As neighboring countries, France, Spain and Italy all share a rich culinary history. Visitors now have the chance to try the food of these countries inside their respective pavilions.

The Spain Pavilion's restaurant will serve about 300,000 traditional Spanish meals during the duration of the Expo. One particularly unique facet of Spanish cuisine is its Iberian ham, which is usually eaten raw. The ham is bright red and translucent, and goes best with toast. According to the restaurant's chef Pedro Larumbe, the ham comes from Iberian pigs, which are bred in mountainous areas and fed with wild acorns. This ham is expensive and hard to come by, even in Spain; each cut of ham comes with a certificate of origin.

Another unique Spanish food is paella, a special rice dish that comes from the Valencia region of Spain. Authentic paella requires the rice to be cooked on the raw side; to suit the tastes of Chinese customers, Larumbe says the restaurant will cook the rice a little longer.

Visitors to the France Pavilion can't miss the French bread. The French have been known to say that their most important foods are bread, cheese and wine. Visitors can buy bread at the pavilion at regular prices.

The gourmet restaurant "Sixth Sense" on the top floor of the France Pavilion will invite visitors to expand their culinary experience. The restaurant specializes in (of course) French cuisine, albeit with a Mediterranean twist. The restaurant features a brewery and can also be rented out for private parties and business lunches.

In the Italy Pavilion restaurant, visitors can enjoy Italian cuisine while appreciating the fashionable design of the pavilion. Yogurt cake and a cup of cappuccino make for an appetizing combo at this restaurant; baked eggplant with cheese, macaroni with dried tomato and handmade Italian ice cream are also available.

Link: Other European Cuisines

Switzerland: This country's four official languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh) are a reflection of the mixture of nationalities that make up Swiss cuisine. Barley soup with smoked beef and a traditional cheese and potato soup are highly recommended.

Belgium: The chocolate factory in the Belgium Pavilion shows exactly how Belgian chocolate is made. Visitors can buy genuine Belgian chocolate here without having to go all the way to Europe!

Norway: One cannot miss the salmon and akvavit (a strong spirit) from this Nordic country.

Germany: This country is known the world over for its sausage. Visitors can find the famous Bavarian schweinshaxe (baked pork knuckle) at the Germany Pavilion.