The Best Spain Food Facts

07.11.2022

Spanish food is more than just tapas and paella. And although those are delicious, there are still lots of facts that you probably don’t know about.

Spain grows 13 percent of the world vineyard … and is #1

There are only 5 countries that represent more than half (a bit over 50%) of the vineyard world: China, France, Italy, Turkey and… Spain.

And though you might not think so, neither France nor Italy are the #1 country in the world with the most vineyards. That’s right, Spain is the top country in the world in terms of area covered by vineyards, with 13% of the world’s vineyards, but China is rapidly growing and might overtake Spain pretty soon.

Several common ingredients were imported to Europe by Spain

There are probably some ingredients that you are using either daily or very often, especially as a European. For instance, a Mediterranean could not imagine avoiding tomatoes in all their meals for a week, a smoker needs tobacco for their cigarettes, and a chocolate lover needs cocoa for their bars.

Well, all those precious and nowadays very common things would never even exist in Europe if it were not for Spain.

Spain produces more than just red wine.

The most famous Spanish wines are red, and that is a bit misleading. Actually, more than 60 percent of Spain’s vineyards are dedicated to white wine. You can find lots of brandy and sherry in Spain, but also simply delightful white wines, though less renowned than the red ones.

Almost 75 percent of the world’s saffron is produced in Spain

Saffron is one of the world’s most expensive spices by weight, and has even been the most expensive one for a long time. It is used in a variety of dishes, such as the French “bouillabaisse”, the Milanese “risotto” in Italy and… the paella in Spain.

It gives the paella its classic yellow look, and Spain is by far the biggest saffron producer in the world, with almost 75 percent of it!