1) One of the first things thought of when thinking about Spain is sangria. Sangria is traditionally made with chilled red wine and a variet of chopped fresh fruit. Most of Spain's bars and restaurants have outdoor patios where you can sip sangria and people watch. Spaniards love to meet up and socialize, so the bars, plazas and outdoor meeting areas are always bustling with people. An authentic handmade sangria pitcher will bring back fond memories of Spain's social atmosphere. You can add a sangria recipe book and you're sure to be invited to share a glass...
2) While we are on the topic of Spain's affection for socializing, a cool glass of sangria wouldn't be complete without a plate of tapas, small plates of food that are Spain's equivalent of picking food. A great gift alone or included with a sangria pitcher is a hand painted ceramic tapas plate and a tapas recipe book.
3) One of Spain's most well-know dishes is paella, a one pan rice dish. To prepare a good paella it is essential to have a good paella pan. Depending on your spending limit, you can gift the pan alone, the pan with a paella recipe book or a paella gift set which includes the paella pan, paella rice, saffron and olive oil.
4) One of Spain's most delicious treats is a cured ham known as Jamon Ibérico. It is a true delicacy, especially when it is jamon iberico de bellota, a ham that is made from pigs that have only fed on acorns giving the jamon a wonderful flavor. Most special events in Spain, such as a wedding or party, have a jamon server who is hired specifically to hand slice and serve jamon. A great gift is a package of hand sliced jamon iberico.
5) Many of Spain´s narrow streets are lined with planters and windowboxes of flowers. A gift to reminisce the beauty of these streets is a hand painted flower pot which you can give filled with flowers.
6) Saffron is frequently used in Spanish cooking and adds flavor and color to many a recipe. Spain grows it´s own high-quality saffron that is laborously hand picked and prepared. From Spain offers Bealar saffron that has won “Best Saffron in Spain” several years in a row. A box of saffron is a generous gift, yet small enough to mail or include as a stocking stuffer.
7) Gifting a silk manton from Spain is giving a gift of art. It is a silk shawl that is hand embroidered with motifs such as flowers and birds. The silk manton is tradionally associated with flamenco dancers, but many Spanish women wear it over the shoulders as a casual or formal accessory. This would make a great gift for woman for a birthday or Mother´s Day.
8) Spain produces more olive oil than any other country and olive trees can be seen just about everywhere you travel. A bottle of high-quality extra-virgin Spanish olive oil will make an appreciated gift. It is even more generous when combined with a flavorful bottle of balsamic vinegar made from sweet Spanish Pedro-Ximenez grapes.
9) Talking about olive trees, Spain uses the wood from these trees to make exquisite olive wood kitchen utensils and serving pieces. A practical and beautiful gift would be an olive wood mortar and pestle, a traditonal utensil used to make sauces such as a Spanish alioli. Another olive wood gift that would be greatly appreciated and would last for years, would be an olive wood salad bowl, with our without olive wood salad serving utensils.
10) Spanish food frequently includes garlic and a fun gift is a handmade ceramic garlic keeper. It is handmade in Spain, famous for it´s ceramics, and keeps garlic fresher longer. You can also include a recipe book about garlic for a complete gift set.
