🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Spaniards

Spaniards (the Spanish people) are the main population of Spain, on the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic and Canary Islands. Their traditions are tied to place: flamenco to Andalusia, human towers to Catalonia, Fallas to Valencia, cider to Asturias, ham to the mountains and the oak pastures called dehesas, and sausages to their own provinces, from Segovia to Mallorca. The wine, oil and ham figures below refer to the whole country, not only to one people.

Flamenco joins song (cante), dance (baile) and guitar (toque). Its heartland is Andalusia, with roots also in Murcia and Extremadura. Men and women sing, usually seated, and short, simple lines express grief, joy or fear. For many communities it is a badge of identity, which is why UNESCO listed flamenco in 2010.

Some festivals are literally held up by the community. Catalan human towers, castells (on UNESCO's list since 2010), have six to ten levels: adults below, children on top, and anyone may push in at the base. In Valencia the Fallas (2016) run from 14 to 19 March: local craftspeople build giant figures on current themes, then burn them at the end to mark the coming of spring.

According to the OIV, in 2025 Spain had the world's largest vineyards, 919,000 hectares, and made 28.7 million hectolitres of wine, third in the world; it exported 19.6 million. Andalusia gives sherry, aged in oak casks in the solera system, amontillado among its styles, while cava is a traditional-method sparkling wine from four zones of the country. In the north the main drink differs: in Asturias it is natural cider from native apple varieties, and UNESCO listed its culture in 2024 because knowledge of orchards, fermenting and pouring passes through families.

In the 2024/25 season, on preliminary IOC figures, Spain made 1,419,000 tonnes of olive oil, about 40 % of world output, and 533,000 tonnes of table olives; its varieties include Picual, Arbequina and Cornicabra. In the EU register the country has 32 protected cheese names, among them Manchego, Cabrales, Idiazabal and Tetilla.

Jamón is dry-cured ham, and the law splits it into two families. Jamón serrano is an EU traditional speciality guaranteed and cures for at least 210 days from salting. Jamón ibérico comes from pigs that are at least half Iberian breed; the Iberian pig is a native breed with five varieties. The most prized animals graze the dehesa on acorns from October to March and gain at least 46 kg in more than 60 days. Royal Decree 4/2014 requires a three-part name, a seal on every leg and 600 or 730 days of curing: black and red seals are for acorn-fed pigs, green and white for pigs fattened on feed. Protected names tie the ham to a place: Jabugo takes only 100 % Iberian acorn-fed pigs and cures in 31 municipalities of the Sierra de Huelva; Guijuelo in 78 municipalities of Salamanca at about 1,000 m; Los Pedroches in the dehesas of northern Córdoba; Dehesa de Extremadura in Cáceres and Badajoz. Jamón de Teruel and Jamón de Trevélez come from white pigs: the first dries above 800 m for at least 60 weeks, the second in the Alpujarra above 1,200 m for 14 to 20 months.

Sausages have home addresses too. Paprika (pimentón) turns chorizo red, and each region makes its own. Chorizo de Cantimpalos from Segovia province in Castile is tied with a red, black and white thread, and at least half its paprika is Pimentón de La Vera; as early as 1928 it was shipped to Mexico in oil, in metal cans. Chorizo Riojano from La Rioja comes only in the extra category, with garlic required and pieces of at least 200 g. Catalonia leaves paprika out: Salchichón de Vic (Llonganissa de Vic) from the Plana de Vic is seasoned with black pepper, ripens under a white bloom of mould and is thicker than the thin fuet. Sobrasada de Mallorca is soft enough to spread and is also made from the island's black pig; the word «sobrasada» has been in use since the 14th century. All four are EU PGIs. León, meanwhile, dries and smokes beef: that is Cecina de León.

Spirits are regional too. Pacharán from Navarre is sloes steeped in spirit, often with anise, at 25 % ABV or more, and in the EU the name «pacharán» belongs only to drinks made in Spain. Chinchón, from a town near Madrid, is an anise spirit of 35 to 74 % ABV. Galicia has a coffee liqueur, a home tradition since the 19th century, and a herbal liqueur on grape-marc spirit; Majorca has palo, known since the 16th–17th centuries; Asturias has cider spirit; the Canaries have ronmiel; and there is Licor 43.

Spain's Christmas season ends on 6 January with roscón de Reyes, a ring of sweet bread with candied fruit, a figurine and a bean: whoever finds the bean pays for the roscón. Turrón, a nougat of almonds and honey, is on the festive table too; Turrón de Jijona and Turrón de Alicante have been EU-protected since 1996.

Why it matters to you. Spanish foods are closely tied to their region, so look on the label for the place name and the PDO or PGI mark: it shows where and under which rules a cheese, oil, ham or sausage was made. On ibérico ham check the seal colour too: «pata negra» is allowed only with the black seal, meaning a 100 % Iberian, acorn-fed leg. Chorizo Riojano and Mallorcan sobrasada also carry a numbered back label from their regulatory council.