Spanish cuisine varies across it's regions. I live in Galicia, a coastal area in Northwestern Spain. This area of Spain is well known for its fresh mariscos (seafood), especially pulpo (octopus) and pescado (fish). As I've traversed across Spain's comunidades autónomas, I've tried delicious foods from each region, like eating comida casera (homecooked meals) with my friend Almudena's family in Madrid, enjoying seafood with my former familia anfitriona (host family) in Vigo, and drinking many delicious cafés con leche (lattes) across the country.
Just before beginning my teaching position, I took a solo trip to Valencia, a city on the eastern coast of Spain. Valencia is the 3rd most populated city in Spain, after Madrid and Barcelona. While in Valencia, I ate my fill of delicious paella, a traditonal plato valenciano (Valencian dish) which consists of arroz bomba, tomates, azafrán (saffron), aceite de olivia, caldo (broth), y otras verduras. The traditional Valencian paella includes conejo y pollo (rabbit and chicken), but I am vegetariana, so I ate a vegetable variation of the dish.
