A guide to food in Spain – C

A B C D-E F-G-H I-J-K L-M-N O-P-Q R S T U-V-W-X-Y-Z

  • caballa: mackerel

  • caballo: horsemeat

  • cabra: goat

  • cabracho: scorpionfish

  • cabrales: fiery cheese of Asturias

  • cabrito: kid goat

  • cacahuete: peanut

  • cacao: cocoa

  • cachelos (Galician): potatoes

  • café: coffee

  • café americano: as espresso but with much more water so bigger and weaker

  • café cortado: espresso with a drop of milk

  • café solo: espresso

  • calabacín: courgette

  • calabaza: pumpkin

  • calamar: squid (Loligo vulgaris)

  • calamares a la romana: squid rings in batter

  • calamares en su tinta: squid cooked in their ink

  • calçots (Catalan): a variety of scallion from Catalonia

  • caldeirada: fish stew from Galicia

  • caldereta: various forms of stew across Spain including a fish stew from Asturias. Caldereta de cordero is a mutton stew

  • caldero: a large pot, a cauldron. And dishes which use one (eg Arroz caldero del Mar Menor).

  • caldo: broth or stock

  • caldo gallego:

  • calimocho (from the Basque Kalimotxo): drink made from approximately 50% red wine and 50% Coke. An essential lubicant of Spanish youth. (Wikipedia)

  • callos: tripe

  • callos a la madrileña: tripe cooked with chillis

  • camarón: small prawn

  • canalons (Catalan): cannelloni

  • canalones: cannelloni

  • canela: cinnamon

  • cangrejo de mar: crab

  • cangrejo de río: river crab

  • canónigo: lamb’s lettuce

  • cantimpalos: a type of chorizo sold in strings.

  • caña: glass of draught beer

  • cañadilla: sea snail from the same family of the bígaro, but bigger.

  • capón: capon

  • caqui or kaki: persimmon or kaki (Diospyros kaki)

  • caracol: snail

  • carajillo: expresso coffee with a shot of brandy or other spirits (anís, rum, whisky…)

  • caramelo: caramel

  • caramelos: sweets

  • cardo: cardoon or artichoke thistle

  • cargols (Catalan): snails

  • carne: meat

  • carne picada: mince

  • carnero: ram

  • castañas: chestnuts

  • casquería: variety meats, offal

  • cata: wine tasting

  • Catalan cuisine by Simon Rice by Francis Barrett

  • caza: game

  • cazón: tope shark (Galeorhinus galeus)

  • cebolla: onion

  • cebolleta: spring onion / shallot

  • cebollino: chive

  • cecina: salted, smoked and air-dried beef, rather like biltong or beef jerky, but in my opinion at best far superior. The word cecina is said to come either from the latin siccus (dry) or from the celtic ciercina related to modern Spanish “cierzo” or Northern wind. The best known cecina is from León. Cecina of wild boar and other game is also found.

  • centeno: rye

  • centollo: spider crab

  • cerdo: pork, pig

  • cerdo ibérico: Iberian black pig

  • cereza: cherry

  • cerveza: beer

  • champiñones: mushrooms

  • chanfaina: an Extremadura dish nothing to do with similarly named dishes in Spain such as the Catalan Xanfaina, which is a Spanish version of the Occitan Ratatouille

  • chanquetes: fish (similar to whitebait)

  • chicharrones: pork scratchings

  • chilindrón (al chilindrón):

  • chireta: haggis from Aragon

  • chiringuito: beach bar, or temporary bar in fiestas.

  • chipirón: small squid

  • chipirones en su tinta: squid cooked in their ink

  • chistorra (in Basque txistorra): thin chorizo-like sausage for frying.

  • chirimoya: cherimoya

  • chirla: type of small clam

  • chivo: kid

  • chocolate: chocolate

  • chocos: squid

  • chorizo: cold spicy sausage

  • chorizo a la sidra: a classic Asturian dish present throughout Spain, though in my opinion overrated.

  • chufa: tigernuts. Used to make horchata de chufa.

  • chuleta: chop

  • chuletón: large chop

  • churrasco:thick cut of skirt steak to grill

  • churros: deep fried doughnuts

  • ciervo: venison

  • cigala: crayfish

  • cilantro: coriander

  • ciruela: plum

  • ciruela pasa: prune

  • clara de huevo: egg white

  • clavo (de olor): clove

  • coca (Catalan): Catalan cake

  • cochinillo: suckling pig

  • cochinillo asado: roast suckling pig. The Guardian has this article on suckling pig in Portugal “Each weekend families from across Portugal descend on the small town of Mealhada to feast on the best suckling pig in the country…leitão assado da bairrada, suckling pig roasted and basted until the flesh is creamy and the skin develops a prerequisite crunch. Leitão assado is to be found on menus throughout Portugal but, if you want to experience the dish at its very best, you should head to the Bairrada wine region and in particular to the small town of Mealhada”

  • cocido:

  • cocido madrileño: the Classic Madrid chick pea stew.

  • cocido maragato:

  • cocido montañés:heart stew from Cantabria with a complex fauna. One of my favourites.

  • coco: coconut

  • cocochas (de merluza): cheeks of hake

  • codillo: pork elbow.

  • codorniz: quail

  • cogollo: heart (of cabbage, lettuce)

  • col: cabbage

  • coles de Bruselas: Brussels sprouts

  • coliflor: cauliflower

  • comino: cumin

  • compangu (Asturian): the pork embutidos (chorizo, lacón -boiled ham, morcilla) accompanying the fabada asturiana. Literally, the accompaniment.

