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Paella, French snails and pasta are three famous western foods.

There are several theories about the origin of paella. There is a saying that the word paella comes from a small seaport called Valencia on the east coast of Spain. In the local language, paella means pot. Freight workers in the local seaport used to set up a big pot on the bonfire, throw rice and ingredients into it and cook it together, and then eat it directly from the pot with a wooden spoon.

Another way of saying this is that it is said that in the15th century, when Columbus was sailing, he was attacked by a hurricane and fled to an island. Local fishermen made a hodgepodge of seafood and rice to keep Columbus from hunger and cold. Later, after Columbus returned to Spain, he told the king about it. The king ordered the court chef to go to the island to learn how to cook paella. Later, paella was used to entertain the most distinguished guests in the palace. In this way, paella went from the fishermen's table to the king's banquet, and paella became Spain's "national meal" from then on.

The raw material of paella is mainly glutinous rice, which is easier to absorb the taste of ingredients, and the spice saffron is used to set off bright colors. Side dishes will change according to the seasons and regions. Paella does not always contain seafood, but sometimes it also contains chicken, snails or other game. A typical paella will be cooked in a flat-bottomed shallow-mouthed round double-ear pot.

It is worth mentioning that the taste of paella is different from that of China people. Spaniards prefer to cook rice to a "hard core", which is what we call uncooked rice. If you don't like the taste, remember to remind the store to cook for a while.

In addition, there are cooking courses in Barcelona for tourists to consult, and shallow pots and saffron seasonings can also be bought in local supermarkets, and the prices are not expensive. In other words, you can buy the core seasoning and make an authentic paella as a souvenir for your family.

Cuttlefish rice Arroz? black people

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This is a well-deserved "dark dish", and its practice and shape are similar to paella, the only difference is that cuttlefish rice uses squid juice and rice.

It is said that hundreds of years ago, when the Spanish Armada was fighting in Central and South America, once the cook ran out of saffron and couldn't buy it for a while, so the cook simply changed the yellow powder into cuttlefish juice that he wanted to throw away. After the black paella is made, even the chef himself can't believe that its taste is so beautiful and fresh. The soldiers who had been hungry for a long time swept away the black rice, and the chef was rewarded. Since then, paella with cuttlefish sauce has not only been written into traditional recipes in Spain, but also improved by chefs all over the world, making it more popular.

People who like this dish are eager for it, while those who don't like it are shy away. After eating cuttlefish, their mouths and tongues will be dyed black, so they need to gargle and wash with water.

Spanish ham sandwich

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Ham is the most important thing in Spanish diet. Because of its good taste and high nutrition, ham is often paired with pre-dinner snacks and wine, which is the first choice for traditional Spanish festivals.

In restaurants, they are usually placed on a plate as thin as cicada's wings, with sliced bread, tomato juice and red wine as appetizers. In the supermarket, you can buy a whole ham.

Spanish ham can be divided into Jamón serrano and Iberian ham from raw materials. Serrano ham is made from common white-hoofed pigs, which are often found in markets and restaurants. Iberian ham is made from Iberian black-hoofed pigs with scarce production, which is more delicate and of course more expensive.

Another thing to note is that Jamón is made of pig's hind legs. If it's made of pig's front legs, it's called Paleta. After ham products are produced, the words Jamón (hind leg) and Paleta (front leg) will be printed on the packaging, which is convenient for consumers to distinguish. Because the pig's front legs are fleshy and the meat is hard, and the pig's back legs are fat and fleshy, the ham made is better.

Although Chinese is translated into "ham", the Spanish word "Jamón" (sound "Harmon", Chinese translated into "Spanish ham") is not the same as the "ham" in China's food culture. China ham will be smoked or burned to process pork in the production process, but Spanish ham is cured and air-dried, not cooked meat, and a special method is adopted.

There is also a ham experience store in Barcelona, where you can taste different kinds of ham food and buy your favorite gifts.

Tapastapas

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Spanish snacks are the essence of Spanish cuisine. Snacks can be found in almost big restaurants and small restaurants. The side dishes taste a little yogurt, and most of them taste good.

It is said that Tappas has several origins. First, tourists don't have time to eat dinner, so they have a meal at the door of the restaurant or beside the carriage, usually a dish with a piece of bread.

There is also a legend that a long time ago, the king of Spain was ill and could not eat a big meal. He just wants to eat something light. So the chef made several special snacks, which the king liked very much, so he ordered the bar to serve such snacks during happy hours (usually from 6 pm to 8 pm) for the whole people to share.

Because Tapas is casual, it is inconclusive what Tapas must contain. What's in the kitchen, what the chef wants to do, the chef's technical characteristics and so on can make the finished products of each bar very different, which gives us the concept of "private cuisine".

In today's Spain, the popularity of a bar usually means whether the snacks they make are good or bad. Spanish people who love to play often string together four bars between two or three hours after work and formal dinner. Each bar has a glass of wine and a pre-dinner snack.

Sangria fruit wine

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Sangria can be regarded as Spain's national wine, mainly wine, soaked in seasonal fruits, and mixed with some lemonade, rum or brandy.

Similar to Tapas, there is no fixed formula, and all bars and restaurants have their own tastes, using whatever tastes and fruits they like.

Although it contains alcohol, the alcohol content is not high, because it will be mixed with fruit juice, soda water or carbonated drinks to reduce the alcohol content. When making sangria sparkling wine, slice apples, peaches, oranges, lemons and other fruits. Often add, and sometimes even add some spirits or cinnamon to make it more delicious.

Its popularity, you can find people enjoying sangria sparkling wine on the table of any restaurant or pub in Barcelona. Summer is cold, sweet and cool; Winter is warm, sweet and warm.