Taste of Spain Holiday Gift Guide: Spanish Kitchenware for Every American Kitchen
Updated: 4 hours ago
Bring Spain home to your holiday table this gifting season, with authentic Spanish kitchenware ideas including cookware, items to stock the bar, and more!
A bit about me - I'm American 🇺🇸, Italian 🇮🇹 by ancestry (and a dual-citizen), and married to a Spaniard. I live part time in Florida🌴, part-time in Zaragoza, Spain 🇪🇸, and all the time in between planning adventures. ✈
Below I share personal anecdotes on what makes these kitchen items worthwhile for any respectable Spanish kitchen, along with reviews, how to use each gift, and how to impress your family and friends with your authentic Spanish flair. Olé! 💃
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Short on Time?Here's a shopping list of some of my favorite products from this article! (You can also browse most of these products on my Amazon Storefront): On Theme Gifts📖 Katie Button's Spanish Accent: American Home Recipes with a Spanish Touch 🎸 Solid Cedar/Rosewood Classical Travel Guitar Cookware🍽 Rallador Stock the Bar Gifts🧳 VinGardeValise wine suitcase 🫒 Olives (our favorite brand link here) 🫒 Hand painted bowl with a pit holder. 🥃 Chupito Glasses 🍷 Porron Decanter Stocking Stuffers and Food GiftsRead on to learn more 😋 |
Katie Button's Spanish Accent: American Home Recipes with a Spanish Touch
Reading through Katie's book, there's a lot of flavor mash-ups that made me smile - very authentic Spanish dishes turned hyper-approachable for American palates. Some of these include ensaladilla rusa deviled eggs, unique croquetas like chicken pot pie and spinach and artichoke dip, and Americanized twists on classics like Spanish tortilla omelettes (tortilla Española) and pumpkin flan (just in time for Thanksgiving).
She brings the flavor fusions of Southern American cooking with Latin American flavors like corn and salsa verde and finds interesting ways to incorporate traditional Spanish flavors like white asparagus, aioli, piquillo peppers, romesco, anchovies and Pedro Ximenez vinegar.
I love how she vibes in the same direction as me -
"In Spain, you have to be careful about what you call paella", she writes.
I totally get it, Katie. If I suggest adding chorizo to our paella at home, my husband and I end up in a ten minute argument about proper ingredients and the fundamentals of Spanish culture. You can read about Katie's "paella-ish" dish in her cookbook, too.
This book is a playful dash of Spanish culture, made familiar for American palates. What a great addition to any household for the holidays!
Perfect for: curious Americans who have traveled to Spain and want to bring that feeling home with them in their own kitchens.
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Journey Instrument’s Spanish Guitar that FOLDS for Travel
Yes, every Spanish kitchen needs a troubadour, diddling away on the nylon strings while the sauce cooks and the pintxos get eaten. In this case, I have to whole-heartedly recommend Journey Instruments for their unique collection of FOLDING travel guitars.
I own the Solid Sitka Puddle Jumper (retails at $455), a ¾ sized guitar that folds into the size of a backpack. It’s perfect for traveling because it comes apart in two pieces at the neck, and it's super fun to play when we go camping.
For more serious players, the Solid Cedar/Rosewood Classical Travel Guitar is the ticket. It folds in the same manner and it lives in a larger backpack, still great for traveling from your home to your friend’s kitchen, or wherever the globe calls for it.
At $699 It’s the steepest priced gift on this list, and there are several options for the nylon-stringed guitars on the Journey Instruments website that go up from there. But, for a game-changing, conversation starting guitar, it’s a steal.
Check it out and all the other products on offer at Journey Instruments website.
Perfect for: the dinner time troubadour that likes to one up his friends
Cookware and Spanish Kitchenware
Rallador
We were in the Spanish Pyrenees a few summers ago when we discovered a bowl of fresh tomatoes and garlic on our breakfast table. I mused to my husband what a charming decorative bowl it was. What I hadn't realized at the time, was that this was food meant to be eaten.
In Spain, they take a simple toasty piece of bread and open up a garlic clove to rub all over the toast. Once it's fragrant, they cut the tomato in half (or not) and start rubbing that all over the toast, too. (Check out how it works on my Instagram reel here).
It creates the perfect pan tomaca or pan con tomate. With a drizzle of olive oil and a touch of salt, it's a simple and delicious accompaniment to any meal, especially with jamon on top. Mmmm.
