The Atlas · Spain's Carnivore Table

Spanish Meat Dishes

54 of Spain's 456 ranked dishes are meat, and by our raters the best is Cordero asado, the wood-oven roast lamb of Castile, Nº 187 in the world.

54 dishes ranked·11.8% of the cuisine·1,322 diner ratings·Top rank Nº 187

Spain builds its meat around three animals and one method: the pig, the lamb, and the calf, cooked slow. The wood-fired roast is the summit here, but the everyday table runs on the pig nose to tail, from Granada's blood sausage morcilla to the pig's-ear tapa oreja a la plancha and the leftover-stew shred of Andalusia's pringá. Little is wasted; a lot is grilled.

The best-rated by our diners is Cordero asado, the Castilian roast lamb at Nº 187 worldwide, ahead of the garlicky pollo al ajillo and Catalonia's veal casserole fricandó. Fame runs elsewhere: the most-reviewed Spanish meat dish is none of the roasts but chorizo, the paprika sausage every deli hangs, with 1,322 of this pair's own ratings pooling on the humbler names. Read them below: the signature dishes, by region, or the complete list of all 54.

The Signature Cuts

Twelve signature meat dishes in rank order, four told in full, then eight more off the grill.

Cordero asado, lamb dish from Spain
Plate ILamb Dish · Castile and León

1Nº 187 worldwide

Cordero asado

Lamb Dish · Castile and León

Castilian roast lamb, a young milk-fed animal rubbed with lard, garlic, and lemon and roasted slow in a wood-fired oven until the meat is spoon-tender and the skin crackles. The pride of Segovia and Aranda, it is carved traditionally with the edge of a plate.

★ 4.3|43 ratings

Pringá, meat dish from Spain

2PringáNº 631

Meat Dish · Andalusia

An Andalusian way with leftovers, the meats from a long-simmered cocido, morcilla, chorizo, and slow-cooked pork or beef, shredded and mashed together to spread on bread. Warm, rich, and humble, pringá is the tapa that ends a stew's life gloriously.

★ 4.1|15 ratings

Pollo al ajillo, chicken dish from Spain

3Pollo al ajilloNº 929

Chicken Dish · Andalusia

Garlic chicken, Spain at its plainest and best: bone-in pieces browned hard, then simmered in a sauce of white wine, stock and a generous fistful of garlic, with bay, thyme and rosemary. Served as a main or a tapa, often alongside mushrooms.

★ 4.0|59 ratings

Fricandó amb moixernons, veal dish from Spain

4Fricandó amb moixernonsNº 1,487

Veal Dish · Catalonia

A Catalan Sunday casserole dating to the 18th century: thin slices of veal braised low with onion, tomato, almonds and white wine, then finished with moixernons, the fairy-ring mushrooms that give the dish its name. A little chocolate sometimes deepens the sauce.

★ 3.9|7 ratings

  1. Lechazo, lamb dish from Spain5

    Lechazo

    Nº 1,575

    Lamb Dish · Castile and León★ 3.9

  2. Morcilla de Granada, blood sausage from Spain6

    Morcilla de Granada

    Nº 1,589

    Blood Sausage · Granada★ 3.9

  3. Oreja a la plancha, offal dish from Spain7

    Oreja a la plancha

    Nº 1,663

    Offal Dish · Madrid★ 3.9

  4. Cachopo, veal dish from Spain8

    Cachopo

    Nº 1,728

    Veal Dish · Asturias★ 3.9

  5. Carrillada, meat dish from Spain9

    Carrillada

    Nº 1,746

    Meat Dish · Andalusia★ 3.9

  6. Solomillo al Cabrales, meat dish from Spain10

    Solomillo al Cabrales

    Nº 1,811

    Meat Dish · Asturias★ 3.9

  7. Chorizo, sausage from Spain11

    Chorizo

    Nº 1,849

    Sausage · Spain★ 3.9

  8. Botifarra, sausage from Spain12

    Botifarra

    Nº 2,514

    Sausage · Catalonia★ 3.8

The Gazetteer

Where the roasts are born

The regions of Spain with the deepest meat traditions. Choose one to filter the complete ledger below.

