Stocking a Spanish pantry and cooking with the seasons

Terms used

• Tomate frito — Tomate frito is cooked tomato sauce sold in jars, tins or cartons, used as a base for many dishes.
• Pimentón — Pimentón is Spanish paprika, sold sweet or smoked, and used in stews, rice dishes and chorizo.
• Aceite de oliva virgen extra — Aceite de oliva virgen extra is the top grade of olive oil, pressed mechanically and free of taste defects.
• Jamón serrano — Jamón serrano is everyday cured ham, usually from white-breed pigs.
• Jamón ibérico — Jamón ibérico is cured ham from Iberian pigs, graded by breed and feeding, with colour-coded labels.
• Calçots — Calçots are long sweet spring onions from Catalonia, grilled over fire in winter and early spring.

Key rules

• Olive oil: Choose aceite de oliva virgen extra when you want the best oil for dressing and cooking.
• Ham labels: Black label means 100% Iberian acorn-fed ham, so it costs the most; serrano is the cheaper everyday ham.
• Seasonal buying: In-season fruit and vegetables are cheapest and tastiest, and the season shifts a little by region.
• Pimentón: Buy both sweet and smoked pimentón, because recipes specify one.

Start with a small set of staples

Spanish home cooking runs on a short list of ingredients. Buy these first and you can cook most everyday dishes from week one. The checklist below has the full shopping list, so here is what to know about the items that matter most.

• Oil and flavour: olive oil, garlic, onions, pimentón, bay leaf and saffron.
• Base for sauces and stews: tinned tomato and tomate frito, plus potatoes.
• Filling meals: rice, pasta, and jarred or dried chickpeas, lentils and white beans.
• Quick protein: eggs, tinned tuna and sardines.
• Cured meats: cured chorizo or jamón for snacking, and cooking chorizo for stews and rice.

Pimentón comes sweet and smoked. Buy both, because recipes call for one or the other. Jarred legumes need no soaking, so they are the easiest way to start.

Choose the right olive oil

Olive oil is the main cooking fat in Spain, and the label tells you what you are getting.

• Aceite de oliva virgen extra is the top grade. It is made only by mechanical pressing, with no defects in taste. Use it for dressings, bread and everyday cooking.
• Aceite de oliva virgen is also pressed mechanically but allows more acidity and a few taste defects. It is less common.
• Aceite de oliva is a blend of refined oil and virgin oil. It has a milder flavour and is often cheaper.
• Aceite de orujo de oliva is extracted from the pomace left after pressing. It is a different, lower product.

If you are unsure, pick virgen extra.

Know your jamón

Prices vary a lot, and the label explains why.

• Jamón serrano is cured ham, usually from white-breed pigs. It is the cheaper everyday ham.
• Jamón ibérico comes from Iberian pigs and has its own colour-coded labels:
  • Black: 100% ibérico de bellota. The pigs are pure Iberian breed and fed on acorns.
  • Red: ibérico de bellota, at least 50% Iberian breed.
  • Green: ibérico de cebo de campo, fed in the field.
  • White: ibérico de cebo, fed on grain.

The label should show the breed percentage, the feeding and the curing time. Names such as Jabugo, Guijuelo, Dehesa de Extremadura, Los Pedroches and Teruel mean the ham also follows rules about where it comes from.

Cook with the seasons

Shops and markets follow the seasons closely, and in season produce is cheaper and tastes better. Timing shifts a little by region and climate.

• Spring: asparagus, artichokes, broad beans, peas, strawberries, new potatoes and loquats. Cherries arrive in late spring.
• Summer: tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, cucumbers, melon, watermelon, peaches, apricots, nectarines and plums. Figs come in late summer.
• Autumn: pumpkin, mushrooms, grapes, pomegranates, persimmons, chestnuts, apples, pears, quinces and the first mandarins.
• Winter: oranges, mandarins, lemons, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, chard, leeks, spinach, kale and turnips. Calçots appear in Catalonia.

Potatoes, onions and carrots are available all year. So are bananas from the Canary Islands, and avocados from Málaga and Granada, roughly from winter to spring.

A simple way to shop

Stock the pantry once, then buy fresh produce weekly based on what is cheapest and most plentiful. The FAQ below covers calçots, the year-round produce list and the olive oil and ham questions in more detail.

Starter pantry and kitchen checklist for a Spanish home

Starter pantry and kitchen checklist

• Buy extra virgin olive oil, salt, sugar and sherry or wine vinegar.

• Stock garlic, onions and potatoes.

• Get tinned tomato and tomate frito (cooked tomato sauce), plus canned peppers.

• Buy sweet and smoked pimentón (paprika), bay leaf and saffron.

• Stock rice (bomba or round) and pasta.

• Keep dried and jarred legumes: chickpeas, lentils and white beans.

• Buy tinned tuna and sardines.

• Pick up eggs, flour, bread, coffee and stock cubes or broth.

• Buy cured chorizo or jamón, and cooking chorizo for stews.

• Check which hob you have (glass-ceramic electric, induction or gas) and whether the extractor hood (campana extractora) works well.

• Check the oven, fridge, washing machine and microwave, and find out whether a dishwasher or tumble dryer is included.

• Get a good frying pan (sartén), including a large one for tortilla.

• Get a pressure cooker (olla exprés) for legumes and stews.

• Buy a clay casserole (cazuela de barro) for stews and gambas al ajillo.

• Buy a paella pan (paellera) if you plan to cook rice dishes.

• Get a hand blender (túrmix) for gazpacho and sauces.

• Buy a mortar (mortero) for sofrito and garlic sauces.

• Get a large pot for stocks, plus a chopping knife and board.

• Consider a tortilla flipping plate and a mandoline or slicer as extras.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between virgen extra and plain aceite de oliva?

Virgen extra is the top grade of olive oil, made only by mechanical pressing, with acidity up to 0.8% and no taste defects. Plain aceite de oliva is a blend of refined and virgin oil with acidity up to 1%. Use virgen extra for dressing and finishing, and the cheaper blend for everyday frying.

How do I tell the different types of jamón apart in the shop?

Look at the label colour: black is 100% ibérico de bellota (acorn-fed, pure Iberian breed), red is ibérico de bellota (at least 50% Iberian breed), green is ibérico de cebo de campo (field-fed) and white is ibérico de cebo (grain-fed). Jamón serrano is the cheaper everyday ham from white-breed pigs.

Which fruit and vegetables can I buy all year in Spain?

Potatoes, onions and carrots are available all year. Bananas from the Canarias are too, and avocados from Málaga and Granada run roughly from winter to spring. For everything else, buy what is in season: for example asparagus and strawberries in spring, tomatoes and melon in summer, pumpkin and mushrooms in autumn, and oranges and cabbage in winter.

What are calçots and when can I buy them?

Calçots are a type of long spring onion from Catalonia that you find in winter. Look for them in Catalan markets and shops during the cold months, when they are in season.