Spanish cuisine a signal of piety. The arrival of Europeans in America, in 1492, initiated the advent of new culinary elements, such as tomatoes, potatoes, corn, bell peppers, spicy peppers, paprika, vanilla and cocoa or chocolate. Spain is where chocolate was first mixed with sugar to remove its natural bitterness. Other ingredients traveled to the Americas, such as rice, grapes, olives and many types of cereals. Many traditional Spanish dishes such as tortilla de patata (an omelette made with potatoes), would not be possible without the discovery of America. Gazpacho, salmorejo, and pan tumaca are made with tomatoes, which traveled from America
Names of the Basque Country (in Spanish) underline their commonality, but rather the character making each of them distinct from the remaining Spanish provinces. It contained no ethnic ingredient whatsoever, the regional one was present though rather muted. Geographical usage of the term differed; generally it was applied to Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, though sporadically (especially in the early 19th century) it could have denoted also Navarre. Currently not only out of use but also almost entirely forgotten term. In Spanish literally "foral provinces". The term is in circulation since the 19th century, though used rather sparsely. The name underlines that provinces in question enjoy some traditional,