Spain

Paella valenciana

Valencia's rice with rabbit, chicken and beans, cooked flat over orange wood for the socarrat.

Tortilla española

Potato and onion omelette, flipped on a plate and argued over: runny or set.

Jamón ibérico

Acorn-fed black pig ham, cured for years and cut by hand into near-translucent sheets.

Tapas

Small plates ordered one at a time across several bars rather than one table.

Gazpacho

Chilled Andalusian soup of raw tomato, cucumber, pepper, bread and olive oil.

Salmorejo

Córdoba's thicker cousin to gazpacho, finished with jamón and chopped egg.

Patatas bravas

Fried potato cubes under a smoky-hot tomato sauce, the bar snack by default.

Pulpo a la gallega

Octopus boiled in copper, sliced onto wood with paprika, salt and olive oil.

Gambas al ajillo

Prawns bubbling in garlic, chilli and olive oil, served in the earthenware dish.

Croquetas

Béchamel thickened with jamón or cod, breaded and fried so the centre stays molten.

Pintxos

Basque bar snacks pinned to bread; you count your toothpicks when paying.

Cocido madrileño

Chickpea and meat stew served in three courses from one pot: broth, chickpeas, meat.

Fabada asturiana

Fat white beans stewed with chorizo, morcilla and pork shoulder until unctuous.

Cochinillo asado

Segovian suckling pig roasted in a wood oven and carved with the edge of a plate.

Rabo de toro

Oxtail braised in red wine until it falls apart, a Córdoba speciality.

Bocadillo de calamares

Fried squid rings in a bread roll, eaten standing near Madrid's Plaza Mayor.

Churros con chocolate

Fried dough dunked in chocolate thick enough to stand a spoon in, at breakfast or 4 a.m.

Crema catalana

Citrus-and-cinnamon custard under burnt sugar, set without a water bath.

Turrón

Almond-and-honey nougat, hard from Alicante or soft from Jijona, eaten at Christmas.

Sangría

Red wine with fruit and soda — served far more to visitors than to locals.