Widely acclaimed as the most popular Spanish dish, paella is a one-pot specialty that is based on saffron-flavored rice, while the additional ingredients may include meat, seafood, or vegetables. Although paella originated in Valencia, where it was made with seasonal vegetables, poultry, rabbit, and snails, in modern-day Spain, the name is used for all rice dishes prepared in a paellera or paella - the traditional shallow pan that is used both for cooking and serving.

Paella has humble origins—it most likely originated around Albufera lagoon, an area known for its rice fields and wildlife, where it was made with locally-sourced ingredients. The exact ingredients used in paella have long been a matter of dispute, but everyone agrees that each paella should have a subtle saffron flavor. 

The classic Catalan invention known as pa amb tomàquet consists of toasted slices of bread that are sprinkled with salt, rubbed with tomatoes, and drizzled with olive oil (purists insist on rubbing both sides of the bread with tomatoes).

The first recipe for this dish dates back to 1884, when stale bread was rubbed with tomatoes in order to soften it. It is recommended to use a rustic sourdough called pa de pagès and tomatoes on the vine, since they have a unique, intense flavor.

The dish is usually consumed for breakfast or served before a big meal, as a tapa, or for merienda. 

Bocadillos or bocatas are Spanish sandwiches made with Spanish-style baguettes known as barra de pan, unlike regular sandwiches which are made with modern white bread, known as pan de molde in Spain. The most common fillings for bocadillos include meat, cheese, tuna, omelets, jamón, or chorizo sausages.

The Spanish typically don't add onions, mayonnaise, pickles, or lettuce to bocadillos, but the bread is sometimes rubbed with halved tomatoes or olive oil. Due to the popularity of these sandwiches, the fillings vary from one region to another – omelet bocadillos are usually eaten for breakfast or as an afternoon snack and include eggs, cheese, beans, peppers, and potatoes; meat-based bocadillos are often made with chicken, beef, pork, horse, or goat; and fish bocadillos often include cuttlefish, sardines, and squid. 

Patatas bravas is a traditional tapas dish consisting of potato cubes drenched in a spicy tomato sauce with onions, garlic, chili powder, and paprika. This flavorful combination of ingredients is a staple at numerous tapa bars throughout Spain, and it is especially popular as a late-night snack.

The dish is traditionally served with aioli sauce on top, but there is also a variety of other toppings that can be ordered with the snack, such as chorizo slices or fried fish.

Crema Catalana is a popular Spanish dessert made by baking a custard consisting of milk, cornstarch, and eggs in an oven. After baking and cooling, the dessert is sprinkled with sugar and broiled or burnt with a torch to create a crispy, burnt caramel top layer.

Sometimes, crema Catalana may be flavored with cinnamon, lemon, or orange zest. The dessert is also known as Crema de Sant Josep, since it is traditionally prepared on March 19, celebrating the saint. It is also the oldest European custard dessert, dating back to the 14th century. 

Escalivada is one of the most famous dishes from the Catalonia region of Spain, but it is also one of the simplest. The main ingredients include eggplants, bell peppers, and sometimes onions and tomatoes, typically grilled whole over hot embers.

The vegetables are then peeled, seeded, seasoned, and served as appetizers or side dishes, accompanying numerous roasted or grilled meat dishes and complementing each other. The name of the dish is derived from the word escalivar, meaning to roast over embers, to grill, or to roast in ashes.

It is believed that the first escalivada was prepared by farmers from the Pyrenees mountains, who would prepare the meal while the cattle was out on the pastures. 

Montaditos are open-faced sandwiches and an essential tapa in Spain. Although there is no set list of ingredients, montaditos are always made with bread slices, typically from a thin elongated bread similar to a baguette. The toppings are incredibly versatile and may include anything from smoked meat, chorizo sausages, jamóns, various types of cheese, pickled vegetables, anchovies, as well as other types of seafood.

The combinations are seemingly endless, and there are no set rules which toppings to use and how to combine them. It is believed that montaditos were the first type of sandwiches in Spain, dating back to fifteen or sixteenth century. The name montadito is believed to stem from the word montar, meaning to mount—as a reference to all the toppings that are mounted on top of each bread slice.

Seafood paella is one of the most popular paella varieties, not only in Valencia, but also in Andalusia and all along the Spanish coast. Due to the abundance of fresh fish and seafood, this dish is an absolute summer favorite in Spain. Paella de mariscos is prepared with a typical base of saffron-flavored rice, peppers, and tomatoes, but it owes its stunning visual appearance to the flavorful combination of fish, shrimp, mussels, and clams.

It is recommended to prepare this rich dish over a wood fire to infuse it with a delicate smoky aroma.

Elongated, crispy, crunchy and intensely fragrant, churros consist of deep-fried yeast dough encrusted with sugar. Although some may argue against consuming these sweet treats, warning others about the dangerous effects of sugar and fat on human bodies, the popularity of churros throughout the world doesn't seem to wane.

Originally invented by Spanish shepherds who could easily cook them in a pan over an open fire, today these unusually shaped, cinnamon sugar sprinkled twists are most commonly eaten in Spain and Latin America as a hot breakfast food, accompanied by a strong cup of coffee or a cup of thick hot chocolate.