The more you learn about Spain, the more enchanting it becomes so why not impress your friends at quiz nights with your knowledge the country, from language to recipes.
The earliest civilizations in Spain were prehistoric, with domens/tombs dating back to 4,000 BC still standing in Galicia.
Romans built aqueducts, which can be seen in Segovia and an impressive theatre in Tarragona.
The Muslim rule of the Moors influenced architecture and the most famous is the Alhambra Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Granada.
Siesta: The afternoon nap is no longer as widespread as it once was but, many places do still close for a break at midday, which helps with a healthier work-life balance.
Dinner time: mealtimes generally might take a little adjustment, Lunch is usually the largest meal of the day (another good reason to have time for a quick power nap to digest before returning to work) and is eaten between 2 and 4 pm. Because of this, dinner is not usually started until about 9 or 10pm and is a lighter meal. It will not be unusual to see families with children enjoying late nights at restaurants in Spain.
Tomatoes: Spain loves this fruit and is an ingredient in many recipes, including the cold soup Gazpacho. They are also used for a food fight every summer in the town of Buñol in Valencia. Everyone is welcome to this messy party, and the streets of the town turn red with tomato pulp.
Spanish vs Castilian: although Spanish is officially the national language of Spain, there are many regional dialects, including Valencian. The Basque region of northern Spain shares a common language with the Basque area of southwestern France, and it is uniquely different from most other European languages and is unrelated to any other family of languages as well. It’s origin therefore remains a mystery.
La Gomera islanders have a unique way of communicating across the countryside called Silbo Gomero. A way of whistling has been adapted to represent specific vowels and consonantsreplicating Spanish and is used to communicate across long distances between ravines and valleys. This method of speaking via a whistle was developed to overcome the geography of the island, enabling neighbours separated by rivers and valleys to stay in touch.
Spain has several greetings dependent upon the time of day, in addition to the familiar and general “Hola!”, Buenas dias is used in the morning and afternoon, Buenas tardes in the evening and Buenas noches is goodnight but there are variables of theses, e.g. locally in the Costa Blanca, you will frequently hear the expression Buen dïa.
Europe’s highest concentration of active volcanoes can be found in Spain, primarily in the Canary Islands, with the most well-known being Mount Teide on Tenerife, which is also the highest point in Spain.
The Canary Islands and Balearic Islands are two archipelagos and popular tourist destinations, In the Canaries, the islands included Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro, with six smaller ones. They are of volcanic origin, with black lava sand beaches and dramatic mountains. The Balearics which can be easily reached by ferry or hydrofoil from Denia in the Costa Blanca consist of Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.
The only desert in Europe can be found in the Almeria region of Spain and the dramatic landscape has been used as a filmset set many Westerners.
The small savoury dishes known as tapas are an obsession throughout Spain, and in some places they are served with an aperitif to tempt you to order a larger meal (or more drinks), known in Basque country as pintxos. You will always find a delicious morsal to tempt you in most bars. Speaking of which, did you know that Spain has the largest number of bars per head in the world? There is a bar for every 132 people, approximately.
Paella was originally created in Valencia and does not contain fish or shellfish but did include snails in addition to the more familiar ingredients of rice, chicken, rabbit, tomatoes, flat green beans, lima beans, salt, olive oil, water and saffron. However, there are regional variations where other meats, seafood or fish have been added.
Jamón Ibérico is dry-cured ham that comes from black Iberian pigs and is considered a delicacy in Spain. The most richly flavoured and coveted variety is known as the pata Negra (black hoof).
The oldest restaurant in the world, opening in 1725 and still operating today, is the Restaurant Botín in Madrid. It holds the Guinenss World Record for this and maintains a reputation for being a great dining venue with reasonable prices.
Another record holder is the Casa Estrecha in Valencia, where you can find the narrowest building in the world, measuring just 107 cm at its narrowest.
“Don Quixote” is said to be the first modern novel, it was written in the early 17th century by Miguel de Cervantes.
El Cid fought with the Moors when they invaded Spain but, converted to and fought with the Christians during the re-conquest and has become a Spanish hero and a rather legendary figure prominent in folklore, literature, and film.
Juan Lerma invented a stapler in the 18th century, but he was unfortunately ahead of his time since modern paper became available 70 years later.
To celebrate the arrival of the New Year, grapes are eaten at midnight in Spain, One grape is eaten for each clockstroke, symbolizing good luck for the next twelve months.
The longest railway line running between Bilbao and León, the Ferrocaril de la Robla, is also the oldest continuously running railway still operating today and was first begun in 1894.
Spain, rather than Belgium or Switzerland, was the first European country to cultivate this much-loved sweet temptation after it was brought back to the peninsula in the 16th century after the conquest of the Aztec Empire. The Spanish encountered chocolate there as a drink that was enjoyed locally and brought the beans back to Europe. Initially, the drink became popular in the country, and then production expanded, with chocolate being produced in Villajoyosa in the Costa Blanca. The town is the chocolate capital of Spain and has several renowned factories, including Valor, which was founded in 1831.