To mimic this in an even easier way, many households have what is called a rallador. It's a small plate with central ridges that acts as a grater for whatever you want.
In this case, you grate the garlic on the plate first, followed by the tomato, creating a juicy tomato concoction to pour over your toast. It's easy, delicious, and really impressive! Watch me use it on my Instagram reel here.
Perfect for: your friend that can't get enough garlic in their life
A Jamonero with Knife
Although getting legs of jamon on the airplane is not allowed, there are several ways to get jamon into your American kitchen. Namely, I've seen whole legs of jamon at Costco, Walmart, and Sedano's Supermarkets for around $100-$120 including a jamonero and a knife. It's a whole kit!
You can even import and purchase through specialty retailers if you need something grand like Cinco Jotas, but for run of the mill jamon - the above outfitters are a good take.
Once you have your starter jamonero (the ham stand), you can pop that leg up there and eat through it all holiday season from Christmas through New Year's and even Three Kings Day on January 6.
For households doing a lot of ham purchases, get your own jamonero and knife and store it for when the next little piggy comes home.
By the way, it is worth it to splurge on a good knife. My husband uses a brisket knife here in Florida.
Here is our latest setup in Spain: notice in Spain they don't remove the pig hoof!
Lodge Carbon Steel Skillet Paella Pan
There are a number of different materials you can buy when it comes to a traditional paella pan, and they are not all created equal. We learned the hard way that some warp if used with the wrong heat source, and others are too thin or thick, depending on if you are making paella, fideua, or anything else that requires that shape pan.
So for us, we purchased the Lodge skillet paella pan years ago to accompany us in our travel trailer camping adventures. We've cooked a number of open-flame paellas, and they are a ton of fun with the king of camping brands - Lodge.
We have four or five paella pans (we have three homes and multiple differing needs from size to heat source!) but the Lodge pan is definitely the most fun for outdoor cooking.
Perfect for: the outdoor chef who enjoys campfire grilling
Terracotta Cazuelas
These are great for tapas nights at home, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Personally, I have four or five round ones here in Florida from a few inches in diameter to dinner plate size, not to mention all of the varieties I keep in our Spanish apartment, too.
I use these for everything from olives and nuts to popping them in the oven for warm chorizo, croquetas, albondigas, and more!
You can find them on just about every Chinese Bazaar shelf in Spain, and in most grocery stores, too. It's the everyday cookware and serveware item that must exist in any respectable Spanish kitchen!
I prefer the glazed styles, although you will find a variety on Amazon. Because they are similar to hand painted styles you may find in Mexico, be sure to add 'Spain' to your search if you are shopping online, or visit a local Spanish supermarket like Sedano's or Bravo in your hometown to find the right ones. (The below photos are from my local Sedano's).
Honestly - the product I linked to above is close - but it's not the same as what you can get in Spain, and it's 5 times the price. This may be one you hand carry home if you don't have a Spanish supermarket nearby!
Perfect for: the creative dinner table decorator who loves a good theme night
Stocking Stuffers and Food Gifts
In my house, we stuff our stockings with finds from the grocery store. Most Christmas holidays these days are spent in Spain, so this is exceptionally easy for us to just go down to the local Mercadona to stock up.
Especially for Spanish families, the traditional Santa stocking stuffer is replaced with shoe-stuffing on Three Kings Day. I adopted this when my daughter was born, to keep the festive holidays going just a wee bit longer before school starts.
If you're wondering "why shoes?", it is because of the three wise men (the three kings) who brought gifts to baby Jesus. We put the shoes out on the night of the 5th and wake to all sorts of goodies on the 6th!
Some of our typical shoe stuffers include:
Huesitos: Spanish chocolate covered wafer candy
Turrón: a holiday nougat found especially in Aragon
Saffron: they are sold in boxes of individual serving-sized packets
Pimenton de la Vera: (Smoked Spanish Paprika) - add it to everything!
Canned Bonito: Specifically, we like the escabeche version - stored in vinegar. It's great for making ensalada illustrada when we get home to the States!
🎄 Turrón (specifically the sea salt caramel sticks - yum) and some of the above canned delights are pantry staples we hunt down every December; Check out my guide to Christmas shopping and holiday traditions in Zaragoza to see how we celebrate the season in Aragon each year.