Placed dishes only · top 6 regions

  7. Another 8 ranked dishes are logged simply as pan-Spanish, with no single regional home.

The Complete Ledger

All 54 Spanish meat dishes in the world ranking, every entry.

54 entries
  1. 187 Cordero asado Lamb Dish Castile and León ★ 4.3
  2. 631 Pringá Meat Dish Andalusia ★ 4.1
  3. 929 Pollo al ajillo Chicken Dish Andalusia ★ 4.0
  4. 1,487 Fricandó amb moixernons Veal Dish Catalonia ★ 3.9
  5. 1,575 Lechazo Lamb Dish Castile and León ★ 3.9
  6. 1,589 Morcilla de Granada Blood Sausage Granada ★ 3.9
  7. 1,663 Oreja a la plancha Offal Dish Madrid ★ 3.9
  8. 1,728 Cachopo Veal Dish Asturias ★ 3.9
  9. 1,746 Carrillada Meat Dish Andalusia ★ 3.9
  10. 1,811 Solomillo al Cabrales Meat Dish Asturias ★ 3.9
  11. 1,849 Chorizo Sausage Spain ★ 3.9
  12. 2,514 Botifarra Sausage Catalonia ★ 3.8
  13. 2,528 S Solomillo al whisky Pork Dish Province of Seville ★ 3.8
  14. 2,878 Chorizo al vino Sausage Dish Spain ★ 3.8
  15. 2,941 Chistorra Sausage Basque Country ★ 3.8
  16. 3,154 Morcilla blanca de Jaén Sausage Jaén ★ 3.8
  17. 3,250 Pollo a la Catalana Chicken Dish Catalonia ★ 3.8
  18. 3,261 Holiday Roast Chicken (Rostit de festa major) Chicken Dish Empordà ★ 3.8
  19. 3,502 Morcilla Blood Sausage Spain ★ 3.8
  20. 3,532 Morcilla de Burgos Blood Sausage Province of Burgos ★ 3.8
  21. 3,562 Morteruelo Pâté Province of Cuenca ★ 3.7
  22. 3,663 C Chivo lechal Malagueño Goat Dish Province of Málaga ★ 3.7
  23. 3,840 Androlla Sausage Galicia ★ 3.7
  24. 4,509 Sobrassada Sausage Balearic Islands ★ 3.7
  25. 4,529 Perdiz escabechada Game Dish Castilla-La Mancha ★ 3.7
  26. 4,546 Riñones al Jerez Offal Dish Jerez de la Frontera ★ 3.7
  27. 4,864 Longaniza Sausage Spain ★ 3.7
  28. 4,995 C Chicken with Orange Juice and Mint (Pollo con naranja y menta) Chicken Dish Spain ★ 3.7
  29. 5,174 Pinchitos Meat Dish Andalusia ★ 3.6
  30. 5,666 Botifarra de ceba Blood Sausage Alicante ★ 3.6
  31. 5,793 Callos a la Madrileña Offal Dish Madrid ★ 3.6
  32. 5,951 Zarajos Offal Dish Cuenca ★ 3.6
  33. 6,414 H Hare with Lentils (Liebre con lentejas) Game Dish Spain ★ 3.5
  34. 6,664 Conejo en salmorejo Rabbit Dish Canary Islands ★ 3.5
  35. 6,715 C Chuletas de cordero con miel Lamb Dish Andalusia ★ 3.5
  36. 6,999 Gallina en pepitoria Chicken Dish Province of Valladolid ★ 3.5
  37. 7,078 Conejo al ajillo Rabbit Dish Spain ★ 3.5
  38. 7,181 Lacón con grelos Pork Dish Galicia ★ 3.4
  39. 7,462 Flamenquín Pork Dish Andújar ★ 3.4
  40. 7,699 C Carne fiesta Meat Dish Canary Islands ★ 0.0
  41. 8,009 Cochinillo Pork Dish Castile and León ★ 3.2
  42. 8,539 C Chireta Offal Dish Aragon ★ 0.0
  43. 8,665 Morcilla patatera Sausage Extremadura ★ 2.7
  44. 9,275 Perdices a la toledana Game Dish Toledo ★ 0.0
  45. 9,842 C Carne gobernada Beef Dish Asturias ★ 0.0
  46. 9,891 P Pato a la sevillana Duck Dish Province of Seville ★ 0.0
  47. 9,918 M Menudo gitano Offal Dish Andalusia ★ 0.0
  48. 9,950 P Pollo a la granadina Chicken Dish Province of Granada ★ 0.0
  49. 10,083 Rabbit with Chocolate (Conejo con chocolate) Rabbit Dish Catalonia ★ 0.0
  50. 10,144 Duck with Olives (Pato con aceitunas) Duck Dish Spain ★ 0.0
  51. 10,145 P Pollo campurriano Chicken Dish Cantabria ★ 0.0
  52. 10,231 C Cochino con millo Pork Dish Lanzarote ★ 0.0
  53. 10,279 C Caldereta de chivo Lamb Dish Yunquera ★ 0.0
  54. 10,633 P Partridge with Chocolate (Perdiz con chocolate a la toledana) Game Dish Province of Toledo ★ 0.0

