The first two games in Pokémon's highly anticipated ninth generation, named Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, will arrive in November of this year, but fans can hardly wait. The games will introduce a new region that draws inspiration from the Iberian Peninsula, specifically Spain.
The country is world-renowned for its rich artistic and cultural history and lively traditions. Spain is also famous for its food. Pokémon based on food are nothing extraordinary. Generation VIII, for example, had Pokémon based on English tea, apple pies, and whipped cream. Spain has several dishes that would make great Pokémon, and fans will surely see a few of these in the finished game.
Tortilla Española
One of Spain's most popular dishes is the tortilla Española, known in English as a Spanish omelet. As the name implies, this dish is an omelet with potatoes. It can also include onions, although the original recipe sticks to potatoes sautéed with olive oil.
It might be hard to translate such a flat dish into a Pokémon, but Game Freak has done far more difficult things. The Pokémon could be a Grass-type whose pre-evolution started as a simple egg-like creature that eventually evolved into a fully made omelet.
Migas
Migas are a very popular dish across the Iberian Peninsula. The dish's recipe varies from region to region, but it mainly consists of bread crumbs seasoned and covered with either chorizo or bacon. Migas are a popular breakfast dish, and Spanish children will surely identify it quickly should they see it in Pokémon form.
The dish might seem tricky to translate into Pokémon, but the developers at Game Freak could take the idea and use it to create a Pokémon. Because migas are made using traditional and readily-available ingredients, its Pokémon form could be a Grass-type whose body included several berries.
Bacalao
Spanish bacalao, or cod in English, is served in tomato sauce and includes onions and olives, among other optional ingredients. Fish, in general, is an important part of Mediterranean cuisine, and cod is a favorite of Spaniards.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will already include an olive-like Pokémon: the appropriately named Smoliv. The franchise already includes many great Water-type Pokémon based on real-life fish. A cod Pokémon would be the easiest thing to do. The developer could showcase the popular dish by having the cod Pokémon share a close relationship with Smoliv.
Leche Frita
A popular dessert in Spain is leche frita, literally meaning fried milk. The recipe involves a sweet and cold milk pudding covered with a fried layer of flour and eggs topped with sugar. Although the traditional recipe doesn't include them, leche frita sometimes comes with ice cream or whipped cream.
Generation VIII already included a whipped cream Pokémon, Alcremie, one of the strongest fully evolved Fairy-type Pokémon. A regional variant of Alcremie, who got whipped until it solidified, could serve as the Pokémon version of leche frita. It could also be a Fairy-type, considering how sweet it would be.
Tapas Españolas
Perhaps the most famous Spanish dish, tapas are a basic part of Spanish cuisine. Tapas are so crucial to everyday life that they have even become a verb — "tapear" literally means "eating tapas." They should play a crucial role in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, much like potato mochi did in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
However, tapas could also become a Pokémon. Because tapas can have numerous toppings, from tomato to ham, their Pokémon equivalent could be several types depending on the berry used to evolve them, similar to Oricorio in Generation VII.
Churros
Another famous Spanish dessert is churros, fried dough covered in sugar and sometimes cinnamon. Churros are famous throughout the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America, and the Phillippines. Churros can be long and thin or knotted, and people accompany them with dulce de leche, café con leche, or even hot chocolate.
Like Alcremie, a Pokémon based on churros would probably be a Fairy-type, although it might also work as a Fire-type considering the dough needs to fry to become a churro. It would probably work best as a single-stage Pokémon, although it could have different forms based on the many shapes a churro can get.
Pimientos De Padrón
Pimientos de Padrón, known as Padrón peppers in English, are peppers fried in olive oil until the skin blisters. They are then covered in salt and served as an entree or with tapas. Some people remove the stem, but others leave it as a way to hold the peppers when eating them.
Pokémon already has many great Grass-types, but there's always room for one more. A Pokémon version of pimientos de Padrón could finally bring the long-awaited Grass-Fire type by making a pepper Pokémon that got burned blistered, thus gaining the secondary fiery type.
Gazpacho
The infamous cold soup known as gazpacho has a reputation around the world. Made from raw, blended vegetables like onion, cucumbers, bell peppers, and garlic, gazpacho can also include bread. It is very popular throughout the Iberian Peninsula, thanks to how cool and refreshing many people find it.
An Ice-type Pokémon based on gazpacho would be an inspired take on the traditional dish. Because of its intense red color, many would expect it to be a Fire-type, only to receive a cool blizzard from this deceitful Pokémon. The Ice-type needs a strong Pokémon, and one based on gazpacho would be a worthy candidate to elevate the type.
Cured Ham
Cured ham is pork that has been preserved with wet or dry curing. Cured ham is very popular in Spain, served in tapas or as an entree by itself. It is also part of several other dishes, cementing its importance in Spanish cuisine.
There are several pig-like Pokémon already, and Generation IX will add another, Lechonk, already a fan favorite. However, it might be slightly sinister to feature a ham Pokémon, considering many would interpret it as a part of a dead Lechonk. However, the idea of a Ghost-type that comes from a dead Pokémon is too good to resist, and it's not like the franchise is afraid of exploiting dark themes.
Paella
Paella is world-famous and a perfect example of the richness of Spanish cuisine. The dish originated in Valencia and remains one of the region's strongest identifying symbols today. The traditional Valencian recipe consists of rice with saffron mixed with rabbit, chicken, and sometimes duck. However, paella's most distinctive version is with seafood, including shrimp and shellfish.
This last version would make a great Pokémon. Drawing inspiration from Basculegion, one of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, this new Pokémon could be a Water-type that included several other smaller Pokémon to create a new, more powerful species.
