Traditional Christmas Recipes of Spain

Book excerpt: For any traveller crossing Spain it is soon obvious that every region has its own distinctive culinary specialities. Look a little closer and we realise that every province also has its own specialities. Indeed, when we really begin to dig deeper, we find that most villages also have their own very particular recipes. This high degree of culinary diversity may come as a nice surprise to many a jaded palate. Sadly, in much of the industrial world we are accustomed to bland, standardised and utilitarian food. Even at times like Christmas, when good food should be central, few really local specialities exist in our rather monochrome "Westernised" gastronomy. Gladly, Spain mostly avoided this "industrialisation" of food so that most people remain avidly interested in and proud of their own food products and their regional dishes. This attitude probably explains the huge number of Michelin stars in the country. Spain is a treasure trove of food diversity, with centuries of cultural influences from Romans, Arabs, Jews and Christians contributing to many of the dishes still served today. Spain is blessed with a pride and love of its own traditional recipes, combined with a range and variety of ingredients that many a chef outside of Spain can only dream about. Christmas is a special time in Spain and there are few people in the world as capable of making Christmas into a truly special occasion. The Spanish have a love and understanding of good food. Taken together with their ability to enjoy a good party, Christmas in Spain is truly a culinary delight. Here we present you with just some of the multitude of traditional Spanish Christmas Recipes. Enjoy them and Feliz Navidad!