Questions, Answered

Spanish meat dishes, frequently asked, answered from 1,322 ratings.

What is the best Spanish meat dish?
By our diners' ratings the best is Cordero asado, the Castilian roast lamb, at Nº 187 worldwide. Behind it come the garlic-braised chicken pollo al ajillo, Andalusia's leftover-stew tapa pringá, and Catalonia's slow veal casserole fricandó amb moixernons.
What meat is Spain known for?
Pork, above all. Of Spain's 54 ranked meat dishes the pig dominates, from the paprika sausage chorizo to Granada's blood sausage morcilla, the pig's-ear tapa oreja a la plancha, and braised cheeks carrillada. Lamb owns the top of the ranking, but pork owns the table.
What is the most famous Spanish meat dish?
By number of ratings it's chorizo, the paprika-cured pork sausage, with 401, far ahead of any roast. Yet fame is not rank: chorizo sits only Nº 1,849, while the far less reviewed Cordero asado leads on score at Nº 187. Fame and rating rarely align.
What is cordero asado?
It's Castilian roast lamb: a young milk-fed animal rubbed with lard and garlic, then roasted slow in a wood-fired oven until the meat pulls apart and the skin crackles. The pride of Segovia and Aranda, it ranks Nº 187 in the world, Spain's best-rated meat dish.
Which region of Spain makes the most meat dishes?
Among dishes with a named home, Andalusia leads with six, its tapas like pringá and carrillada, ahead of Catalonia's four and three apiece from Castile and León and Asturias. Castile owns the roast; Asturias claims the cheese-stuffed cachopo.
Where else should I look for great meat dishes?
Across the borders and beyond: France fields 61 ranked meat dishes and Italy 172. Worldwide the department is huge, 1,423 dishes from 155 countries, topped by Greece's grilled lamb chops païdakia at Nº 2. See Meat Dishes worldwide.

This Department, Elsewhere

Meat dishes from Spain's neighbours, ranked the same way.

ItalianMeat Dishes172CroatianMeat Dishes69GreekMeat Dishes28PortugueseMeat Dishes18SerbianMeat Dishes9BosnianMeat Dishes8CypriotMeat Dishes5SlovenianMeat Dishes5MacedonianMeat Dishes4MalteseMeat Dishes2GibraltarMeat Dishes1MontenegrinMeat Dishes1AlbanianMeat Dishes1
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