Evening meals are light and eaten later still at 10pm. Before dinner, people are likely to have a drink and eat tapas , a selection of light snacks and sweetmeats served in all bars and restaurants to accompany early evening drinks. Eating out in Spain is very affordable. Restaurants are graded in five categories of excellence, indicated by forks. A five-fork restaurant is the absolute best and highly recommended.
Spanish food is traditional and varied and differs greatly from region to region.
In the North the fish and sea food from Galicia are a speciality. Valencia excels in rice dishes, which are delicious when served with a traditional tasty chilli or marinade sauce from the Pyrenees. In the Balearic islands many delicacies are made, not least the special sweet pastries from Mallorca and the spicy sausages and cured hams. Spain's most famous meal is paella , and it has many variations. Seafood, snails, rabbit, or poultry can be chosen as the base ingredient for this dish, and this is then fried in a big pan with onions, peppers, and olive oil and served with saffron rice and lots of finely chopped herbs and vegetables.