Catalonia is an iconic region of Spain. Long subject to political turmoil as many locals believe in Catalonian independence, the region now has political and cultural autonomy, focused on it’s capital – beautiful Barcelona. With a strong regional identity, the area even speaks a different dialect to the rest of Spain, making their traditions and cuisine distinct from those of More info
As Spain’s southernmost region, Andalusia practically borders North Africa and, in the middle ages, spent more than five hundred years under the Islamic rule of successive Moorish despots. Nowadays, the region couldn’t be more Spanish – and they’re fiercely proud of it too. Ask any Andalusian about the origin of tapas and they’ll tell you it came from Jerez. Here, More info
The Spanish adore mushrooms. There are very few countries in the world where these little, earthy gems are more highly prized, more widely understood or more passionately collected. Today we’re taking a closer look at the Spanish love affair with the seemingly humble mushroom… Mushroom Picking It is in Catalonia, one of the finest mushroom growing regions in Spain, where More info
What could be better, a beautifully made light lunch and a glass of perfectly matched Spanish wine to bring out the flavor of the fresh ingredients on your plate? At Ataula, we’re passionate about Spanish wines and, like most Spaniards, we believe that Spain produces some of the very finest wines in the world. And we’re not alone. Spanish wine More info
In Spanish culture, food is about so much more that just eating. A good meal is nothing without great conversation and real quality time. Forget about TV dinners or dining and dashing, the tradition of sobremesa is all about sitting back after a meal and enjoying the company of your fellow diners (and setting the world to rights, if that’s More info
As rich and diverse as Spanish cuisine is, there are three ingredients which are just as crucial as those other mainstays, conversation and wine. These are the flavors the Spanish just cannot live without – aceite de oliva, ajo, and pan. Here are their stories. Aceite de Oliva (olive oil) Olive oil is one of those unmistakable oils that simply More info
As America, along with many other countries around the world, gears up to celebrate Fathers Day this coming Sunday, we thought we’d take an in-depth look at how the Spaniards do it - or rather did it, back on March 19th. Relative to Mothers Day, the tradition of setting aside 24 hours for the exclusive celebration of fathers is particularly More info
Literally translated, the Spanish word for the first meal of the day – desayuno – has the same meaning as the English (des- being a prefix meaning ‘not’, similar to the English ‘dis-‘, and ayuno referring to a fast) but the similarities largely end there. The Spanish breakfast is typically very small, especially by comparison to American standards, and this More info
Taking its name from the word cova, meaning ‘cave’ or ‘cellar’ in Catalan (the language of Catalonia, where 95% of this wine is produced), cava has until recently been viewed with derision as a cheap and somewhat tacky alternative to champagne. However, this situation has been changing over the last few years, with snobbery beginning to soften as experts start More info
The weather outside may be frightful, but the dishes inside here at Ataula are delightful enough to cheer up even the dreariest February. In one of our previous posts we offered a few Spanish-inspired ideas for healthy New Year’s eating, but sometimes all you need is a hearty plate of comfort food to chase away the Winter blues. Spanish cuisine is More info