GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

SURFACE CULTURE

BRIEF HISTORY

The Iberian Peninsula was first inhabited by Iberians, Basques, & Celts.

The Romans conquered the peninsula approximately 210 BCE and dominated through roughly 600 CE. Christianity was introduced in the 1st century CE and it became popular in the cities in the 2nd century CE. Most of Spain's present languages and religion, and the basis of its laws, originate from this period.

A Brief History

FLAG AND COAT OF ARMS

 Spanish is a part of the Ibero-Romance group of languages, which evolved from several dialects of common Latin in Iberia after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century.

Germanic Rule dominated in the early middle ages, with Moorish invaders eventually dominating through the mid 11th century

A Brief History

Small Christian kingdoms gradually regained control with complete dominance by the mid 1400’s.

The Age of Exploration officially began in the early 15th century and lasted until the 17th century. During this period Spain was a leading world power.

A Brief History

Spain retained the largest overseas empire for 3 centuries.

A Brief History

Spain began to diminish in status during the Napoleonic Wars & invasions. This lead to chaos and internal struggles for independence.

The Spanish Civil War in 1936 led to authoritarian rule under Franco through 1975.

A peaceful restoration of a Constitutional Monarch took place in 1978.

A Brief History

Ball de Diables

Catalan tradition of “the Devil’s Dance” to represent the struggle between Good & Evil.

FOLKLORE AND MYTHS

Don JuanLegendary fictional Libertine origins in a play written in 1630.

FOLKLORE AND MYTHS

El CidThe Lord/The

Champion a National Hero 1043-1099 CE.

Cuélebre

Mythological dragon like creature that breathes fire and protects treasure in caves.

FOLKLORE AND MYTHS

FOOD AND EATING CUSTOMS

Food is as integral to Spain as its rich history, with each of Spain's regions home to a range of unique cuisines and flavors. 

FOOD

Each regional specialty is worth trying, and restaurants from different regions bring their local delights to most main cities.

SPANISH EATING CUSTOMS

A normal day's breakfast- or desayuno- typically consists merely of a cup of coffee,

although it's also commonplace to accompany your steaming café con leche with a croissant or other pastry. While an American traditional breakfast has pancakes, bacon, and eggs, the Spanish "traditional" breakfast consists of the vastly popular churros, served sprinkled with sugar or dunked in hot chocolate.

BREAKFAST

SPANISH EATING CUSTOMS

Spaniards eat their lunch, or comida,

between 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon. Serving as the day's main meal, it is traditionally quite a bit larger than the dinner meal, or cena. A typical lunch will have several courses. The first course is the lighter part of the meal, usually consisting of a salad or soup, while the second course is normally your typical fish or meat dish. A dessert can be a simple piece of fruit, a typical Spanish flan, or a sweet pastry or cake.

LUNCH

SPANISH EATING CUSTOMS

The Spanish dinner (cena) is traditionally much smaller than the midday comida. It often consisting of something

lighter like a salad, a sandwich, or a selection of tapas. Spaniards eat late for this final meal of the day- even more so on weekends and during the summer- sitting down to eat anytime from 9:00 until 11:00 in the evening.

DINNER

SPANISH EATING CUSTOMS

A tradition begun long ago in the

southern city of Seville, Spaniards have since perfected the art of snacking.

Going out for tapas consists of travelling from bar to bar and sharing plates of the bars' specialties with a small group of friends. Learn more about tapas!.

TAPEO

SPANISH EATING CUSTOMS

No, it's not a myth. Yes, the infamous siesta really does exist. It began long ago as after eating the large mid-day meal farmworkers needed to

rest and digest before going back out to work the fields. While this daily break doesn't necessarily include a nap, businesses and stores do shut down for about two hours and many people return home to eat with their families.

SIESTA

FOODMany of the vegetables commonly used in Spanish cooking were brought back to Spain from the Americas by Spanish explorers in the 1400s and 1500s. Tomatoes, bell peppers (capsicum), potatoes and zucchini.

Besides the usual tapas, small Spanish savory dishes, typically served with drinks at a bar, for example olives, Manchego cheese or a plate of Spanish bravas , there are a few foods you should try.

FOOD

FOOD Top 10 Spanish food

The Valencia region is the home of one of Spain's most famous rice dishes, the Paella.

Traditionally cooked outside on an open wood fire in a

a large flat-bottomed pan called a paellera, a paella can include all types of ingredients including seafood, chicken, chorizo sausage, rabbit and even snails.

PAELLA

FOOD

Jamon is ubiquitous in Spain, carved thinly off cured legs of pork that you will see hanging in most bars and restaurants. Jamon is a serious business and an art in Spain, with many varietals that determine quality, such as what the pigs are fed and the curing process. Jamón ibérico de bellotais the top category, where the pigs are free-range and acorn-fed. Chorizo is identified by its red smoked-pepper colouring, and is a dried sausage with sweet and spicy hints.

JAMON & CHORIZO

Top 10 Spanish food

FOOD

You can find Spanish a plate of croquetas in almost any restaurant or bar, each made to the establishment's own recipe.