  • coñac: brandy

  • condimento: seasoning

  • conejo: rabbit. See also rabbits and the origin of Spain

  • confit (Catalan): meats preserved in jars with oil and lard

  • congrio: conger eel

  • consomé: consommé (soup)

  • consomé al jerez: consommé with sherry

  • consomé con yema: consommé with egg yolk

  • contra filete de ternera: veal fille:

  • copos de avena: oats

  • corazones de alcachofas: hearts of artichoke

  • cordero: lamb

  • cordero al chilindrón: lamb stew with onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and chillies.

  • corzo: roe deer

  • costillas: ribs

  • crema catalana: crème brulée

  • crepe: pancake

  • criadillas: testicles, beef or lamb

  • croqueta: croquette. Croquettes in Spain come in great many varieties. The basis is always the filling of a thick creamy béchamel. This is then mixed with whatever is at hand or whatever tradition dictates in the household in question: ham, chicken, game, boiled egg, mussels, wild mushrooms… the possibilities are virtually endless.

  • cuajada: milk curd

  • cuajo: rennet

  • Cuchifritos or Cochifritos : Fried lamb or goat with olive oil, garlic, vinegar, basil, rosemary, bay leaves, and spearmint, hailing from Castilla-La Mancha, Castile and León and Extremadura. Not to be confused with Latin American Cuchiifritos

A B C D-E F-G-H I-J-K L-M-N O-P-Q R S T U-V-W-X-Y-Z

spanish cuisine glossary, spanish cooking dictionary, spanish cooking guide, spanish food culture, history of spanish food, history of food in Spain, food culture in spain, spanish ingredients, buying food in spain, buying spanish food, what to eat in Spain, where to eat in Spain, spanish regional cooking, spanish regional cuisine, regional cuisine of spain, what to eat in catalonia, catalan ingredients, dictionary of catalan food, glossary of food in catalunya, glossary of food in catalonia, basque food culture, galicia cooking, andalusian food, gastronomy in the basque country,

How do you say caballa in english

Cómo se dice mackerel en inglés

Mackerel in spain

Do they eat horses in spain

Horsemeat in spain

Horsemeat in spanish

Cabra en inglés

Goats in Spain

Goats in spanish

Goat cheese in spain

What is cabrales?

Cabrales cheese

How do you say cabrito in English?

Kid goat in spanish

Kid goat recipe

Cacahuetes en inglés

Peanuts in spain

Peanut in spanish

How do you say cacao in English?

Cocoa in Spain

What are cachelos?

Spanish coffee

Coffee in spain

What is a carajillo?

How do you say calamar in english

Cómo se dice calamar en inglés

Squid in spain

Squid recipe

Calamares a la romana recipe

Calamares en su tinta recipe

How do you cook squid?

What are calçots?

Calçots in Catalonia

Caldo gallego recipe

What is calimocho?

How do you say callos in english

Cómo se dice callos en inglés

Tripe in spain

Canalones in English

Spanish canalones

Canela english translation

Cinnamon spanish translation

Cinnamon in spain

How do you say cangrejo de mar in english

Crabs in spain

How do you say caracol in english

Cómo se dice caracoles en inglés

Snails in spain

Spanish snails

Snails recipe

Castaña english translation

Chesnut spanish translation

Spanish chesnut

How do you say cebolla in english

Cómo se dice cebolla en inglés

Onions in spain

Spanish onions

What is cecina

Where do you eat cecina

Centeno english translation

Rye spanish translation

How do you say centollo in english

Spider crab in spanish

Pork in spanish

Spanish pork

Spanish cherry

Cherries in spain

Beer in spain

Cerveza english translation

Beer spanish translation

Champiñones en inglés

Mushrooms in spain

Spanish mushrooms

What are chicharrones?

Pork scratchings in spanish

Chipirones in english

Chipirones recipe

What is chistorra?

How do you say chirla in english

Cómo se dice chirla en inglés

What are chocos?

How do you say chorizo in english

Chorizo in spain

Spanish chorizo

What is chufa?

How do you say chuleta in english

Chop spanish translation

What is churrasco?

What are churros?

Cigala english translation

Crayfish spanish translation

Crayfish in spain

Ciruela en inglés

Plums in spain

Spanish plums

How do you say clara de huevo in english

Cómo se dice clara de huevo en inglés

Egg white in spanish

Catalan coca

Cochinillo english translation

Suckling pig spanish translation

What is cocido?

How do you make a cocido?

Cocido madrileño recipe

Codillo in english

How do you say codorniz in english

Quail spanish translation

Cabbage in spanish

Col in english

Spanish cauliflower

Coliflor english translation

Comino en inglés

Cumin in spain

Coñac in english

How do you say conejo in english

Cómo se dice conejo en inglés

Rabbits in spain

Rabbit recipe

Congrio english translation

Conger eel in spanish

copos de avena in english

oats in spanish

How do you say cordero in english

Cómo se dice cordero en inglés

Lambs in spain

Recipe for lamb

Corzo english translation

Roe deer in spanish

Costilla in english

Rib in spanish

Crema catalana recipe

What are criadillas?

How do you say croqueta in english

Cómo se dice croqueta en inglés

Spanish croquettes

What is cuajada?

Milk curd in spanish

Milk curd in spain