Andalusian
gastronomy is profoundly marked
by the Arab cooking of
Al-Andalus. The refinement of
this form of cooking, unheard of
in Europe, transformed many
customs. It was the Andalusies
who created the dining room and
the current order of dishes.
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Andalusian cooking
can be divided into two main
parts: cookery based on products
from the sea and that based on
serrano mountain area
ingredients. Vegetable and pulse
stews, game dishes, together with
the different ways of preparing
fish, are the essence of our
cookery. The best known
Andalusian dish, famed for its
nutritional value as well as ease
of preparation, is gazpacho, a
tomato-based cold soup containing
cucumber, pepper, garlic,oil and
vinegar. Other variations exist,
adding or removing ingredients.
Almerian cookery, despite its
proximity to the sea, is not
based primarily on fish dishes.
Dishes such as tortas de gachas
(pancakes), ajo de colorao, la
olla de trigo, las moragas, los
gurullos de perdiz o liebre
(types of stew), guisos con ajo
(garlic-based stews), las
cazuelas de habas verdes (green
bean stew), are some of the
typical meals on offer in
Almeria.
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Málaga bases its
cooking on three main elements:
moscatel grapes, gazpacho, and
fish. Of renown are espetones de
sardinas (grilled sardines),
arroz a la marinera (rice with
seafood), la sopa de rape
(angler fish soup), atun mechado
a la malagueña
(pickled tuna), habas a la
rondeña (bean stew), el menudo
de ternera (stewed beef tripe),
esparragos amargueros
(asparagus), la cazuela de fideos
a la malagueña (Malaga-style
minestrone stew), patatas en
ajopoleo (garlic potatoes), and
many more.
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The best known
dishes in the cooking of Granada
are the tortilla de sacramonte
(omelette with
brains) and las habas a la
granadina (bean stew). As with
the other provinces, Granada´s
cookery is a legacy of Arab
times, rich in spices, in soups
and stews, and strongly
sweet-toothed. The well known
jamón de Trevelez (Trevelez ham)
is an indispensable element in
dishes such as habas con jamón
(beans and ham), el plato
alpujarreño, or las truchas de
Laujar (grilled trout with ham).
Also worthy of mention in this
attractive province are: el
cabrito en ajo caballin (goat
with garlic), el arroz al liberal
(a rice dish), la sopa moruna
(soup) and many other dishes.
In Cádiz, berza (a type of stew
with pulses and meat) stands out
particularly, along with los
guisos marineros (seafood stews),
and of course "pescaito
frito" (fried fish) and
excellent shellfish
(mariscos), particularly in
Sanlúcar de Barrameda. This is
one of the richest provinces in
gastronomical terms, with dishes
from the sea, the countryside and
mountain regions. Other famed
dishes include riñones al Jerez
(kidneys in sherry), los calmares
en su tinta (squid cooked in
ink), las gachas (stew), la
caldereta de cordero (lamb stew),
la cola de toro (bull´s tail),
el bistec salteado
(saute beefsteak), etc.
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In Córdoba, besides
the exquisite game dishes, the
following stand out: el rabo de
toro (bull´s tail), la olla
cordobesa (stew), la ternera con
alcachofas
(beef with artichokes), la
caldereta de cordero
(lamb stew), la chafaina
cordobesa, las manos de cerdo al
horno (baked pig´s trotters),
los pichones con aceitunas
(pigeon with olives), los
picadillos, etc.
In Huelva, there are many forms
of preparing cuttlefish and tuna.
Among the fish stews stand out a
number: las sardinas en
pimentilla (sardinas with sweet
paprika), el atún con tomate
(tuna cooked in tomato), los
chocos con habas
(cuttlefish with beans), el pargo
encebollado (porgy cooked in
onions), el pez espada en
amarillo
(stewed swordfish in safron) la
raya en pimentón
(skate with sweet paprika) and
almejas con arroz
(clams with rice).
Jaén´s cooking is based on
olive oil as the common
ingredient, with dishes such as
las epinacas jiennense
(Jaen-style spinach), el
ajilimojil, la alboronia and los
potajes de verduras
(vegetable stews). Despite being
an inland province, Jaén also
offers fish dishes containing
herrings (arrenques) and dried
cod (bacalao), such as ajoharina
and los andrajos.
Although it is said that in
Seville people do not eat as much
as they eat tapas (tapear), this
is not entirely true. The tapa
forms a part of the culture of
this province, but it is no less
true that people here eat, and
well at that. Proof of this are
exquisite dishes such as la
ternera a la sevillana (Seville
style beef), la ensalada (salad),
los huevos a la flamenca (hard
boiled egg salad), los soldaditos
de pavia (saltfish strips), el
menudo (stewed tripe), la cola de
toro guisado (stewed bull´s
tail), el pato con aceituna (duck
with olives) or lomo en manteca
(pork in fat), to name but a few.
There are four main gastronomic
categories which, due to their
particular importance, receive
special mention here. |
The first of these
are Andalusian wines, the most
international of which are the
sherry wines from Jerez, with the
manzanilla variety produced in
Sanlúcar de Barrameda standing
out. Other wines with their own
denomination of origin, besides
Jerez-Xerez-Sherry, are Málaga,
Condado de Huelva and
Montilla-Moriles.
Other areas produce excellent
quality wines, as is the case
with Los Palacios and el Aljarafe
in Seville province; Bailen,
Torreperogil and Lopera in Jaén;
Costa-Albodon in Granada; Laujar
(Almeria) and Villaviciosa de
Córdoba. However, one must not
forget to mention a young,
lightly fruity white wine of
recent appearance, which little
by little has found a place for
itself on Spanish tables, coming
mainly from the Cádiz province,
and especially from Sanlúcar and
Arcos de la Frontera.
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As with Andalusian
wines, "chacinas" or
cold, cured meat products enjoy
star rating, with ham from the
sierra de Huelva region (Jabugo
and other closeby villages)
tending to eclipse other
Andalusian products of great
quality. All Andalusian mountain
areas normally have their own
range of pork-derived products,
such as jamon (ham), caña de
lomo (marinated sirloin), morcon
(marinated pork), chorizos
blancos, salchicon, morcillas
(varieties of sausage), etc.
Andalusian cheeses are usually
produced for local consumption,
not normally being well known
outside their own areas. However,
the strong personalities of these
cheeses make them excellent
company with a good wine. They
are usually made with sheep or
goat´s cheese, with
cow´s milk being used in some
cases. These mountain cheeses
from Almeria, Granada, the Ronda
hills or Grazalema are firm
favourites with those who
appreciate traditional cookery.
After a satisfying meal there is
nothing quite like some delicious
sweetmeats. The influence of Arab
cooking has left a mark in
Andalusian pastries and cakes.
Many of these are made in
convents and religious
congregations, at times being
given fantastic names, such as
cabello de angel
(angel´s hair), huesos de santo
(satan´s bones), borrachos
(drunkards) or mariquitas
(ladybirds). Popular cooking is
exquisitely represented in the
many typical cakes and pastries
of the different provinces -
roscos in Jaén, hojuelas,
torrijas and pestiños in
Córdoba, polvorones in Estepa,
alfajores and mostachones in
Utrera, yemas de San Leandro in
Seville, roscos in Loja, melojas
in Jerez, bizcocho malagueño in
Málaga, sufle de boniato,
soplillos de almendras and bollos
de nata in Almeria, and
piñonates in Huelva. |
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