They can be served as an aperitif or with a meal or used in cooking. Spain produces more olive oil than any other country. The oils vary considerably in color and flavor. Some are green, others golden. They have as many nuances of flavor as do fine wines.
Olive oil is essential to Spanish cooking, and it is used in many desserts.
Americans are finally learning to bypass butter at the table and enjoy bread dipped into olive oil, a healthful and delicious custom. Pickled, it is a robust appetizer. Find it minced raw in salads, lightly fried, sauteed or roasted in savory dishes. You'll find both red and green bell peppers, the prized red piquillo peppers of the Basque country that are often stuffed, and hot chilies both fresh and dried. It takes the stigmas of 75,000 autumn-blooming crocuses to make a pound of this expensive spice, which is grown in La Mancha and Murcia.