'Ñ' is maybe the most significant letter in Spanish. The Cervantes Institute has published a delicious book with this letter which is a glossary of food and literature.

“The taste of ñ” contains 59 literary delicacies of Spanish and Latin American authors, accompanied by recipes beginning with appetizing entrees like alboronías, pies, beans, soups, tequeños, tortos, stuffed peppers, totopostes ... and, of course, potato omelette and main dishes like arepas, chili sauce, ceviche, enchilada, rice and beans, parakeet, roast leg of lamb, or beef cooked in Madrid.

Spanish literature has "a fascinating taste, sensual and rich in nuances and aromas. Also the Spanish culture is so widespread and diverse that it has an important role in literature. Words and tastes are accepted universal and it is an excellent way to share the culture with the latter generations.

The work begins with an excerpt from "The General in His Labyrinth" by Gabriel García Márquez in which he mentiones about alboronía, a typical dish from Colombia which is made with fry eggplant, tomatoes, squash and peppers.

It is advisable to continue with the latter and spend a few Nobel prize recipes like corned tacacho by Mario Vargas Llosa, a typical dish of the Peruvian jungle including roasted or fried green plantain, triturated with lard and served as a ball or sausage with fried beef jerky. The writer mentions about this dish in the novel "Pantoja and the Special".

Other flavours and authors featured in "The taste of ENE" are, Antonio Skarmeta with Chilean pebre in "Neruda's Postman", Cesar Aira with the Argentine steak in "Ghosts", Fernando Iwasaki with the ceviche peruno in his "immense Strait II ".

Also the glossary includes the texts of Angeles Mastretta who writes about the chiles in walnut sauce in "Tear This Heart Out", Elena Poniatowska writes about the enchiladas in "Tinisima", Edmundo Paz Soldan with the Bolivian chola sandwich in his work "Palace burned" or Laura Restrepo shows the Colombian donut in "Delirio," and continues with many more authors like Almudena Grandes and Juan Pedro Castaneda.

"The taste of ñ" will be distributed by the network of Cervantes Institute centers, and even though you don’t cook or give it a try to one of these recipes, you can at least feed your soul by reading this book.

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Although Argentina's official language is Spanish, Argentine Spanish is different from the Spanish spoken in Spain. In some ways it sounds more like Italian than Spanish and it is called Rioplatense Spanish or River Plate Spanish. It is a dialect spoken mainly in and around the areas of Buenos Aires, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Santa Fe and Rosario in Argentina, Montevideo in Uruguay, and far south of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

Differences between the Spanish (Castilian) in Spain and Riverplate Spanish are ample; about 9,000 Rioplatense words are not used and most of the time not even understood elsewhere. So an avarage Spanish speaker can be surprised by the terms and the usage of the words. These include many terms from the basic vocabulary, such as words for fruits, garments, foodstuffs, car parts, etc., as well as local slang. In Argentina when you want to buy some peaches and strawberries for example, if you say melocotón and fresas the seller will look at you with a blank face. Instead you have to use the words durazno and frutilla. It has no effect if a single word like “Che!” (Hey!) is not pronounced with the proper intonation. How British and American English differ in many ways, of course it is very natural to have diverse usage of a common language like Spanish.

Speaking of diversity, slang in Argentina is an everyday habit and offers a great amount of different phrases. Chamuyo or lunfardo is the word used for slang in Riverplate Spanish. Lunfardo (or briefly, lunfa) began as prison slang in the late 19th century, so guards would not understand the prisoners. Then it appeared in Buenos Aires and its surroundings during the second half of the nineteenth century from the great contribution of the various waves of immigration, especially Italians, and words from American Indian, African and gaucho origin which had already existed in Argentina. Since the early 20th century, Lunfardo began to spread among all social strata and classes, either by habitual use or because it can be seen in the lyrics of tango. Tango lyrics use lunfardo rarely, but several songs of Celedonio Flores and Edmundo Rivero include lunfardo to a large extent. During the 20th and this century many of its words have gone to neighboring countries like Chile and Paraguay. Although some of the words are meant to be forgotten or not used, lunfardo still keeps alive. Some phrases like “Bajá un cambio!” = Chill Out! Relax! or on a break up it is said “Ya fuimos”= We’re through put its difference from the Peninsular Spanish.

There are special courses offered for foreigners to learn lunfardo as well as Riverplate Spanish so that they can have the chance to get into Argentine way of thinking and culture. It will be an entertaining way to learn Spanish with an Argentine style.

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Why study Spanish?

