Visitors Guide to
Almuñecar
and La Herradura
Costa Tropical, Granada, Spain
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Visitors Guide to
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Almuñecar
and La Herradura
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Costa Tropical, Granada, Spain
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Local Foods and Dishes
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The following is a selection of the more popular foods and regional dishes that you are likely to find in the area. Most can be ordered either as part of an a la carte menu with all the trimmings or as an ungarnished ración (ration) which is simply a plateful, usually served with just bread. This is perfect for a light lunch or to share as a snack between friends. |
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| Aceitunas (Olives) | ||||
| Pickled olives are usually served as a tapa or salad garnish and come in a variety of styles. For the traditional recipes the olive is crushed (split open), salted, washed and then prepared in brine with thyme, rosemary, garlic or other herbs. Fresh peppers or different pickled vegetables may also be added. The result is one of the healthiest and tastiest appetizers to be found in the country, perfect with a glass of vino fino (dry sherry) or local country wine. | ||||
| Aceite de Oliva (Olive Oil) | ||||
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Andaluz cooking is almost entirely based on the distinctive flavour of olive oil and you'll find very few recipes that don't incorporate it in one way or another. It is even used for cooking certain traditional fried desserts. If you want to find out more about this delicious and healthy food, see our page on olive oil, which explains about its health properties, how it's cultivated and processed, the different types of olive oil that are produced and some notes on cooking with it. |
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 Ajo
(Garlic) |
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| One of nature's wonder foods, garlic constitutes one of the principal ingredients of the Mediterranean diet and can be found in almost every recipe. Traditionally it is even eaten at breakfast, the clove being rubbed on toast along with a liberal sprinkling of olive oil, though this habit is becoming less common as the 'modern' diet of toast and jam takes over. If you like garlic then you'll be in seventh heaven. If not, then you can always order your food to be without (sin ajo). | ||||
| Ajoblanco | ||||
| This is a great cold soup for summer, basically the same as gazpacho (see below) but made with almonds instead of tomatoes and it's served without any garnish. | ||||
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Boquerones |
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| These are anchovies either fresh fried (boquerones fritos) as a main course or pickled with garlic, vinegar, olive oil and parsley (boquerones en vinagre), which are most commonly served as a tapa. | ||||
| Carne en Salsa | ||||
| This is a stew made from pork or beef with either a wine and garlic sauce or a tomato sauce. It can be served as a tapa, ración or as a main course. Good winter fare. | ||||
| Chanquetes
(Whitebait) |
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| These tiny fish are illegal to sell, either in the markets or in the restaurants, although some establishments still insist on offering them to their 'preferred' customers. The reason for their ban is that the traditional chanquete, a fully grown but tiny fish, is often caught along with other immature species, wiping out breeding stocks before they can grow. The result is that a plate of chanquetes is usually a mixture of ungrown anchovies, sardines and other fish, quite tasteless compared to the original and often preserved with dangerous chemicals or urine. (We reckon that's a good enough reason for avoiding them without going any further). To make matters more confusing, frozen Japanese chanquetes are legally imported and can be sold in restaurants which makes a mockery of current legislation. Our advice: there are much tastier, more wholesome and safer foods on offer, so why not stick to them? | ||||
| Embutidos
(Sausages) |
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| These come in varying shapes, sizes and flavours but the most popular are the red chorizo, the longanizo and black morcilla. The latter is a delicately flavoured blood sausage.made with herbs. You'll find these most commonly served as tapas or cooked up in stews. | ||||
| Ensaladas (Salads) | ||||
| One of the greatest delights is to pick at one of the marvellous Spanish salads. Fresh, crunchy ingredients (lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers and onion) make up the traditional mixed salad (ensalada mixta). For something more exotic you'll find many restaurants offering their version of a tropical salad (ensalada tropical). This is based on the mixed salad with any amount of extra ingredients added, including avocado, tuna, asparagus, palm hearts, sweet corn, hard-boiled egg, kiwi fruit and so on. | ||||
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Gambas
al Pil-Pil |
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| These are prawns cooked in oil, garlic and chili, usually served as a starter in some restaurants. This can be very spicy and makes a great winter dish. Not for the feint-hearted. | ||||
| Gazpacho Andaluz | ||||
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Original to Andalucia and extremely popular with visitors and locals alike during the hotter months, gazpacho is a delicious cold soup made of seemingly simple ingredients. However, it's not as easy to make as it seems and almost every one that you sample will be slightly different according to each cook's adopted recipe. The basic soup is made from tomatoes, garlic, breadcrumbs, olive oil, vinegar and water, then served with a sideplate garnish of separately diced green pepper, cucumber, tomato, onion, toasted bread (croutons) and occasionally hard-boiled egg. Absolutely delicious at any time of the day! |
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| Jamón
Serrano (Dried Ham) |
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| This tasty mountain ham is dried and salted before being thinly sliced and served as a tapa or ración. Most hams seen hanging in the local bars are cured in the Alpujarras, and the best ones are absolutely delicious. | ||||
| Pescado a la Sal (Fish Baked in Salt) | ||||
| This is normally prepared with dorada (gilt-head bream) but any medium-sized firm-fleshed fish will do. A paste of sea salt and water is packed around the fish which is then baked in the oven. Being cooked fresh in its own juices without any fancy sauces makes this dish one of the healthiest and tastiest on the local menu. | ||||
| Pinchitos
Morunos (Moroccan Kebabs) |
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| These are pork kebabs marinated in Moroccan spices, often quite piquant and very tasty. Excellent when barbecued. | ||||
| Quesos (Cheeses) | ||||
| Andalucia doesn't produce an abundance of cheese, so much of what you will find served as a tapa or ración comes from further north where the grass grows a bit longer (and greener...). The exception is the mountain goat's cheese which is produced mostly for local consumption in the small inland villages. This can be delicious and almost entirely natural. Fresh uncured goat's cheese can be bought at most food stores. | ||||
| Sardinas
(Sardines) |
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| Fresh sardines are traditionally cooked whole so as to keep their full flavour. When prepared on long bamboo skewers over a barbecue, they're called espetos. Although they're available on menus throughout most of the year, locals say that they're at their tastiest during the months that don't contain the letter 'R', meaning from May through August. | ||||
| Tortilla Española (Spanish Omelette) | ||||
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The serious Spanish housewife has a special frying pan for making her tortilla and you use it to cook other foods on pain of death. It's that important. Like gazpacho, you will sample many different types of tortilla although the ingredients are almost always the same: egg, potatoes, onions, olive oil and salt. It's great either cold or hot and, if you want a bit of spice added, ask for it with a serving of ali-oli which is homemade garlic mayonnaise.
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533, Almuñécar 18690, Granada, Spain info@almunecar.com
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