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Spanish culture revolves around food and drink and a night out will usually involve tapas in the local bars. These snacks come in little dishes and include delicacies such as deep fried squid (puntillitas). Tapas is thought to have come about when a former King of Spain used the method of eating small dishes and drinking red wine to recover from an illness. He then decreed that wine should not be drunk in his kingdom unless served with these appetizers. However, tapas means 'lid' and another explanation for the tradition is that the food was used to cover the mouth of glasses of wine or sherry to stop flies getting in.


Bullfighting is also one of the uniquely Spanish spectator sports, though it is increasingly dying out due to pressure from animal rights activists. In bullfighting a 'Torero' gradually breaks the bull's spirit by encouraging it to charge at him and moving out of the way at the last minute. As the Torero does so,  small spears are placed into the animals' back to weaken it and only when it has hardly any strength left is it killed.

In bullfighting the Matador does not act alone but with the help of an entourage known as a 'cuadrilla' who work together to wear the bull down. Bullfighting is considered an art in Spain and there are many different forms of it including Andalusian and Aquitaine bullfighting. Another style of bullfighting known as 'Recortes' is depicted in the paintings of Spanish master Francisco Goya.

Spanish people are by nature very passionate and fiery and nothing sums this up better than the traditional Flamenco dance. Originating in Andalusia, Flamenco encourages the dancers to click their feet loudly on the floor to the rhythm of a rapid beat. There is usually plenty of clapping, wailing and posturing. As with bullfighting, the clothes and styles of the Flamenco dancers are very important to the performance. Flamenco was created by the combination of other cultural influences in Spain such as those of the Gypsies and the Arabs. Flamenco has developed greatly over the years but the Golden Age of Flamenco was considered to be between 1869 and 1910 when the singer's cafes started to charge entry to see the performances. As Flamenco grew, so too did the art form that is Flamenco guitar playing, while tambourines are also an important instrument for the dance.