In Spain, there is no one particular Christmas menu. There are, however, certain foods that are always present, such as touron (a kind of nougat), or to a lesser extent seafood (after Japan, Spain is the second largest consumer of fresh fish in the world). It is an occasion for the great variety of regional cuisines to be celebrated, using local products ranging from saffron to olive oil and from Iberian ham to sherry vinegar.
Three of the four recipes presented on the traditional menu make use of dried fruits and nuts: almonds in the soup and the touron, and pine nuts to accompany the red cabbage. The use of fruits and nuts is part of the gastronomic legacy of the Arabs, who were present for almost eight centuries in much of what is now Spain. The cuisine also includes the use of many products such as rice, oranges, and especially almonds.
Dorado, from the Cantabrian and Galician coasts, is a quite expensive (especially at Christmas time). The fish is grilled and served on a bed of thinly sliced potatoes and onion rings, garnished with parsley, garlic and saffron. It is served with a sauce, consisting of a mixture of Sherry and peppers. In the Basque country, a few cloves of garlic, thinly sliced and sautéed in oil, are also added.
Touron is a nougat of Arabic origin made with almonds and honey or sugar, which is present everywhere at Christmas in Spain. There are many variations - chocolate, coconut, praline, etc. - but the oldest and most traditional recipes are those for soft (Jijona) touron, made with ground almonds, or hard (Alicante) touron, made with whole almonds, or served as an ice cream, accompanied by chocolate sauce. The sauce is made with with olive oil, as it used to be made when cocoa was first brought to Spain from the Americas.
For the above recipes, click the link below and visit the Spanish Recipe section.