Spanish Cuisine - History & Fun Facts

Introduction:
Like many of the countries on this blog, Spanish cuisine has been shaped by multiple external forces.  In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans introduced olive oil and wine-making.  The Moors, who ruled Spain for over 500 years, brought all kinds of good stuff including rice (think paella), citrus fruits, and spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, and saffron.  As a leader in exploring and colonizing the Americas, Spain was one of the first nations in Europe to discover new foods such as tomatoes, potatoes, corn and peppers.  Many of these "New World" ingredients have become staples in Spanish cooking.

Dishes vary according to region but certain characteristics hold true across the entire country.  Spain is a major producer of pork products including Serrano ham and chorizo.  Fish and seafood are abundant due to the fact that the country is surrounded by water on all sides.  And, like many other European countries, Spain produces a variety of delicious wines and cheeses.

Personally, when I think of Spanish food, two things come to mind: tapas and paella.  I knew I had to incorporate both in my upcoming Spanish dinner and set out to do a bit of research.

Tapas:
The term refers as much to a style of eating as any particular dish.  Tapas are without a doubt one of the most popular exports from Spain - except for those of you who do not like to share, and you know who you are..

Here are some pics of a tapas bar in Madrid and some close-ups of those small plates:

In case you are curious about the history of tapas:
- Some claim that tapas originated with the Spanish king Alfonso the 10th, who fell ill and could only eat small bites of food with wine.  Once he recovered from his illness the king decreed that no wine was to be served in inns unless accompanied by food (to prevent the adverse effects of drinking on an empty stomach).
- The word "tapa" literally means "to cover"; traditionally, when serving wine in a tavern the glass was covered with a piece of meat or cheese, in part to keep insects out!

Paella:
Paella originated in Valencia along the Mediterranean and later spread to the entire country.  It started out as a peasant dish, cooked by workers in the fields utilizing whatever meat and vegetables were available.

As I learned from my research, there's a lot more to traditional Paella than yellow rice.  Apparently, great paella is all about the technique.  Here are the essentials:
- Authentic paella is cooked outdoors over a charcoal barbeque or gas burner.
- It must be cooked in a traditional flat, shallow paella pan.  This way all of the ingredients cook in one layer so the flavors meld together.  The pan also helps develop 'socorrat', the crust that forms when the rice sticks to the pan and becomes crispy.
- The type of rice used is extremely important.  Traditional paella rice (either "Calasparra " or "Bomba") is short-grained and absorbs more liquid than other kinds of rice.
- Saffron gives the dish its signature golden yellow color.

Here's a picture of traditional paella cooking over a wood fire: