There is no single Spanish cuisine. There are seventeen regions, each with its own produce, its own habits and often its own name for the same thing. For a Greek traveller the basics feel familiar (olive oil, fish, pulses, tomatoes), but the details change from region to region. That is why it pays to plan the trip around the dish, not just the sights.

Valencia: paella where it began

Paella was born in Valencia and was originally a dish for festivals and holidays. It is cooked in a special shallow, flat pan, the paellera, and the classic Valencian version is made with chicken, not seafood. Locals eat it mostly at lunchtime, and the best setting is by the sea or out in the rice fields of El Palmar, just outside the city.

• Other rice dishes. Arroz a banda with fish, oven-baked arroz al forn, and arroz con costra with an egg crust.
• Horchata. A drink made from tiger nuts, served with long, soft pastries called fartons.

Galicia: pulpo á feira

In Spain’s northwest corner, octopus is boiled in large vats, snipped with scissors and served on a wooden plate with salt, paprika and olive oil. With boiled potatoes (cachelos) it becomes pulpo a la gallega. If you grew up on grilled octopus at a Greek taverna, the soft texture is a revelation.

• Where. The old tavern O Gato Negro in Santiago de Compostela, and Pulpeira de Melide in A Coruña.
• When. The Festa do Pulpo in O Carballiño, near Ourense, takes place every August.
• What else. Pimientos de Padrón, small fried green peppers, and percebes, the prized and pricey goose barnacles from the cliffs of the Costa da Morte.

Andalusia: salmorejo and fried fish

Córdoba’s salmorejo is a cousin of gazpacho, much thicker and made with tomatoes only. There is also ajoblanco, based on garlic and almonds. Along the coast, pescaíto frito, small fish fried in olive oil, will remind you of a seaside ouzeri, while on the Costa del Sol you should look for espetos, sardines on a skewer at the beach chiringuitos.

Basque Country: pintxos and txakoli

Here tapas are called pintxos: small bites on bread, held together with a toothpick. Hopping from bar to bar is an almost daily ritual, above all in San Sebastián’s old town. In many bars you help yourself from the counter and at the end the server counts the toothpicks on your plate. Pair them with txakoli, a light, sharp white wine, and try cod al pil pil.

Madrid: cocido, tortilla and churros

Cocido madrileño is a stew of chickpeas, potatoes and meats served in three rounds: first the broth, then the chickpeas and vegetables, finally the meat. Anyone raised on Greek revithada will see straight away why it is cold-weather food. Tortilla de patatas comes by the slice at the bar with a vermouth, along with the eternal argument over onions. For breakfast, churros with hot chocolate.

Catalonia: from La Boqueria to calçots

Barcelona’s La Boqueria market officially opened in 1840. Look for fideuà, like paella but with thin noodles and seafood, and arròs negre, black rice cooked in squid ink. Cava goes with everything. If you travel in winter, the Great Calçotada in Valls falls on the last Sunday of January, with green onions grilled over open flames.

Spanish meal times

• Breakfast. Coffee and something small, then around 11 a bocadillo, a sandwich on a baguette.
• Lunch. The main meal of the day, around 3pm.
• Dinner. Lighter, at 9 or 10pm. Tapas bars only get going after 9.
• Bar, table or terrace. Standing at the counter (barra) is cheapest, a table costs a little more, the terrace most of all.
• Portions. Tapa, media ración or ración. Two people sharing four half portions eat well and taste more.

If you are used to Greek hours, adjusting is easy. The real difference is that in Spain lunch is the big meal and the evening is for grazing.

How to plan a food trip

Madrid and Barcelona have the most connections from Athens, while options for Valencia and Bilbao vary by season and often involve a change of plane. From Thessaloniki, expect a stop almost every time. Two routes and one extension:

• Mediterranean. Madrid for cocido and tortilla, the train to Valencia for paella in El Palmar, and Barcelona to finish with La Boqueria and cava.
• Northern. Fly into Bilbao, eat pintxos in Bilbao and San Sebastián, then head west to Galicia for pulpo and seafood.
• For Andalusia. An extension from Madrid to Córdoba for salmorejo and down to the coast for pescaíto frito.

Want a trip that runs through the kitchen?

At Penguin Travels & Tours we can organise a Spain trip around the flavours you care about: flights, trains between cities, and places to stay close to the neighbourhoods where locals actually eat.

Paella, pulpo or pintxos: where will you start? Stop by our office in Kalamata (Vasilissis Olgas 4) or call us at +30 27210 80701.