Things I Learned in Spain: Why Ingredients, Timing, and Freshness Matter

I’ve always had a sincere love for travel, whether it’s exploring a tucked-away town here in the U.S. or adventuring in another part of the world. Olin and I try to take at least two “big” trips every year, with plenty of smaller getaways tucked in between, scheduled carefully around the seasons at the farm.  I just wanted to share some healthy and sustainable tips I learned on my recent trip to Spain.

Exploring the differences in cultures and foods is one of the reasons we love to travel. On my recent trip to Spain, those differences made a big impression.

I’ve always been careful to limit how much processed food I eat, but what really struck me was how differently those same foods are made overseas. Even the snack foods— like potato chips tasted different (less salty, less greasy, and, surprisingly, more satisfying).

The ingredient labels told the story: fewer additives, less sodium, fewer preservatives, and more of what your body actually recognizes as food.

Why do foods in Spain and much of Europe taste cleaner and fresher, even when they’re packaged or pre-made? And what can we learn from that for our own kitchens and farms here at home?

Ingredients You Won’t Find in Spain

One of the first things you’ll notice about grocery shopping in Spain is how short the ingredient lists are. It’s not uncommon to turn over a bag of chips or a loaf of bread and find maybe five or six ingredients, most of them things you probably have in your home kitchen. That’s not by accident. European Union (EU) food standards are some of the strictest in the world, and many additives that are common in American foods aren’t allowed.

Here are a few examples:

• Artificial colors – Many of the bright dyes used in the U.S. are banned or heavily restricted in the EU due to potential health concerns. Spanish snacks tend to rely on natural coloring from ingredients like beetroot or turmeric.
• Dough conditioners like azodicarbonamide – You might not know this one by name, but you’ve likely eaten it. It’s used in many commercial breads in the U.S. to improve texture and shelf life, but it’s banned in Europe. The European approach is simple: if an ingredient doesn’t need to be in your food, it shouldn’t be there.
• BHA and BHT – These preservatives are added to processed foods in the U.S. to prevent fats from going rancid. Both are restricted in Europe because of their potential to disrupt hormones and contribute to health problems.

The Difference in Cooking Oils

Another major difference I noticed was the kind of oils used in cooking and food preparation. The EU has taken a much stronger stance on regulating oils based on things like how they affect your health and the environment.

• Palm oil (can be used, but must be sustainably sourced due to its link to deforestation).
• Canola oil (limited because of concerns about erucic acid and its connection with cardiovascular issues).
• Cottonseed oil (not allowed at all).
• Corn oil (very restricted).
• Hydrogenated oils (banned because of their well-documented effect on heart disease).

Instead of those oils, you’ll find olive oil everywhere. The Spanish use it for frying, drizzling, baking, and even in desserts. Olive oil is a healthier fat because it’s unprocessed, stable, and naturally rich in antioxidants. It’s a good reminder that the fats we cook with matter just as much as the ingredients themselves.

Freshness: Fresh Markets Abound

Spain makes eating fresh easy. Nearly every town, no matter how small, has a market where local farmers and vendors sell seasonal produce, eggs, meats, olives, cheeses, and fresh baked bread.

Walking through those markets, you can see, smell, and feel the difference. The tomatoes smell like tomatoes. The bread was baked that morning. The eggs come in every shade of brown and cream, with uneven sizes that tell you they weren’t sorted by a machine.

In the U.S., we’ve made great strides in bringing farmers markets and local produce back into our weekly routines, but it’s still not quite the same. In Spain, that kind of freshness is an expectation. Most people shop daily or every few days, buying only what they need for the next meal or two, so food doesn’t sit in the fridge for a week, losing nutrients or texture.

Social Eating

One of my favorite things about Spain isn’t just the food itself, it’s how people eat it. Meals are social and unhurried. Lunch might last two hours, followed by a short siesta,

and dinner doesn’t even start until 9 or 10 p.m. Eating isn’t something you do while multitasking or scrolling your phone. It’s something you do with people.

That changes things a lot. When you slow down, you chew more, talk more, and give your body time to feel full before you’ve overeaten.

Fresh Bread: Slow Food with No Unwanted Ingredients

If there’s one smell that can stop me in my tracks, it’s fresh bread baking. In Spain, every bakery seems to have its own version of rustic loaves, crusty on the outside, tender on the inside, with nothing more than flour, water, salt, and a little yeast or starter. That’s it, no preservatives, no unnecessary chemicals, no dough conditioners, and no mystery ingredients.

Bread there is meant to be eaten the same day it’s baked. Buy it fresh, eat it with others, and start again tomorrow.

It reminds me a lot of what we teach in our sourdough bread-making classes here at Stoney Creek Farm. When you make bread slowly, the way people have for centuries, you’re connecting to a slower, healthier way of living.

Sourdough is a great example of “slow food.” The natural fermentation process breaks down gluten, adds beneficial bacteria, and gives the bread that wonderful tang and chewy (or soft) texture no store-bought loaf can match.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make your own, we’ve got four upcoming Sourdough Bread Making Classes this fall: October 25, November 1, November 8, and November 15. You’ll learn how to bake delicious, Southern-style sourdough bread and even cinnamon rolls made with all-natural ingredients.

Travel has a way of showing you what really matters, whether it’s exploring other cultures or the simple joy of good food made well. Spain reminded me that our food choices shape our health.