Mazapán (marzipan)

<i>Mazapán</i> is a paste made from ground almonds, lightly cooked in the oven. Of Arab origin, this paste can be found in many different presentations. The most frequent are marzipan figurines, traditional of Toledo, which are handmade. Also great is the marzipan made in Cameros, and the sophisticated "marzipan eels".

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Mejillones (mussels)

Bivalve molluscs with a black shell, and red or orange meat. More than half of the world's entire mussel industry is in Galicia. Galician mussels are of excellent quality, and good size, being great by themselves or as an ingredient in seafood dishes. Spanish tinned mussels are superb.

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Melón

Melon (honeydew) is a very traditional fruit in Spain, available in the markets almost all year round. During the winter, melons are brought from the Andalusian coast, while towards the end of the year, the ones known as "winter melons" are available from La Mancha and Villaconejos. They are delicious and aromatic, commonly served for dessert, or as an appetiser along with cured ham or smoked sausages.

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Merluza (hake)

Fish with pearly-gray back and whitish belly, that can weigh up to 12 kg. Cantabrian Sea hake is exceptionally good. Its meat is smoother and tastier than the meat from hakes of other latitudes. Hake is used for many traditional Spanish dishes that are world renowned, such as Basque-style hake, Galician-style hake, etc.

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