|
Estate Agents Alora Andalucia Spain - Selling Town Houses, Villas, Apartments, Fincas, Building Plots |
| |
| 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. |
 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. |
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
forms 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 variaciones exist, adding or removing ingredients,
such as salmorejo, la porra and ajoblanco.
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.
 |
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.
 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).
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.
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 goa´s cheese,
with co´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 (ange´s hair), huesos de
santo (sain´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. |
| |
|
|
