As with Italian food, Spanish cuisine is all about using fresh and local ingredients, which has thrown up a wealth of regional styles and traditional dishes over the years. With the abundance of fish and shellfish in the Basque region in the north, this area is known for its seafood dishes, especially salted and dried cod. The east coast is where you will find foods associated with the Mediterranean diet, high in olive oil, seafood and fresh fruit. You will also find all types of tasty sausages and the sumptuously rich egg custard, crema catalana.

Andalusia is a large region in the south of Spain where Arabs introduced rice, oranges, lemons, olives and spices, and this is where the much-loved tapas were invented. Central Spain has a plentiful supply of game – hare, wild boar, partridge, pheasant – and here you will come across all sorts of hearty stews. This is also where manchego is from, a hard cheese made from sheep's milk. But perhaps the best-known product throughout Spain and the world is saffron, grown in the Castilla La Mancha region. Needless to say, you’re really spoilt for choice when it comes to Spanish ingredients.

Times Recommends

• How to season a wok
• Chicago Rib Shack hits back at its critics
• Gordon Ramsay: Indian barbecue