Across Spain’s 17 autonomous regions, distinctive ingredients and dishes connect local identity with the seasons. In Catalonia, outdoor feasts centered on sweet green onions run from late November through April, reaching their peak around February. Families and friends grill the onions over burning vine cuttings, then peel away the charred layers before dipping the tender interiors into an almond, pepper, tomato, garlic, and olive oil sauce. Eaten by hand, the onions also inspire an annual January festival in Valls, a town in Tarragona province.
Summer in Andalusia brings cold tomato soup to household tables and restaurant menus. Its ingredients include peppers, cucumbers, stale bread, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar, while some restaurants offer watermelon variations. A fall exploration of regional food can feature La Mancha’s celebrated sheep’s milk cheese, produced from the milk of the local sheep breed. Its protected designation sets aging requirements: at least 30 days for smaller cheeses and 60 days for larger wheels, with a maximum of two years. Different aging periods produce the categories sold as semi-cured, cured, and aged.
Madrid’s traditional chickpea and meat dish provides a winter counterpart to these lighter seasonal offerings. Rather than arriving as a single bowl, it is presented in three successive courses. Broth with noodles comes first; chickpeas and vegetables, such as cabbage, carrots, and turnips, follow. The final serving consists of meats, which can include smoked sausage, blood sausage, pork belly, and chicken.
