Variety.

Just a few of the many spices we were so pleased to taste while in Portugal. Spain brought back gold from the New World colonies, but Portugal brought back spices from Goa, Macau, Oman, Mozambique, Angola and Brazil.

Spain may have funded their empire for a lot longer than the Portuguese, but I can definitely tell you who has the wider range of flavors in their food.

(And yeah, I know that this is just a picture of garlic, which is found all over Europe, but I was trying to make a point.)