When traveling to Spain, Spanish food is probably one of the things most people look forward to. From extra virgin olive oil produced just miles from Granada, and fresh seafood coming in from the coast, the quality and pride surrounding Spanish food is no joke.
While abroad during my Spain Food Production and the Environment maymester, I was able to sample of some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. One traditional Spanish dish is called paella. Paella is a rice dish, often cooked with vegetables and then either chicken, seafood, or rabbit. I definitely had multiple different renditions of paella while in Spain, but my favorite one was the one I made myself during a cooking class abroad! A cooking class in Spain was one of my favorite things we did. We were given the freshest of ingredients and then were taught the traditional way to cook these dishes. Below, we made paella with vegetables, chicken, and rabbit! It was my first time eating rabbit.
Not only was it delicious, but learning how to cook the dish was one way we were fully immersed into the culture of Spain. This recipe is one I will take home with me and make on the days I am missing my time in Spain.
Along with being able to try our hand at making some traditional Spanish cuisine, we also had many other opportunities to try other traditional Spanish dishes. Almost every lunch as a group was a chance to try traditional dishes. Paella with prawns and other seafood was one of the first dishes I tried in Spain. Along with this, we had cheese tastings, where I discovered that I actually really love goat cheese! This trip exposed me to so many different foods I’d never had before, and I’m happy that I’ll be able to bring these experiences home with me, and hopefully try to recreate some of the dishes I had abroad.
