The Spanish eat quite late, but in tourist areas youíll be able to find places that serve meals throughout the day. Generally, lunch is served from 1-3 or 4pm and dinner from around 7.30 until 11pm or midnight.
Many restaurants offer a menu del dia (menu of the day). These can be excellent value - the three-course meal will usually include dessert, wine and bread.
common sense

Wherever you are in the world, you need to watch what you eat and drink. travellersí diarrhoea is very common, especially in hot countries, but illnesses can often be avoided by taking simple precautions.

If you have any doubts about the water available for drinking, washing food or cleaning teeth, boil it, sterilise it with disinfectant tablets or use bottled water from sealed containers.
Avoid ice unless you are sure it is made from bottled water - this includes ice to keep food cool as well as ice in drinks.
It is usually safe to drink hot tea or coffee, wine, beer, carbonated water, soft drinks and packaged or bottled fruit juices.
Eat freshly cooked food which is thoroughly cooked and still piping hot.
Avoid food which has been kept warm or is likely to have been exposed to flies and steer clear of uncooked food, unless you can peel or shell it yourself.
Try to stay away from ice cream from unreliable sources such as kiosks, and avoid (or boil) unpasteurised milk.
Fish and shellfish can be suspect in some countries, so take particular care with uncooked shellfish such as oysters.
tapas

Spain is well known for tapas - small snacks served with drinks in most cafÈs and bars. The food is usually displayed on the bar so you can order it simply by pointing.
The variety is endless - smoked ham, spicy sausage, cheese, olives, sardines, mushrooms, prawns, mussels, squid, octopus, anchovies... And theyíre served in small portions, so you can sample several different dishes at once.
Or you can follow the Andalucian custom of moving from bar to bar, sampling just one dish in each - a kind of Spanish-style pub-crawl!
light lunches and snacks

If you just want a sandwich, ask for a bocadillo, which is usually served in a hearty baguette with tasty serrano ham, cheese and other fillings.
Cocas are pies or mini pizzas, popular on the Costa Blanca. Made from shortcrust pastry, they have various ingredients - a favourite is tuna fish, tomatoes and onions.
soups

Popular starters include two chilled soups: gazpacho andaluz (made with tomato, garlic, sweet peppers and cucumber) and ajo blanco (made from garlic and almonds and served with grapes).
Try also sopa de pescado, a tasty fish soup seasoned with tomato, onion, garlic and brandy, guisado, made with fish and meat, and potajes, thick vegetable soups which can frequently be found on menus in the mountains.
fresh fish

Fish is the main speciality of the coast, and much of it is reasonably priced. Many fish are caught locally - try grilled red mullet or sardines, sea bass cooked in sea salt or fried baby whiting. The daily catch in most resorts includes bonito (tuna), pez espada (swordfish), rape (monkfish) and lenguado (sole), all delicious grilled.
Langostinos (giant prawns) are especially popular. Calamari (squid) can be cooked in a sauce or deep-fried. Another delicacy is salted fish, such as sardines, tuna, codfish and fish roe, accompanied by pickled onions, capers and olives - a substantial aperitif.
Itís fun to lunch on fresh sardines, cooked over a wood fire by local fishermen on many of the beaches - itís cheap, tasty and usually served with fresh bread and salad.
Also worth a try are pescaito frito (mixed fried fish), gambas al pil-pil (giant prawns sizzling in garlic butter), calamares en su tinta (squid cooked in its own ink), risotto a la marinera (seafood risotto) and, of course, paella - a scrumptious rice dish of meat, tomatoes, peppers, onions and a heap of seafood.
paella

Spaniards only eat paella for the midday meal, though most restaurants also serve them in the evening. They are made to order and take at least 30 minutes to prepare. The price is per person, for a minimum of two.
If youíre renting an apartment or villa, look for places that do take-away paella. Itís served in the paella pan, just as it would be in the restaurant (you pay a deposit to ensure the panís return the next day) and you can enjoy it on your private terrace or balcony.
meat dishes

Inland, a rich traditional cuisine incorporates the game and wild herbs of the mountains, with hearty meat dishes including estefado (meat stew), fabada (ham and bean stew), conejo (rabbit casserole) and choto al alo (roast kid in garlic sauce).
Try albondigas (spicy meatballs), calderetas (lamb stew with almonds) and one of the most famous Andalucian dishes of all, rabo de toro (oxtail, prepared with tomatoes, onions and various spices).
Look out for barbecue restaurants that do meat a la brasa - cooked on a brazier. Choose from savoury pork chops, steaks or lamb cutlets. Other meats are prepared with delicious flavours - try conejo al ajillo (rabbit simmered in oil and garlic).
Sausages are particularly excellent, and some Costa Blanca towns are famed for their secret recipes. Butifarres are white and black puddings made with either meat or onions. The red sobrasadas are seasoned with aromatic herbs from the mountains.
vegetarians

Vegetarians wonít starve in Spain! Most menus include a choice of fresh salads, tortilla (omelettes) and vegetable dishes, such as garbanzos con espinaces (chickpeas with spinach), judias verdes con salsa de tomate (green beans with tomato sauce) and pisto de verduras (ratatouille).
desserts

Remember to save room for pudding! Youíre bound to be tempted by the sweet, sticky natillas (cream custards), yemas del tajo (based on egg yolks and sugar), brazo de gitano (cream-filled pastries) and piononos (liqueur-soaked cakes).
There are delicious pastries, often made with almonds or honey. Flan (crËme caramel), helado (ice cream) and tarta (cake) with fruit are also popular.
But if youíre watching the calories, thereís also plenty of fresh fruit - oranges, peaches, grapes, raisins, pomegranates and figs - to round off a meal.
British

If youíre looking for a taste of home, most resorts have their line-up of hearty home favourites - fish and chips, steak and kidney pie, ploughmanís lunches and full English breakfasts, all washed down with a cuppa or a British beer.
international

For something hot and spicy, there are Indian, Mexican, Chinese and Indonesian restaurants. If you prefer European, try the numerous French, Italian, German and Swiss eateries. And you’ll find all the usual American fast-food outlets - McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King.
drinks

Spanish wine is the perfect accompaniment for such a rich assortment of dishes. In restaurants you can often order a jug of the house wine (vino de la casa), and there are plenty of the popular Rioja wines around. However, many Spaniards prefer beer, with Cruzcampo and San Miguel being the most popular Spanish brands.
Sherry (jerez) is a popular tapas accompaniment. There are many different types to chose from, including fino (light, dry and pale yellow), manzanilla (dry and delicate), oloroso (sweet, dark and full-bodied) or amontillado (amber and medium-dry).
A favourite drink worth trying is sangria - a jug of red wine, fruit and lemonade served chilled with ice. It makes a very refreshing accompaniment to a meal on a hot day. Or, for a special treat, try white sangria, made with sparkling white wine.
With fine Spanish champagne (cava) so affordable, youíll be celebrating every night.
Spanish brandies are also good value, though they can be a little rough at the lower end of the price scale.
coffee and tea

Tea is not a Spanish forte, but coffee-lovers are in for a treat. Cafésolo is strong and black, served in a small glass. Café cortado is also strong and served with a splash of milk or cream. Cafécon leche comes in a larger cup and is half coffee, half milk.