The 10 Tastiest Dishes and Drinks in Spain

Paella dish of rice, seafood, vegetables and spices from a Europe Express tour
Photo courtesy of Europe Express

Spain is world-renowned for its wine culture, olive oil farms, and traditional dishes like tapas and paella. Famous Spanish restaurants and chefs are experts when it comes to the healthy Mediterranean diet, and each region boasts its own specialty. Here are ten gastronomic experiences to check off your foodie bucket list on your next trip to Spain. 

A small tour enjoying wine and pintxos in Spain with Europe Express
Photo courtesy of Europe Express

1. Volcanic Wine

While travelers can experience Spain’s distinct wine culture through tastings, tours, and even yoga classes in a vineyard, they can also visit a volcanic winery in the Canary Islands. Farmers have built these vineyards by carving out holes in the volcanic gravel, where the vines flourish and eventually produce sweet and white varieties.

2. Calçots

These long, white, mild onions are barbecued and served with a sauce called salvitxada. It is a culinary tradition in Catalonia to throw on a bib and dig in by eating with your hands. On the last Sunday of January, the Great Calçotada festival takes place in Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia as a sociable and delicious ritual.

3. Queimada

Queimada is a drink based on marc, a liquor distilled from pomace leftover from winemaking, that is accompanied with a ritual preparation. At Galician bars, the bartender will light the liquid on fire while stirring the drink with a wooden spoon and speaking a spell out loud to ward off evil spirits. 

People sharing pintxos on an Insight Vacations trip
Photo courtesy of Insight Vacations

4. Pintxos

Similar to Spanish tapas, pintxos are the types of snacks from Northern Spain, particularly the Basque County, that are eaten as an appetizer before dinner. The difference in pintxos from tapas is that the food is spiked through a skewer, typically with a piece of bread as well. Pintxo translates to “spike” or “skewer” in English. An insider tip: it is pronounced pinchos.

5. Sardines

The best way to try sardines is either on a boat or at a beach bar on the Costa del Sol, where the fish is skewered onto bamboo sticks and grilled over a fire. This delicious way of preparing, serving, and eating sardines has been popular since the 19th century.

6. Manchego

This delicious cheese is made with sheep’s milk and matured over a long period of time, ranging from one month to two years. Local cheesemakers produce it in three varieties: soft, semi-cured, and cured.

7. Olive Oil

The province of Jaén is home to 60 million olive oil trees that produce 20% of the world’s olive oil. Visit an oil mill or a museum, hike through the groves, join a tasting, or even spend the night on an oil estate.

A paella cooking class on an Insight Vacations tour
Photo courtesy of Insight Vacations

8. Paella

This Spanish rice dish, paella, originated in the city of Valencia. Travelers can grab a seat at a seaside restaurant and taste the seafood, vegetables, and spices. Cooking classes are a fun and interactive way to learn about the dish that often include boat rides and local market visits to find the ingredients yourself.

9. Cocido

The comforting and warm Cocido is a long-simmered stew. Each region has its own twist on the classic recipe, but famously, there are four main ingredients: broth, chickpeas, vegetables, and meat. A celebration of the dish is held throughout Madrid in February and March when restaurants come together to offer an entire Cocido Madrileño Route.

10. Caldereta De Langosta

Also known as a casserole of spiny lobster, the Caldereta De Langosta is a Mediterranean dish that is best found in the village of Fornells, known as the temple of this recipe. It is so popular that making a reservation at a restaurant that serves it is recommended. 

Learn to make your own paella on the Collette Spain’s Classics & Portugal, which includes a visit to a traditional fisherman’s home, known as a barraca, for a paella-making demonstration and authentic lunch.

Nadine, a local guide for Collette, takes travelers virtually to a traditional paella lunch
Video courtesy of Collette

Globus offers tapas tastings and wine pairings on their 14-day Spanish Fiesta itinerary, bringing travelers along the Costa Del Sol, through Madrid, and more. Or, go to a traditional paella dinner in Valencia on Globus’ 9-day Best of Spain itinerary from Madrid to Barcelona.

Travelers dine like a local in Torremolinos, Spain with Insight Vacations
Video courtesy of Insight Vacations

Spain is a destination filled to the brim with hidden gems in nature, culture, and cuisine. Mediterranean beaches, green National Parks, historic towns filled with contemporary art, and fresh seafood paired with world class wine make it a top pick for American travelers. When travel resumes, it is at the top of our bucket list.

Find more travel tips, news, and inspiration by visiting the Tourist Office of Spain.

Plan your visit with a tour operator by visiting www.ustoa.com/dream-vacation/Spain

5 Questions to Ask: Make Your Next Trip Animal-Friendly

5 Questions to Ask: Make Your Next Trip Animal-Friendly

By Dana Santucci, EF Education First, and Ben Williamson, World Animal Protection

Photo Credit: EF Education First

Travelers increasingly seek unique experiences that they couldn’t get anywhere else. However, many tourists, whether they’re with a group or adventuring on their own, choose activities that put animals and wildlife at risk, even if they don’t do so intentionally. Younger generations tend to be more conscientious of animal welfare when making travel decisions, but there’s room for improvement among travelers of all ages.