Croquettes are small, lightly breaded and fried sort of fritter. They are a sure hit as an appetizer or an afternoon snack with a glass of beer or wine. They are creamy and smooth and very tasty

CROQUETAS

Top 10 Spanish food

FOOD

White potatoes that have been cut into about 2 centimeter irregular shapes and then fried in oil and served warm with a fiery red sauce, varying in composition from province to province. tomato sauce

PATATAS BRAVAS

GASPACHO

From mainland Spain's most southerly region, Andalucia. Combining pestle-and-mortered cucumber, garlic, onion, pepper, and tomato with olive oil, salt, water and wine vinegar, the gazpacho receives a happy finish of chopped cucumber, onion, pepper, and tomato. sauce

Top 10 Spanish food

FOOD

Staying in Galicia? Roll into any old hostelry and order a plate of octopus, Galician style. Here, Galicians pep up boiled octopus with paprika, sea salt, and olive oil.

PULPO A LA GALLEGA

Top 10 Spanish food

If you have the chance to visit this picturesque green corner of Spain, which is widely known for its amazing seafood, you should certainly try the delicious paprika-flavored Galician octopus, be it in a tapas bar, a fancy restaurant or a traditional pulperia (octopus restaurant), where they still serve it on rough wooden plates.

FOOD

Tortilla española is also known as tortilla de patatas and pre-fried potatoes are the main ingredients after eggs. Chopped onion completes the recipe.

TORTILLA ESPAÑOLA

Top 10 Spanish food

A great starter or meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can find it in almost any bar and to varying degrees of quality and flavour. The best ones are from slow-cooked potato in olive oil, which make a soft centre once egg is added to create an omelette cake.

FOOD

Spain is home to a wide variety of interesting beans and legumes, and certain regions are famous for particular types, for example the dried large white beans of the region La Granja.

Around the country you can find different regional bean stews known as fabada that involve cooking the

FABADA ASTURIANA

Top 10 Spanish food

beans slowly with a mixture of meats – such as chorizo pancetta, black sausage and so on . It is widely available in restaurants across Spain and commonly eaten in winter

FOOD

Usually served as a tapa, Gambas al Ajillo (garlic shrimps) is an easy, mouthwatering Spanish dish extremely popular in the south of Spain. it is one of the tastiest and most widespread tapas dishes, so you can find it in bars and restaurants all over the country. The focal ingredients are shrimp, garlic and olive oil, but even so, it’s hard to

GAMBAS AL AJILLO

Top 10 Spanish food

find two versions that taste the same, as Spanish cooks tend to add their own touches to every food they’re preparing. The classic recipe will always include a bit of dry sherry (Vino de Jerez), sweet Spanish paprika, fresh lemon juice and parsley.

FOOD Top 10 Spanish food

This is actually eaten as a breakfast dish or snack in many parts of Spain. The churros can be found fresh-baked at most bakeries and cafes, and are served with hot chocolate (literally liquid chocolate in a cup) for dipping. Delicious, not-quite-nutritious, and great for a mid-afternoon date.

For those of you who don’t know, flan is sweet custard flavored with vanilla and caramel. Make sure to order “con nata” (with whipped cream), and don’t underestimate the size of these things; many restaurants offer full-sized flan for two, rather than the usual assumed one-person desserts in the United States.

CHURROS

FLAN

FOOD

SANGRIA

Top 10 Spanish food

Two Spanish specialities are the refreshing tinto de verano  (‘summer wine') andrebujito (white sangria), which involve little more than mixing wines with soft drinks but create a surprisingly tasty refresher. Tinto de verano is red wine with lemon soda, while rebujito is a white wine mixed with lemonade and topped off with fresh mint, and popular at the Sevillan Feria de Abril (April Fair).

FOOD

We invite yo to visit http://www.spanishfoodworld.com to know more about Spanish food

PERSONALITIES

PERSONALITIES

Ponce de LeónHe became the

first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of

the Spanish crown. He led the first European

expedition to Florida, which he named. He is associated

with the legend of the Fountain of Youth,

reputed to be in Florida.

PERSONALiTIES

Juan Carlos I of Spain

Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-

Dos Sicilias is the current King of Spain.

He became King on 22 November 1975

PERSONALITIES

Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright.His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered to be the first modern European novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written. His influence on the Spanish language has been so great that the language is often called la lengua de Cervantes ("the language of Cervantes")

Miguel de Cervantes

PERSONALITIES

He was a Spanish post-romanticist poet and writer also a playwright, literary columnist, and talented   drawer. Today he is considered one of the most important figures in Spanish literature, and is considered by some as the most read writer after Cervantes. 

Gustavo Adolfo Becker

PERSONALITIES

Paco de LuciaHe was a Spanish flamenco guitarist, composer and producer. A leading proponent of the New Flamenco style, he helped  

legitimize flamenco among the establishment in Spain, and was one of the first flamenco guitarists to have successfully crossed over into other genres of music such as classical and jazz.  

