The Celts brought pigs across the Pyrennes, consequently, porks and hams figure strongly in Basque cooking. Rice came from the Arabs, and forms the basis of Paella. More recently, as the Spanish empire expanded into the America in the 16 th and 17 th centuries, foreign ingredients such as avocado, tomatoes, beans, zucchini, potatoes and sweet potatoes were introduced into the Spanish cooking style. Tapas are Spanish appetisers, originating from the custom in Spain of bartenders placing a plate of appetisers over glasses of wine ordered. Gazpacho is the famous Spanish soup, it is served cold, and is a wonderful pureed mixture of stale bread, tomatoes, capsicum garlic and other herbs.
Paella is the saffron rice dish popular in Spanish restaurants throughout the world.
These are cooked until soft and added to rice and saffron, simmer until soft and dry, then served hot and succulent directly from the pot. Huevos a la Flamenca consists of chorizo sausage fried with onions, tomato, garlic and pepper. This is spooned into a small dish, a raw egg sprinkled with sherry is placed on top, and the dish baked until the eggs set. Try this for a tasty lunch. Custard and puddings are also popular in Spain.