Travelers and travel providers alike have a responsibility to leave destinations just the way – or better than – they found them. In the context of animal tourism, this means understanding that there’s more power in proactively protecting, promoting and facilitating animal welfare than there is in holding, petting or otherwise exploiting an animal.

In 2018, EF Education First (EF), became the first international education company to launch a global collaboration with World Animal Protection, a leading international nonprofit dedicated to animal welfare. We’ve worked together to remove activities from our travel experiences that don’t meet these animal welfare standards, including shows that involve animals and excursions that involve activities such as riding, petting, holding, feeding or swimming. We’ve also committed to educating our staff, Tour Directors and travelers about the importance of animal welfare, common misconceptions and how to recognize violations.

There are plenty of ways to see the world while contributing to its resiliency. For example, you can visit responsible elephant sanctuaries in Thailand and meet with “mahouts,” or elephant caretakers, to learn about their role in Thai culture; protect sea turtle habitats and vulnerable eggs in Costa Rica; or learn about overfishing and track endangered dolphins in the Amazon River.

Instead of swimming with dolphins, volunteer to help with reef restoration, as this EF Educational Tours student did in the Dominican Republic. Photo Credit: EF Education First

Whether you’re participating in an operator-led tour or are venturing out on your own, here are the top five things we at EF ask ourselves to make sure our trips are animal-friendly, and that you can use to make sure yours are, too:

  • What is the venue’s intent? A good rule of thumb is that if a venue offers guests direct interaction with animals, it doesn’t have wildlife’s best interest at heart. Look for venues dedicated to conservation, rehabilitation and ending mistreatment.
  • Are the animals well cared for and comfortable? Reputable venues will abide by the Five Domains of Animal Welfare, which state that animals must be given positive experiences and be free of pain and suffering. Animals have good lives under human care when they enjoy good physical and mental health; have balanced and varied nutrition; and are in an environment that allows them to express the widest possible range of natural behaviors.
Training elephants to accept humans on their back is a cruel process that breaks the animals’ spirit. Instead, consider visiting a sanctuary where you can help with their care and learn from local experts. Photo Credit: EF Education First
  • Are guests allowed to pet, ride or take selfies with animals? Prioritize venues that allow animals to exhibit natural behavior (such as grazing and wandering) and do not rely on exploitative animal entertainment such as animal shows, riding, petting or holding. People participate in these activities out of a love for animals, but don’t see the extreme mistreatment and abuse that go into them.. 
  • Is this activity an ethical gray area? Some venues, such as aquariums and zoos, run the gamut on animal care and facility standards. If you can’t see animals in a more natural environment, compare the facility against the Five Domains of Animal Welfare and prioritize venues whose conservation and rehabilitation efforts have been thoroughly vetted.
  • Have you done your research? Just because a venue says it’s a sanctuary doesn’t mean it’s an animal-friendly destination. Look beyond the venue’s website and do your own digging, such as looking for references to chains or petting activities in past customers’ reviews.

It has been an honor for our organizations to collaborate and develop these industry-leading standards, and we hope other travel organizations will adopt comprehensive animal welfare standards too.  We all have a role to play in making sure our travels do not harm the animals that live in the destinations we visit. Before you book your next trip, make sure you check out additional resources, such as World Animal Protection’s guide on how to be an animal-friendly traveler and elephant-friendly tourist guide. By researching, educating ourselves and changing habits, we can make the world a better, safer place for all its inhabitants.

About EF Education First

Dana Santucci is Vice President for EF Education First and has worked for EF in a variety of capacities over more than 25 years. She has held senior positions in EF Go Ahead Tours, the organization’s adult travel division, as well as with EF Educational Tours and EF Explore America, both of which cater to educators and student travelers. Currently, she sits centrally and oversees a variety of special projects related to EF’s mission of opening the world through education. She serves on the executive board of directors for the USTOA and is the recent former Chairperson of the USTOA.  

EF Education First (EF), founded in Sweden in 1965, provides culturally immersive education through language, travel, cultural exchange, and academic programs in over 100 countries around the world.  EF’s mission is opening the world through education. Learn more by visiting https://ef.com. 

About World Animal Protection

Ben Williamson is the U.S. Programs Director of World Animal Protection, a global animal welfare organization with offices in fourteen countries. Its mission is a world where animals live free from suffering. Ben oversees World Animal Protection’s five U.S. campaign areas (Wildlife. Not Entertainers; Exotic Pets; Pigs; Chickens; and Meat Reduction), and his areas of expertise include animals in entertainment, exotic pets, factory farming, vegetarian/vegan issues, cruelty to animals and humane education. Ben has nearly a decade of experience working for animal protection in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

World Animal Protection has moved the world to protect animals for more than 50 years. World Animal Protection works to give animals a better life. The organization’s activities include working with companies to ensure high standards of welfare for the animals in their care; working with governments and other stakeholders to prevent wild animals being cruelly traded, trapped or killed; and saving the lives of animals and the livelihoods of the people who depend on them in disaster situations. World Animal Protection influences decision-makers to put animal welfare on the global agenda and inspires people to change animals’ lives for the better.