Spanish Food and Drink

Boquerones

Boquerones are small, fresh anchovies.

These small, tasty filleted fish are preserved in olive oil, sliced garlic and chopped parsley, and highly popular throughout Spain. This delectable dish is usually known as "boquerones" but, depending on the area, can also be called "anchoas".

Aji de Gallina

A traditional Peruvian chicken stew in a spicy, nutty cheese sauce.

Bunuelos y natillaBuñuelos and Natilla are traditional Colombian Christmas snacks.

Buñuelos are of hispanic origin and different versions are popular all over Latin America. The Colombian variety are savoury cheese fritters made of "farmer's cheese" or queso fresco. While some Colombians prefer to serve buñelos with hot chocolate or natilla.

MMM, ChocolateChocolate comes from Mexico. It derives from the Aztec Nahuatl word

"xocolatl" . Chocolate is made from the cocoa been which grows on trees.

IXIM...means maiz or corn

Argentinian ChurrascoChurrasco is any type of meat that is

lightly marinated, cooked on a grill and sliced thinly to preserve its flavor.

Jamon SerranoJamon Serrano is a ham that literally means”mountain ham.” This ham is served raw in thin

slices. Fresh hams are trimmed and cleaned, then stacked and covered with salt for about two weeks in order to draw off excess moisture and preserve the meat from spoiling. The salt is then washed off and the hams are hung to dry for about six months. Finally, the hams are hung in a cool, dry place for six to eighteen months, depending on the climate, as well as the size and type of ham being cured.

The fat from the black Iberian pigs is what produces the typical white streaks that make this ham so special. The production of meat products from Iberian pigs has very little in common with that of meat products obtained from selected pigs raised under intensive conditions, and it constitutes an example of the preparation of high quality meat products, comparable to the most exquisite food products in the world.

Valle del Maipo en Chili

Known as the Valley of the Red Wines. Chili is where the first wine was cultivated and Maipo Valley has the oldest preserved wineries

in the world.

Cafe de ColombiaColombian coffee beans are grown at high altitudes and tended with

painstaking care in the shade of banana and rubber trees. This coffee is among the best in the world, rich, full-bodied, and perfectly balanced. The arid mountains and the well-drained, rich volcanic soil of Colombia provide ideal conditions for growing high quality coffee. The first exports of coffee from Colombia began in 1835 when around 2500 bags were exported to the U.S. The exports grew exponentially over the next hundred years or so and peaked in 1992 at around 17 million bags. Today, Colombian coffee exports are around 10 million bags per year.

Ternera asadaBarbecued veal

Vino RiojanoRiojano is a type of wine that comes from La

Rioja, a northern region of Spain.

Chorizo

Spanish chorizo is made from coarsely chopped pork and pork fat, seasoned with smoked pimentón (paprika) and salt. It is generally classed as either picante (spicy) or dulce (mild), depending upon the type of smoked paprika used. Chorizo comes in short, long, hard and soft varieties. Some of which are suited to being eaten as an appetizer or tapas, whereas others are better suited to cooking. We can compare chorizo to pepperoni in the U.S.

Queso ManchegoManchego is named for the Spanish region

of La Mancha, also home of Don Quixote. This historic cheese is produced in the La Mancha region from pasteurized sheep's milk. Cheeses from Spain are commonly made from sheep's milk because most of the territory is rocky and dry, unfriendly to cows but suitable to raising goats and sheep. The abundance of wild herbs on Central Spain's grazing lands gives Manchego a special taste and aroma. Its flavor is zesty and exuberant while its texture is firm and somewhat dry.

Comida ChatarraA.K.A. junk food or

fast food

PiscoPisco is a Peruvian liquor distilled from grapes.

Developed by Spanish settlers in the 16th century, it takes its name from the name of the city where it was produced: Pisco. Pisco was originally produced in an attempt to make an inexpensive version of a Spanish brandy.

El platano mexicano

La torta de MexicoA torta is a Mexican sandwich, served on an oblong 6-8 inch firm, crusty

white sandwich roll, called a bolillo, telera or birote. Tortas can be served hot or cold. Garnishes such as avocado, lettuce, jalapeno, tomato, and cheese feature in various incarnations of the sandwich. The dish is available throughout Mexico, the American Southwest, and anywhere with a large number of Mexican immigrants. This dish should not to be confused with a Spanish egg torta, a popular omelette-like dish.

Enchilada anyone?Las Cruces, New Mexico, is also home to the annual Whole Enchilada Fiesta.

The fiesta's main attraction is the creation of a very large (on average 10 feet in diameter) flat red enchilada by local restaurant owner Roberto Estrada. Besides this, the fiesta offers live music, rides, food vendors, and other attractions typical of fairs. In fact, the Southern New Mexico State Fair is usually held only a few days after the end of the Whole Enchilada Fiesta. The fiesta's mascot, "Twefie"(taken from the abbreviation of the fiesta's name) is a large red chile pepper wearing a sombrero. At the 2004 event, the Guinness Book of Records confirmed that Estrada had made the world's largest flat enchilada.