Myths and Manchego: 10 Things You Didn't Know about Spanish Food

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I don’t usually do lists, but this isn’t your average list of recommendations and travel fast food. This is my kind of list—a randomly assorted gathering full of surprises about my favorite topic, Spanish cuisine. One of my life goals is dispelling stereotypes and deepening the discussion around Spain’s cultures and cuisines. That is the spirit of this month’s missive.

Maybe you think you know Spain’s cuisine, maybe you think it’s paella sangria, or maybe you’re somewhere in between, ie, you’ve been and you had some great food but you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. This list is experience agnostic (for the most part), just chockfull of some facts I’ve uncovered in my travels, eating, and researching. Like, did you know Spain is literally drowning in olive oil? They produce nearly half the world’s supply? Or that saffron is the world’s most expensive edible by weight?

Ok so let’s both grab a glass of Spanish wine (I’m drinking some manzanilla sherry right now, what about you?) and get into this list. Read through here and I promise you’ll be the most interesting person at your next pintxo party!

1. Spain produces more olive oil than any country in the world.

Spain is the world’s largest producer of olive oil, accounting for nearly 45% of global production (and 70% of the European Union’s). The country is home to thousands of olive groves, particularly in Andalusia’s Jaén province, which alone produces more olive oil than the entire country of Italy (around 500,000 tons vs 330,000). Jaén is home to over 66 million olive trees, making it the region with the highest concentration of olive trees globally. Olive trees are deeply rooted in Spanish history, with some trees in Spain believed to be over a thousand years old. Olive oil is the backbone of Spanish cuisine, used in everything from frying potatoes for tortilla española to drizzling over dishes like salmorejo.

2. Paella isn’t what you think it is…it’s complicated.

Yes, I know, you say, real paella didn’t have chorizo and seafood, it had rabbit. While I do appreciate you helping to debunk common myths of Spanish food, you’re going to have to roll it back even more. In the book Guía del buen comer español, published in 1929, the writer Dionisio Pérez lists the ingredients as freshwater eels, snails, and green beans. And guess what? In the novel Caños y barro by Blasco Ibañez, it’s said to have included marsh rat. Oh the shock! Though it’s now Spain’s most famous dish, paella began as a humble meal for farmers and laborers in the region of Valencia. The original paella was made with whatever ingredients were available at the time, cooked in a single pan over an open flame. Hence the marsh rat and freshwater eel, both of which are now protected species. A final fact to blow your mind…paella is actually the name of the pan this famous Spanish rice dish is prepared in. The full name of what you are calling paella is arroz a la paella, and for 100 years (give or take some decades) it has been a synonym of arroz a la valenciana.

3. Azafrán (saffron) is one of the world’s most expensive edibles by weight.

Many of Spain’s most famous paellas rely on saffron for color and flavor. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world by weight and can cost between $5,000-$10,000 per pound. That’s because each crocus flower yields just three tiny stigmas, all picked by hand — it takes about 170,000 flowers to produce one pound of saffron. While most of the world's saffron is grown in Iran, Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region is famous for some of the highest-quality saffron available. And while it’s costly, a little saffron goes a long way: just a couple strands can flavor an entire paella. If you find saffron priced suspiciously low, it’s often fake, made from corn silk or safflower, and won’t deliver the prized floral, honey-like aroma true saffron offers.

4. Spain has around 200 different types of cheese.

You might know about manchego, but Spain is home to a LOT of distinct, local varieties of cheese. The exact number is somewhat impossible to verify, trust me, I’m trying…but we can put it around 200 distinct cheeses made from cow, sheep, and goat milk. Each region has its specialty, from the creamy tetilla of Galicia to the tangy mahon of Menorca. 46% of Spanish cheese is from cow's milk, and 42% is made with a mixture of milks. Sheep comes in at 9.5% (most Basque cheeses, for example), followed by goat at 3%. Spanish cheese-making traditions go back centuries, and many cheeses are protected under Denomination of Origin status.

5. Jamón ibérico’s price is years in the making.

Spain’s prized jamón ibérico comes from the black Iberian pig, or pata negra, a direct descendant of wild boars that roamed the Iberian Peninsula over 100,000 years ago. Fossil finds in Huelva show these massive 300-kilo animals shared the land with Neanderthals, elephants, and European lions. This ancient bloodline gives Iberian pigs their unique ability to convert acorns from the dehesa (oak woodlands) into rich, oleic acid–packed fat—the secret to jamón’s silky texture and deep flavor. During the montanera season, the pigs feast on acorns, building complexity into the meat. While prosciutto di Parma can sell for around $15 a pound, true jamón ibérico de bellota can fetch up to $145 per pound, with some whole legs going for over €2,000. The difference reflects not only their extraordinary ancestry but also the longer aging (24–48 months) and traditional methods protected by D.O.P. law.