Today's businesses cannot ignore the attractive markets that the Spanish language offers. Spanish-speaking people constitute a huge community that shares products, services and culture; offering businesses and institutions a truly unique market for potential growth.

Fluency in the Spanish language will give you a career boost in many fields, including business, health care, law enforcement, government and education. Hispanics currently comprise almost 15 percent of the American population, meaning that over 40 million Americans speak Spanish at home, making fluency in the language a vital skill for job seekers.

Spanish is one of the fastest-growing languages in the world and is spoken by an estimated 500 million people globally. Counting only native speakers, Spanish actually outranks English, which makes learning and teaching Spanish a smart choice.

Good reasons to learn Spanish

• Spanish is the official language in 21 countries including Spain and Mexico. Number of speakers: Spain: 44 million, Colombia: 44 million, Argentina: 39 million, Venezuela: 28 million, Peru: 28 million... , the Caribbean and most of South America except Brazil and Guyana.
• Spanish is also largely spoken in the US and the second most common language. It is mainly spoken in the states of Texas, Arizona, California and Florida.
• Spainish is commonly spoken in many parts of southern Africa including Morocco.
• Spanish is spoken throughout the Carribean and most of South America, with the exception of Brazil and Guyana. However, due to these areas' locations, most people there also learn Spanish.
• With over 450 million speakers worldwide, Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in the world in regards to amount of speakers, both native and non-native, after English and Mandarin Chinese.
• Spanish is the second most used language in international communication and also the third most used language in politics, economics and cultural issues.
• The economies of Spanish speaking countries represent a GDP of $2.6 trillion.
• The country of Spain, located in Europe, has been ranked as the 3rd most desirable country to live in based on standard of living and health. The country has experienced great growth in the last decade and was one of Europe's fastest growning markets.
• Latin America as a whole is a fusion of many different cultures and economies with a common language: Spanish. The huge geographic area represents an emerging market for businesses and industries alike who have been shifting their attentions to this huge market potential. According to recent studies, there is a lot of foreign interest in Latin America especially in the real estate and telecommunication sectors.

With everything in its favor, the Spanish language is likely to keep growing at a rapid pace as it has been doing for years. Don't get left behind, start learning Spanish with don Quijote to open more doors in your future!

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On 15th of January the winners of Golden Globe Awards were announced. The 69th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television, were held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. English actor and comedian Ricky Gervais hosted the show for the third time and the ceremony went on full of his controversial jokes. The audience gets used to see familiar faces at such ceremonies; Meryl Streep was elegant as always, Johnny Depp and George Clooney were the core attention of women as well as the beautiful Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek.

A quite unusual incident happened when Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek came to the stage as presenters. Ricky Gervais, having aimed one of his “arrows” at Antonio Banderas when he joked that he had not understood a word the Spanish actor had said backstage, earned a response from Banderas when he approached the microphone reciting a famous poem in Spanish. The Spanish accent has long been an object of ridicule in the English language. However, the rise to fame of countless Latin American and Spanish stars is undeniable as they share the spotlight more and more with classic Hollywood stars.

One of the charming actresses of this “Latino hurricane” that deserves special attention is Sofia Vergara. When the ABC sitcom “Modern Family” won the best comedic series award, the Colombian star Sofia Vergara started speaking Spanish on stage in response to all the jokes about the Spanish accent. Her success is apparent and represents the emotions and pride of Hispanic people around the globe.

Born Barranquilla, Colombian Sofia Vergara started her career as a model and actress. She currently stars on the ABC sitcom “Modern Family” as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, for which she was nominated for the 2010 and 2011 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedic Series along with a Golden Globe Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations.

The road to success for the Latin population has been a long one. Today, the movie sector has opened its doors to foreign productions, directors and actors that add quality and diversity to Hollywood. Sofia Vergara has followed in the footsteps of other famous Latin beauties such as Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz, both of which have earned their place in Hollywood thanks to talent and hard work. Each successful Latin artist has helped open doors for the future ones, so we can expect to see more and more Hispanic faces on the silver screen.

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The city of Salamanca, Spain is preparing to honor the famous Spanish writer and poet, Miguel de Unamuno throughout the 2012 year with music, theater productions, expositions, student workshops films and conferences.

Philosopher, poet, novelist and playwright, Miguel de Unamuno was one of the most distinguished literary figures and principal Spanish philosophers in Spain at the turn of the century.

