In Spain, lunch is often the largest meal of the day and can take a variety of forms. Normally, lunch is a two or three course meal, with salad, soup, and an entrée. Of course, every meal also comes with bread and picos for scooping food and adding a crunchy texture to foods.
There are so many Spanish foods that I cannot possibly mention all of them, so instead I will focus on the common dishes pictured below. Patatas aliñás is an Andalusian potato salad with white onion, garlic, parsley, sherry vinegar, and olive oil that was a favorite of mine because of its bright, acidic, and refreshing flavor. Another immensely popular starter is ensaladilla, similar to a seafood salad in the United States.
Of course, Andalusia is famous for gazpacho, a chilled tomato soup that is served by the pitcher during the hot summers. I also learned about salmorejo, a cousin to gazpacho which is made with bread and has a creamier, custard-like texture.
Entrees are similarly diverse in Spain and are normally a meat or a hearty stew. One of the staple dishes is albondigas, a Spanish meatball served with an onion and bell pepper sauce. Lunch is normally consumed around 2:00 p.m., so it has to be a larger meal to fill the eight-hour break before dinner.
Picture of ensaladilla from: https://www.cocinaabuenashoras.com/ensaladilla-rusa.html
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