PERSONALITIES

He was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist  painter. Dalí's expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography.

Salvador Dalí

PERSONALITIESPablo PicassoHe was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist,  stage designer, poet and playwright who spent most of his adult life in France. As one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, he isknown for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage

PERSONALITIES

Jose CarrerasHe is a Spanish tenor who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini.

Plácido DomingoIs He is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range.

PERSONALITIES

Paul GasolProfessional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of

the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a four-

time All-Star, and a three-time All-NBA selection, once on the second team and twice on

the third team. He has won two NBA championships

PERSONALITIES

He is a Spanish professional tennis player and the current world No. 1

Rafael Nadal

PERSONALITIES

Penelope Cruz

DEEP CULTURE

FAMILY VALUES

FAMILY VALUES

A quote from a 2011 interview of a family entitled:

New Europe: The life of a Spanish family 

"To understand why we can sustain the situation (the severe recession of 2008) a bit longer than

many other northern European countries," … "you have to understand the concept of family support and solidarity, the idea that no matter how much you suffer, your extended family will be there for you, which creates this safety network, this idea

of protection, which is important not only practically but psychologically, you know? The

government has been using that quite cleverly, to pass the responsibility on to families."

The family is the basis of the social structure and includes both the nuclear and the extended family, which sometimes provides both a social and a financial support network.

Today, it is less common than previously for family members to work in a family business, as personal preferences are important and university education is common

FAMIY VALUES

The structure and the size of the family vary, but generally, people live until longer lives, have fewer children than before, and fewer people live in their homes with extended family

Familial networks have become less tight. The greatest changes have occurred inside families, between men and women, and the parents and children because the values that inspire these relations have changed.

FAMIY VALUES

Machismo is the word for male dominance, and the culture of old men who created it has changed dramatically

Spain is a very equalitarian society, the birth rate is the one of the lowest in Europe, and women are present at university and work

FAMIY VALUES

Machismo

GOVERNMENT

Spain was restored to a Constitutional Monarchy in 1978.

Spain is composed of 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities with varying degrees of independence, however the Constitution explicitly states the indivisible unity of the Spanish nation.

The constitution also specifies that Spain has no state religion and that all are free to practice and believe as they wish.

GOVERNMENTRights & Duties

Spain is organizationally structured as a so-called Estado de las Autonomías ("State of Autonomies"); it is one of the most decentralized countries in Europe.

For example, all Autonomous Communities have their own elected parliaments, governments, public administrations, budgets, and resources. Health and education systems among others are managed regionally

GOVERNMENT Rights & Duties

The nation is openly multilingual, part of the distinctiveness of the "historical nationalities" lies on their own regional languages

GOVERNMENT Rights & Duties

Language Status Speakers in Spain

Aragonese Protected in Aragon 11,000

AsturianProtected in Asturias and in Castile and León

100,000

Basque Official in the Basque Country and Navarre 580,000

CatalanOfficial in Catalonia, Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community; protected in Aragon

11 million

GalicianOfficial in Galicia, protected in Castile and León

3 million

Occitan Official in Catalonia 4,700

GOVERNMENT Rights & Duties

In 1978, to maintain the integrity of Spain yet satisfy regional aspirations, the country’s new leaders crafted an intricate terminological and geopolitical compromise, which they institutionalized in the new constitution. Spain, they declared, was an indivisible nation that joined together several territorially defined nationalities. “Nationality,” in the process, was redefined to refer not to a group of people possessing or aspiring to political sovereignty, but rather to a region whose inhabitants have a strong, historically constituted sense of identity.

GOVERNMENT Rights & Duties

GOVERNMENT Rights & Duties

FESTIVALS AND CEREMONIES

Public holidays celebrated in Spain include a mix of religious (Roman Catholic), national and regional observances

Spain's National Day (Fiesta Nacional de España) is 12 October, the anniversary of the Discovery of America and commemorate Our Lady of the Pillar feast, patroness of Aragon and throughout Spain.

FESTIVALS

Eating and drinking together are Spaniards' principal ways of spending time together, either at everyday leisure moments, weekly on Sundays, or on special occasions.

CEREMONIAL OCCASIONS

Special occasions include both general religious feast days such as Easter and Christmas and such family celebrations as birthdays, personal saints' days, baptisms, First Communions, and weddings. Many of these involve invited guests, and in small villages there may be at least token food offerings to the whole populace.

CEREMONIAL OCCASIONS

Food is the principal currency of social exchange. Everywhere people with enough leisure form groups whose main purpose is the periodic enjoyment together of food and/ or drink. These sociable groups of friends are called cuadrillas, peñas, or by other terms, and their number is by no means confined to the well-known men's eating societies of Basque Country.

CEREMONIAL OCCASIONS

One of the most famous event is the encierro, or the running of the bulls, which happens at 8:00 am from 7 July to 14 July, the week long celebration involves many other traditional and folkloric events.

FESTIVALS

Other festivals include the carnivals in the Canary Islands, the Falles in Valencia or the Holy Week in  Andalucia and Castile and Leon.

THE END