Allioli Brand Aioli
Spain sells shelf-stable jars of this garlicky aioli elixir. Get the black garlic version for your ultra foodie friends! In regards to the regular yellow jar stuff - I have literally NEVER had a better store bought aioli in the United States, ever. Buy multiples to take home.
Also...Chorizo Products!
Imported, these are pricier on US soil, but you cannot bring them home from Spain directly due to agriculture laws. There are three primary types you will find and should look for:
"Cooking chorizo", as we call it - the small four packs of Don Quijote perfect for pan frying with eggs, or putting in a clay pot in the oven for tapas time.
Palacios Chorizo varieties - we like the non-sliced spicy chorizo. Their salsichon is pretty good, too.
Chistorra: this is meant for cooking also, and is so delicious for tapas or with eggs
Where You Can Find Some of these Items in Stores
Sedanos
Bravo
World Market
Whole Foods
Trader Joe's
Bring them home! Food souvenirs are my favorite (as you might have noticed)
Stock the Bar Gifts
More important than Spanish kitchenware, these barware items are essential to hosting any Spanish table!
Gin and Tonic Gear
Larios is the basic gin label in Spain, it costs about 11 euros and is easy to check in your luggage for the ride home. Don't forget to serve it with juniper berries in a copa de balon gin glass - a must!
Gin and Tonic is my go-to cocktail any given day, and I think I've become a bit of a snob about it. Always include the botanicals, and it's all about the glass!
Vermouth
White or red, it's hard to find Spanish vermouth in the US. Bring some home from Spain if you can! They are dirt cheap, too so don't pay US import prices!
Pro Tip: Bring home wine and liquor purchases in a safe and stylish wine suitcase by VinGardeValise. Use ALWAYS20 at checkout for a 20% discount on any size wine suitcase!
🍷 If your seasonal travels take you near open-air chalets, my guide to souvenir shopping at European Christmas markets covers how to pack fragile ceramics, decanters, and glassware safely for the flight home.
Kikos (Quicos)
Spanish corn nuts. Get cocteleo mixes in Spain and bring them home!
Olives
A jar of olives goes a long way for entertaining. We literally have olives on a subscription service on Amazon, that's how often we eat them. Get a pack of 12 of our favorite brand at this link.
Serve your olives in a small clay cazuela, an olive boat, or a hand painted bowl with a pit holder.
Chupito Glasses
You don't need to buy anything fancy for this - a simple shot glass set will do the trick, but it's the ceremony of a chupito that makes this gift fun and special.
A chupito, you can tell your friends and guests, is an after dinner drink served after the coffee drinks. It's a way to linger over the sobremesa (post-dinner chit chat) and to indulge just a little bit more.
Orujo, the gasolina looking stuff above, is a sambuca style scene stealer best left for those who want to put hair on their chest, and Bailey's is a more feminine chupito choice. Many restaurants in Spain make their own of both.
Perfect for: a friend or family member who never wants the night to end. Buy some Bailey's to go with the gift.
Porron Decanter
Kind of gimmicky and not super useful or easy to clean, I had a porron in my home for about two decades, but it never got used. We used it for olive oil before we knew what it's true purpose was - to decant and serve red wine. Give this to the wino in your life and they'll be both impressed and thrilled to receive such a cool jug.
Perfect for: your wine drinking friend that always insists on decanting their bottle of $10 red.
Vasos Chatos
These short stemless wine glasses popular in Spain are the most basic glassware you could get, but they are so cool. They average about 1 Euro per glass if you buy them abroad.
We use these for just about everything in our Spanish apartment. A glass may hold nuts or olives, or may be the drinking vessel for our milk-carton gazpacho.
It's a typical glass for both red and white wine, and serves many purposes on the dinner table! Buy in sets of 4 or 8.
Perfect for: the everyday kitchen - it's versatile and they stack well! A slam dunk for any recipient.
The Shopping ListHere's a dump of everything mentioned in this article! On Theme Gifts📖 Katie Button's Spanish Accent: American Home Recipes with a Spanish Touch 🎸 Solid Cedar/Rosewood Classical Travel Guitar Cookware🍽 Rallador Stock the Bar Gifts🧳 VinGardeValise wine suitcase 🫒 Olives (our favorite brand link here) 🫒 Hand painted bowl with a pit holder. 🥃 Chupito Glasses 🍷 Porron Decanter Stocking Stuffers and Food GiftsThings you can typically only find in Spanish supermarkets, World Market, or in Spain!
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