Before visiting Spain for the first time, here are some not so obvious things to know about the country to help elevate your experience in Spain and relate to the culture.
1. The Spanish countryside’s sun drenched hills are covered in olive orchards.
In fact, Spain is the top producer and exporter of olive oil in the world. It has around 4.7 million acres of olive orchards and by comparison, Italy, the second ranked producer, has 2.0 million acres of them.
When traveling in Spain, I recommend doing a local olive oil tasting. Deep green Spanish olive oil drizzled over pan con tomate, some truffle fed jamon Iberico, and a cold glass of cava and you’ll never want to leave.
2. Hispaniola is the original name of modern day Spain.
Given by the ancient Romans when it became their first province. In fact, northeastern Spain remained under at least nominal Roman control until 474 CE!
Many Spanish towns have ancient roman structures today like arched aqueducts, city walls, and coliseums, strikingly similar to Spain’s modern day bullfighting rings.
3. Bull fighting is surprisingly a divisive topic amongst modern Spaniards.
With Roman origins, it was once an integral part of Spain’s social hierarchy. Today, bullfighting is outlawed in many places, like Catalonia for example.
However in other parts of the country like Madrid and Valencia, it’s still quite popular. The top matadors in Spain are treated and paid like rock stars, earning more than $100,000 per bullfight and often performing 30 to 40 times a year.
4. Spain has been shaped by amazing artists and architects, from Salvador Dali to Gaudi, to Pablo Picasso.
In addition to the many must see museums, don’t miss the one of a kind spaces these artists designed, like Salvador Dali’s giant brick red egg-covered surrealist home, now a museum in Figueres, Spain.
Or Gaudi’s fanciful Park Guell housing development on the hills overlooking Barcelona. Another truly fantastic example of Spanish art history is the Alhambra palace in Granada where you’ll see breathtaking architecture, intricate geometric tile work and majestic gardens.
5. Understanding the flow of daily life in Spain is important if you want to eat properly.
Restaurants literally close down or don’t offer substantial food like some other countries. Embrace siestas in the heat of the day when businesses close; they’re what get you through late night dinners.
Oh! And never skip a second breakfast which is often churros con chocolate and an espresso.
6. Paella originated in a rice farming village near Valencia.
Once a humble peasant dish, it was prepared for lunch by farmers in the field over a hot fire. The process and ingredients are a perfect merging of Spain’s two main influences, Roman (the pan) and Arabic (the rice).
The unique shape of a paella pan results from necessity. The region doesn’t have much timber so foraged green twigs and branches were used instead to make the super hot fire needed to encourage maximum evaporation of the special rice used in paella. That’s why with really big paella pans, the circumference can be huge but the depth always remains the same.
7. Flamenco originated in Andalusia, danced by the Roma or Romani people.
The Romani are sometimes called Gypsies, though that is now considered a derogatory ethnic term. The heart of flamenco is its main instrument, the Spanish guitar.
Did you know guitars were an adaptation of an Arabic instrument called an oud? Though popular in Spain for many years, it wasn’t until the 1930s that Carmen Amaya of Barcelona helped take flamenco dancing to the International stage.
8. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, public libraries in most of Europe were non-existent, while Al Andalus Spain could boast of more than seventy.
The south’s emphasis on educating its people helped foster a thriving trade economy for most of their more than 700 year reign. Knowledge which ultimately help save Europe from the dark middle ages once Al Andalus was conquered.
In Arabic ruled Spain, education in language, writing, mathematics, science, and astronomy, as well as farming and irrigation was universally available. This all while in Christian ruled Europe, ninety-nine percent of the population was illiterate and uneducated. In fact many kings could neither read nor write and instead valued religious based education and training in crafts and trades were more culturally valued.
9. Spanish culture and history are intertwined with Roman Catholicism.
Many Spanish people are still deeply devout Catholics. In fact, many festivals and public celebrations are religious in nature. An outdoor Saints Day festival is one thing, but when visiting churches or places of worship, it is respectful to taking pictures without a flash, try not to make too much noise, don’t walk on the altar, and wear clothing that’s not too revealing.
10. Spain doesn’t have a singular, homogenous culture.
Cultures vary dramatically in cuisine, language, and economy based on the region’s history, terrain, and outside influences from travel and trade to imperialism and war.
While Spain is a unified country and has many universal commonalities, its regions are distinct. Galicia is Celtic. The Basque country speaks Basque (which is unlike any European language). Valencia, Catalonia, and the Balearic Islands speak Occitan and Catalan.
Then layer on top of that the diversity of recently immigrated people to the country from all over the world and it’s not so difficult to see why the Spanish lifestyle is so addicting and why Spain’s food, music, and art are so vibrant and beautiful.