6. Churros are named after…sheep?!

Churros seem to be on everyone’s breakfast list when they visit Spain. They are definitely more of a rest-of-Spain phenomenon—here in the north, people tend to prefer puff-pastry based sweets. These sweet fritters are now typically served with hot chocolate, and are said to be based on a Chinese fried dish. The origins of the name, though, is what surprised me. They have a fascinating etymological connection to Spain's pastoral heritage, likely deriving from the native "churra" sheep, whose distinctive horns and wool resemble the pastry's ridged, elongated shape.

you decide

7. The Guinness Book’s oldest restaurant in the world is in Madrid.

The world’s oldest continuously operating restaurant is in Madrid: Sobrino de Botín, founded in 1725. It holds the official Guinness World Record for oldest restaurant still running under its original name. The wood-fired oven, dating back to the restaurant’s opening, has reportedly never been extinguished, preserving a centuries-old method of roasting suckling pig (cochinillo) and lamb. Legend has it that the famous painter Francisco de Goya worked there as a dishwasher while waiting to be admitted to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. I’ve never been but…wow.

8. Spain has an “afternoon snack” tradition called merienda.

Sweden has fika and France has le goûter, but Spain has la merienda—a beloved, if often overlooked by outsiders, ritual that adds a sweet pause to the late afternoon. Typically enjoyed between 4 and 6pm, merienda is a light snack that bridges the long stretch between lunch and the famously late Spanish dinner. It’s an absolute must for children—who tuck into bocadillos with cured ham or large, cold slices of chorizo, slices of sponge cake, or even white bread with chocolate bars sandwiched in between. During times of hunger in the early 1900s, this could be nothing more than a chunk of dark bread sprinkled with drops of vinegar or wine. In the 1960s, Colacao, Spain’s favorite soluble chocolate drink, started its marketing blitz and became a favorite coffee alternative popular, to my surprise, even with grown men. Like its European cousins, merienda is not just a snack, it’s also a cultural cue to slow down and connect with others.

9. Spanish wine is wildly diverse (and underrated!).

Spanish wine is often overshadowed by French or Italian, but Spain quietly holds the title for the largest vineyard area in the world—a staggering 1 million hectares of vines blanket its hillsides. Yet, despite all that land under vine, Spain only ranks third in global wine production. Why? It’s not laziness—it’s legacy. Many Spanish vines are old, low-yielding, and widely spaced, meaning they produce less juice per acre than the densely planted vineyards of France and Italy. Look at you, Spain, trading quantity for intensity and character. Spain is home to 69 unique wine regions. From the world-renowned Rioja to lesser-known DOs like Alella and Granada, 600 types of grapes are grown nationwide, about 150 of which are native to Spain! Can you believe it? That said, about 90% of production comes from a couple dozen. The most planted is Airén, a hardy white variety once mainly used for brandy, and Tempranillo, Spain’s flagship red, which shows up under a variety of local names like Cencibel, Ull de Llebre, and Tinta Roriz. Other key native stars include Garnacha (Grenache), Bobal, Mencía, Godello, Albariño, and Palomino, the backbone of sherry. I tear up thinking about the marvel that is Spanish wine, for real.

10. Franco made feeding a nation women’s work.

During the dictator Francisco Franco’s regime, feeding people became a form of mandatory national service for women, akin to how military duty functioned for men. From 1939 onward, all unmarried Spanish women between the ages of 17 and 35 were required to complete several months of “Social Service”. To obtain basic civil rights like a passport, driver’s license, or work permit, they had to volunteer for at least three months in state-run kitchens or other “aid” programs. These women, often uninterested in Francoist ideology, made for a strange dynamic in Spain’s comedores socials, dining halls meant to serve the hungry, orphaned and widowed: on one hand, volunteers might quietly sneak extra food to family, friends, or those in need; on the other, they could be indifferent or even hostile, sometimes mistreating patrons or threatening them with police reports. Feeding others, in this era, was more deeply political than ever.

After years immersed in everything Spain, from starred kitchens to markets to libraries and archives, I’m still struck by how much there is to uncover! Forgotten grapes, the politics of soup kitchens, and cuisine born from hunger…Spanish cuisine and history is so rich, you guys.

There’s always more beneath the surface here. And I’ll keep digging.

PS. Wow, I almost forgot. On May 18, you can see me on Searching for Spain with Eva Longoria!!!!! Tune in for the Basque Country episode!

Here’s the info 📺 ➡️ Searching for Spain : Basque Country will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, May 18. It will also be available on demand beginning Monday, May 19 to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms. For those of you in other parts of the world, I’m not sure but I’m figuring it out!