Each of Spain’s 17 regions has food connected to its local traditions, and many dishes have a particular season. In Catalonia, winter and spring bring outdoor meals where families and friends grill sweet green onions over burning vine branches. Diners remove the blackened outer layers and eat the soft centres by hand. Valls celebrates this tradition with an onion festival every January.
Summer in Andalusia brings cold tomato soup to homes and restaurants. Its ingredients include peppers, cucumber, bread, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Some restaurants offer a watermelon version. Castile-La Mancha, meanwhile, is known for cheese made from sheep’s milk. Although regional foods feature in a seasonal calendar, some remain available all year.
During the cold, wet winters of Asturias, a filling white bean stew is served with several kinds of meat. In the Basque Country, new cider, an alcoholic apple drink, is ready in January. From mid-January to April, visitors can book places at cider houses, where they share food at long tables and taste drinks from different barrels.