The program, appropriately titled "2012, the Year of Unamuno" was announced on the 31^st of December by the city mayor Iñaki Azcuna in the Plaza de Úrsulas. On this day, the planned activities dedicated to Miguel de Unamuno officially launch. The first activity opens in the town hall and is a picture exposition by Oscar Alvariño detailing Unamuno´s career.

• The Salamanca Foundation City of Culture and Knowledge will coproduce the Unamuno production "Niebla" (Fog) and a dramatic adaptation of "Fedra" which will both be performed at the Liceo Theatre in Salamanca.
• This year's XXXII Municipal Book Fair and Day of the Book (April 23, 2012) will also have events dedicated to Miguel de Unamuno with concerts by Salamanca's Youth Symphony, origami workshops, short story contests, and other acts dedicated to novelists, authors, philosophers and essayists. Additionally, participating book stores will encourage customers to read Unamuno's famous Works.
• The Castilian and Leonese Institue of Language will offer a conference dedicated to "Unamuno seen from exile" about the great thinker's role from the perspective of writers in exile from the Spanish Civil War.
• The Latin American Poet's meeting this year in its XV edition, will be dedicated to Unamuno.
• A contest titled "My Letter to Unamuno" will take place to bring the figure of Miguel to Unamuno to young students.
• The Municipal Library will start a reading group dedicated to Miguel de Unamuno. A workshop will also take place so that people can get to know the history of Salamanca through Unamuno's works.
• The "Cielo de Salamanca" activity in which many Salamancan poets participate will dedicate this year's theme to Don Miguel de Unamuno.
• The Santo Domingo Hall, in collaboration with Filmoteca Regional, will hold an exposition called "Don Miguel de Unamuno, life through photos".
• The Salamanca Youth Symphony will perform a concert at Santa Celia featuring a piece by Joaquin Rodrigo inspired by the first 7 and last 3 verses of "Oda a Salamanca" written in 1953 by Miguel de Unamuno.
• The Zacra Folk group will perform 17 sonnets written by the Spanish writer at the Liceo Theatre on the 31^st of March, 2012.
• Origami workshops and performances by Pep Gómez will take place, inspired by Unamuno's favorite hobby.
• Filmoteca will organize a film cycle with many titles including documentaries about Unamuno. Additionally, a new documentary about the famous author will be edited in collaboration with RTVCYL.
• The "Plazas y Patios" summer program will incorporate many events and performances throughout the city to Miguel de Unamuno.

The city of Salamanca hopes to involve all Salamanca citizens and tourists alike and invites them to get to know one of the most important figures in recent Spanish history; Miguel de Unamuno, poet, playwright, novelist, philosopher and essayist.

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Having been brought up in a football mad household that, if my Dad had his own way, would be a shrine to Arsenal FC, I thought I was fairly football-literate, well at least for a girl. However, coming to Spain, I soon began to realise, the fervour instilled by the Premiership is pathetic when compared with the sheer passion surrounding football’s most famous rivalry.

This weekend’s ‘El Clásico’ between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona was watched by a staggering 12 million people in Spain alone. Every pass was accompanied by agitation, shrieks and yells. The emotions 22 men in pursuit of a ball instils in Spaniards compelled me to find out more about the history of such a revered rivalry- it is the quality of football or the famous cat and dog antagonism that draws people in?

Removing football from the equation, Madrid and Barcelona have always been in contention as they are Spain’s most prosperous cities and represent two major regions. Undeniably, the opposition has always been politically charged- Barcelona is a proud symbol of Catalan identity, separate from the centralising powers of Madrid, that is, in its own words, “mes que un club” (more than a club).

The first match played between Barcelona and Real Madrid was on the 13th May 1902, since then the two sides have met 247 times- 216 official games and 31 ‘friendlies’- with Barcelona winning 103 games to Madrid’s 90.

One of the first catalysts to the teams’ contention occurred in the early 50s when the legendary striker Alfredo di Stefano, was supposedly stolen from Barcelona and nabbed by Madrid. This fuelled the fire of the existing political rivalry, and ever since then the competitive nature has never ceased to intensify.

Over El Clasico’s history, there has been a fairly constant stream of players that have been brave enough to cross the treacherous internal transfer path between the two archenemies. Lucien Muller made the bold move in 1965, as too did Bernd Schuster who after 8 years at Barca, moved to Real Madrid in 1988. Michael Laudrup followed in his footsteps in the 90s; Ronaldo did the reverse and moved to Madrid in 2002.

Luis Figo’s decision to move from Barcelona, the club that had launched him to superstardom, to Real Madrid in 2000 was met with the most hostility. The betrayed Barca fans were not best pleased, and amongst the things thrown at Figo in his early days at Madrid were a bicycle chain, a bottle of whisky and a suckling pig’s head!

