The best of each country

If the chosen destination for your holiday is a European country, you can enjoy yourself savouring cod in Portugal, cheese in France and Switzerland, sausages in Germany, herring in Nordic countries, or caviar in Russia..., a great variety of typical products that make their gastronomies unique.

365 ways of preparing cod

Cod is Portugal's star product, and although it is said that you can prepare it in 365 different ways, bacalhau à brás thin strips of cod mixed with onions, and thin strips of potato with egg, is the most typical dish of this neighbouring country. Alongside the cod, los queijos (Portuguese cheese) is worth a try, as are all of the seafood delicacies and its arroces caldosos or rice stews. 

What attracts attention from Germany is the variety of meats, which are either served as smoked, or in the form of sausages and cold meats (Wurst): Pork, veal, wild boar, roe deer, hen, turkey, goose, rabbit, and a long list of etceteras. But German gastronomy is quite varied and is subject to many influences from Switzerland, Holland and Austria. It is also worth highlighting the great variety of German breads, and its rich culture in beer brewing.

Swiss cheese and chocolate

Swiss meats and cheese enjoy international renown: Meat is more common in the valleys, while its cheeses come from the higher regions. Examples of Swiss cheeses are Gruyere and Emmental. Worthy of a separate mention are Swiss chocolates which, as well as basking in world fame, occupy an important place in the daily diet of the Swiss, with their high calorie content helping to combat the low temperatures. 

French gastronomy is one of the richest and most varied in the world, but if there were some typical French products to be highlighted, crêpes, foie, and Camembert, Brie and Roquefort cheese could not be left out. We could also mention its magnificent snail recipes or the unbeatable wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne.

Turning our attention to Italian gastronomy, pizza and pasta stand out as obvious examples, but this also includes cold meats such as zampone (pig's trotter filled with meat which is used to cook lentil stew), mortadella, salami and Parma ham. With regards to typical Italian cheese, mozzarela, mascarpone and gorgonzola are the most outstanding.

Greek cooking is quite popular outside the country; this is in part due to the fame of moussaka (aubergines with lamb meat). Greek menus typically include a selection of meze (entrees), such as keftedes (spicy meatballs) and tzatziki (a sauce made from yogurt, olive oil, garlic, cucumber, and dill). The salads are excellent and generally include feta, a cheese made from sheep's milk, cucumbers, olives and tomatoes.

Herring and salmon in the Nordic Countries

A little less well known is the gastronomy of Poland, where herring and salmon are commonly served as hor d’oeuvres. The taste for herring is shared with other countries in northern Europe, such as Finland and Denmark. Norwegian salmon may be one of the best known internationally, but in Norway there are many other typical products that stand out, such as reindeer meat and brunost goat cheese with an exquisite taste and an original coffee colour.

Side dishes are the pride of cooking in the Czech Republic, one of the most classic being knedlíky, which consists of little balls of flour and potato, and is commonly eaten with almost all the dishes that make up Czech gastronomy. Other products of interest are Prague ham, spiced bread, and the original olomoucké tvaruzky, a partially mature cheese made of light curds. Czech beer deserves a separate mention. There are 470 varieties of beer brewed in this country, and to accompany this, what better than utopence (which translates as “drowned”) sausages pickled in vinegar, onions and spices.

Conservation of food in Iceland

Icelandic gastronomy is based on products such as fish, meat, lamb, and above all, dairy products. Of the dairy products, cheese such as skyr, which is a type of thick white cheese, and smjorosturs, which is a creamy cheese made with prawns and mushrooms, are both outstanding. Food conservation techniques, such as salting, drying, smoking, marinating and even fermenting, play an important role in Icelandic recipes.

Russia is a multicultural country with influences from Asia and Europe, which can be appreciated in its rich and varied culinary repertoire. Its most traditional dishes are noted for combating the extreme cold, and it is because of this that its afamed vodka is never missing from any table. There is an infinity of soups, of which the most popular is Borsch. This is made from beetroot, potatoes, cabbage and meat. Caviar is another of its most famous products. There are two types: Red caviar (from salmon) and black caviar (from beluga and sturgeon from the Caspian Sea). Of black caviar, beluga is the most valuable and also the most expensive. As far as beverages are concerned, and aside from vodka, tea is very commonly drunk, especially black tea with sugar and lemon.