha Pigs thrive in Spain due to sparse grazing, resulting in the production of pork and sausages. Air-dried hams and chorizo are popular in this region. The central part of Spain is known as the land of "the hunt," while La Mancha south of Madrid is home to windmills, sheep, and wheat, providing flour for breads. Olla podrida, a stewed casserole, originated in this region. Meat is the primary protein in central Spain, while coastal areas consume seafood. Valencia
Typical Mediterranean foods including oranges and other citrus
fruits, olives, peppers, tomatoes, and grapes grow here as well as in much of southern Spain. In addition, warm water fish and shellfish thrive. The most well-known Spanish dish, paella, probably originated in this region. Named for the pot in which it is cooked, paella is a casserole of saffron-flavored rice with a variety of meats, chicken, seafood, and vegetables.Countless variations of paella flourish throughout Spain, but the constant ingredients include saffron, rice, a variety of seafood, sausage,chicken, and peas. Andalusia. Thyey developed irrigation systems that allowed a wide variety of produce to thrive. Eggplant, tomatoes, peaches, and dates are just a few of the many fruits and vegetables that grow in this region. Exhibiting the Moorish influence, many Andalusian recipes contain cloves, cumin, cinnamon, and other aromatic spices. With borders on the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, this region has access to lots of fish and seafood. It is known for fried foods and as the home of gazpacho, the famous cold tomato vegetable soup Extremadura. Pigs thrive in this region, and a myriad of pork dishes originated here. The profusion of sausages and cured meats found throughout Iberia hails from the western part of Spain, from the times when the rich people kept all the "good parts" of the hogs and gave the peas- ants the "insides" and less desirable parts. To make these parts palatable, the peasants ground them into sausages or created sauces from the blood and other undesirable scraps. Signature Dishes
Olla podrida—Spanish stew made from pork and
beans and a wide variety of other meats and vegetables, often including chickpeas, depending on the recipe used. The meal is traditionally prepared in a clay pot over several hours. A casserole containing almost anything that can be stewed. Escabeche— is the name for a number of dishes in Mediterranean and Latin American cuisines which can refer to a dish of fish or meat (escabeche of chicken, rabbit or pork is common in Spain and Portugal) marinated and cooked in an acidic mixture (vinegar) and colored with pimenton (Spanish paprika) or saffron.
Empanada—a meat pie or turnover with a soft, flaky crust that
appears as a first course or entrée throughout Spain. Tapas—small snack or appetizer eaten in the late morning or early afternoon as snack before the main meal. Tortilla—popular egg dish that resembles an unfolded omelet, usually eaten at room temperature and can be filled with almost everything. Churros—choux pastry dough deep-fried in olive oil
Paella—is a casserole of saffron-flavored rice with a
variety ofmeats, chicken, seafood and vegetables.
Gazpacho—the famous cold tomato soup.
Commonly Used Ingredients
Serrano ham and chorizo sausage
Saffron and Spanish paprika Citrus fruits Parsley Blood sausage— are sausages filled with blood that is cooked or dried and mixed with a filler until it is thick enough to solidify when cooled.
Secrets of traditional Portuguese cookery: A small collection of some of the best traditional recipes Portugal has to offer. Preparation is simplicity itself. 2nd Edition, revised.
Secrets of traditional Portuguese cookery: A small collection of some of the best traditional recipes Portugal has to offer. Preparation is simplicity itself. 2nd Edition, revised.