One of the great appeals of El Clasico is its fairly even results, while Barcelona may have won more games, the competition is always close. The clubs themselves are two of the biggest and wealthiest in the world, with enormous global fan bases, vast stadiums and access to some of the best footballers, managers and trainers on offer. When the two teams met in 2002 in the Champions League semi-final, over 500 million people watched!

Whether it’s the quality of football or the fascinating conflict, without wishing to face the wrath of hundreds of millions of fans or undermine the one of the world's greatest sporting rivalry, it is in the end, just a game.

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On November 2011 a 24 member intergovernmental UNESCO meeting decided to add 12 new elements to their list of the world’s most amazing examples of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Japan, France, Portugal, Croatia and other countries were represented alongside several Latin American and Spanish countries:

The Mare de Déu de la Salut Festival in Algemesí (Valencia, Spain)

On the 7th and 8th of September, the town of Algemesi, Valencia celebrates in honor of their patron saint, the Virgin of Health (Nuestra Señora de la Salud). The celebration dates back to the 13th century and incorporates theatrical acts, religious processions, dance and music.More than 1,400 of the townspeople participate in the 3 parades, sporting traditional costumes and handmade accessories.

UNESCO noted the importance of the festival to the local Valencia identity and the effort to pass the traditions from generation to generation. .

Pilgramage to the Lord of Qoyllurit’i Sanctuary (Cusco, Peru)
During the Qoyllur Rit'i festival, 58 days after Easter (in May or early June), a pilgrimage takes place to the Lord of Qoyllurit’i Sanctuary. Peasants from 8 villages from surrounding areas take place who bold the bitter cold to reach the shrine, located at the foot of Mount Qolqepunku.

The Qoyllur Rit'i festival is held annually in honor of the Lord of Qoyllur Rit'i. The tradition originated in 1780 based on a local legend about boy called Mariano. An image of Christ was painted on the the boulder over his tomb which is now known as the Lord of Qoyllur Rit'i, meaning Lord of Star Snow.

The pilgrims bring large groups of dancers and musicians and the event ends in a large feast. The feast was declared by the Peruvian Ministry of Culure as being the most important religious feast in the Peruvian Andes.

Jaguar Shamans of Yuruparí (Vaupés, Colombia)
In the area surrounding the Pira Parana River in Vaupes, southeastern Colombia, human traditions and rituals are well preserved among the natives, particularly the Jaguar Shamans.

Their traditional wisdom, known as "Hee Yaia Keti Oka" is passed down to male offspring from generation to generation tp teach their people to take care of life and land. The Jaguar shamans' traditional knowledge of the Amazon and Universe make them "guardians of nature" and gives them an integral role in society: planting, health, animal breeding and laws.

Mariachi groups (Mexico)
Mexico's internationally famous mariachi music has finally gotten the cultural distinction it deserves. The mariachi groups, known for their distinctive outfits and large sombreros, combine song and dance. The instruments that usually form a Mexican mariachi band are: trumpets, violins, the vihuela and guitarron (a type of bass guitar).

These groups have helped to preserve Mexican traditions and culture and have become emlematic of Mexican music. Mariachi groups are often featured in different forms of media including film and has even been used in presidential campaigns.

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When most people think of the greatest Spanish contributions to the world, perhaps the most immediate things to spring to mind are flamenco music, tapas, and siestas. The Spaniards are not famed for the inventors. Painters, writers and poets perhaps; but it is a little known fact that Spain is responsible for some incredibly important, and some rather wacky innovations. Here is a rundown of 10 of the most significant and some of the most unusual inventions to come from Spain:

1. Chupa Chups- The famous lollipops that line cash registers across the world were initially created by the Catalonian Enric Bernat in 1958. An idea that sprung from seeing a child being told off for making a mess when eating sweets, evolved into an internationally, booming company. By simply placing a stick in a sweet, Bernat revolutionized the sweet world!

2. Mop- The first mop was invented by aeronautical engineer, Manuel Jalon Corominas, and his friend Emilio Bellvis, both worked to create the first mop and bucket. Although there is some dispute as to which of the two claimed the initial idea.

3. The Submarine- The first combustion-powered prototypes created date back to 1859, belonged to the Catalonian Narciso Monturiol, who designed a manually propelled submarine known as the Ictíneo I. Isaac Peral was a fellow Spaniard who also revolutionized submarine navigation using electrical energy.

