What Makes A Spanish Potato Omelet Unique?

The tortilla española (or Spanish tortilla) is arguably one of the most delicious egg and potato dishes there is. Made with fork-tender potatoes, whisked eggs, and slivers of onion cooked to perfection — it's one of those dishes that you can eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just don't expect any leftovers regardless of the time of day.

The tortilla española looks kind of like a mix between a flat omelet and a cake (albeit a cake made with potatoes and eggs). With its thick, round shape and egg throughout, it's also similar to a frittata. The taste is nothing like any regular old omelet or frittata, however — it is 100% its own unique creation. The list of ingredients is short and simple, and yet the taste is highly sophisticated. If it's your first time having a tortilla española the decadent flavor, crispy outside, and buttery interior texture is likely to come as a complete surprise.

The hardest part about making a Spanish tortilla is getting the flip right so that it stays in one piece — but as long as it's cooked properly there shouldn't be a problem. To ensure that everything comes out right, a good recipe for tortilla española is super important. This isn't the sort of dish you want to wing the first time. While the steps aren't complicated, it is important to be precise.

The potatoes need to be thinly sliced or cubed and fried until they are soft. The same is done with the onion. They're then allowed to cool for a short while and combined with the whipped eggs. From there, everything goes into a pan where the mixture cooks until the bottom is done and the top is starting to firm up but still jiggles.

That's where the fun yet challenging part comes in: flipping it over so that both sides are evenly cooked. The tortilla can be slid from the frying pan to a plate to make the flip easier — with a second plate placed on top and the whole thing inverted so that the first plate is on top and the side of the tortilla that is less cooked is on the bottom. Or it can be flipped directly from the pan onto a plate. Either way, it will get slid back into the pan with the lesser cooked side down to finish off.

The exact origin of the Spanish tortilla is unknown, but there are many stories that seek to put it into historical context. Together the stories suggest that it was developed out of a need to feed many people when there was little food available. Indeed, potatoes were first imported to Spain as animal feed and didn't become an important source of food for people until famine struck. From such humble beginnings, the potato omelet rose to important cultural significance, becoming the country's national dish.

Tortilla española is now eaten all over Spain and is found everywhere from the family table to local tapas bars. There is some controversy within the country over whether onions belong in the dish, so they may be omitted in many family recipes. Also of note, and another way in which it is distinct from other types of omelets — while it can be eaten warm or cold, tortilla española is generally eaten at room temperature within Spain.