4. The Beret- While everyone associates berets with the typical French stereotype, in fact its origins are Spanish! Shepherds in the northern Basque country were the first people to wear them, and they are still very common to this day!

5. Cigarette- Although tobacco is native to America, cigarettes are a Spanish invention, that emerged when beggars began to collect any tobacco waste and wrap it up in thin sheets of paper to smoke. By 1825, cigarettes were being packaged and marketed, with the first packs being manufactured in 1833.

6. Chess- A claim that is sometimes disputed, but it is widely believed that the origin of one of the world’s most played games is Spanish. It is claimed that Valencia is responsible for the origins of the modern game, with radical rules created that evolved from ancient games

7. Molotov cocktail- this improvised incendiary device was first used in the Spanish Civil War. Franco ordered Spanish Nationalists to use the easily made bombs as a weapon in fighting against the Soviet Union, who were supporting the Republicans.

8. Autogyro- a type of rotorcraft invented by Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva, who wanted to create an aircraft that could safely fly at slow speeds.

9. Table Football- the first patent for the games belongs to Alejandro Finisterre, who credits his friend Francisco Javier Altuna with the invention. However there has been dispute over this claim, with some stating that it belongs to a Brit.

10. Coca-Cola- the citizens of Ayelo de Malferit, near Valencia, claim that the famous drink actually originates from them. Juan Mica claims that his family were the first to invent the drink, called Nuez de Kola Coca’, which he then took to the US and sold the recipe. However this claim is still shrouded in dispute.

While some of the array of Spanish inventions are disputed, whether it’s famous lollipops, clean floors or groundbreaking developments in rotorcrafts, Spain has definitely provided the world with some undeniably useful inventions.

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It is no surprise that the best olive oil in the world belongs to a Mediterranean country. But some associate amazing olive oil with France and Italy more than Spain. Think again, Spain is one of the world’s top producers and consumers of olive oil, an identifying product in Spanish cuisine and tradition.

In fact, some of the best olive oil in the world comes from Spain. This was recently proven again in the 2012 edition of Flos Olei. Flos Olei, directed by Marco Oreggia, is a reputable Italian guide to the best and most exquisite olive oil in the world.

The guide evaluates over 1000 of the world’s finest olive oils and puts them through a very strict evaluation and tasting process. Each olive oil is assigned a certain number of points, with 100 being the highest.

This year, the small family run Spanish company Castillo de Canena, based in Jaen, Andalusia (Spain) awarded the highest mark ever given out by Flos Olei: 97 out of 100 points. Wow! Last year, the Castillo de Canena brand earned 96 out of 100, showing that it is an excellent olive oil, year after year.

This award just adds to a long a list of other awards that Castilla de Canena olive oil has already earned including the Coq D’or from France, Gold Medal Award from Los Angeles, best product of the year award, and the list goes on…

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Diego Rivera was one of Mexico’s most celebrated artists and one of the founding figures in the Mexican Mural Renaissance. His vivid murals form an incredibly important part in the depiction of Mexican history from the Aztecs to Revolution. His influence in Mexico, and throughout the globe has never ceased to falter, and now 80 years since Rivera painted eight extraordinary murals especially for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), his works are returning to the famous museum.

Five of the original murals are now on display in New York from 13th November until the 14th May 2012. The exhibition which is entitled, ‘Diego Rivera: Murals for the Museum of Modern Art’, will not only display these incredible murals but will also include original watercolors of industrial New York, a series of drawings done during a visit to Moscow, and sketches that were done in preparation for the murals of two out of the three murals that are not being shown. (Of the original eight murals created, one has been lost and the other two are part of private collections).

Diego Rivera originally painted the eight incredible murals for MoMA for an exhibition in December 1931. Rivera came to MoMA, with his wife Frida Kahlo, six weeks before the exhibition was due to begin, and produced five ‘portable murals’ made of plaster, slaked lime and wood, that depicted bold images of Mexican culture and history, such as the Revolution or the struggle for equality.

It was only the second exhibition ever to be arranged by the museum, following one on Matisse. However, once on display, the murals set a record for high attendance over the five weeks they were on show. Due to the immense popularity of the exhibition, Rivera made an additional three murals, this time using New York as his subject matter, focusing on the difficult times experienced during the Great Depression.

Rivera expressed his views using his murals across the world, from the historic center of Mexico City or The National School of Agriculture in Chapingo, to the Detroit Institute of Art and the San Francisco Stock Exchange. The exhibition’s critical exploration of social problems is incredibly relevant today, and will offer a fresh look at the intersection of art and radical politics.

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