Who doesn’t love to try out new flavours and foods while travelling? Indulging in the local cuisine is a huge reason why our guests choose to stay in a self-catering villa.
In Spain, you can try some of the world’s finest food and wine, dine in renowned Michelin restaurants and sample the menus of some of the top chefs in the world. Equally, gourmet travellers might enjoy visiting a local market or bodega to pick up fresh, seasonal ingredients and dine at home in the comfort of your private villa.
Here is our pick of some of the best local gourmet delights you can try while on holiday in Andalucia:
Sherry Wines
The world famous pre-dinner drink originates from Jerez de la Frontera (the city is European Wine Capital 2014), home to household names such as Domecq and Harveys, and from a few other places inside the “Sherry Triangle” in Andalucia.
Sherry comes in several different varieties that pair beautifully with different kinds of food and is enjoying a real renaissance among wine circles lately. Here is a quick guide on what to try:
Fino: light-coloured and very dry, this sherry comes from Jerez itself. Served cold and drunk as you would a good white wine, it goes perfectly with shellfish, jamí³n ibérico (see below) and mild cheeses.
Manzanilla: similar in colour and taste to fino, it too is served cold and best accompanies fish and shellfish. Fino and manzanilla are the least alcoholic of the sherry types and should not be kept once opened.
Amontillado: amber-coloured and smooth and rich in taste, amontillado goes well with white meats, oily fish and cured cheese.
Oloroso: dark and with a strong scent, this is also a dry sherry but with a more intense taste than fino. The intensity suits red meats and strong cheeses.
Palo seco: also dark, palo seco is strongly scented and flavoured. Good with game, foie gras and strong cheeses.
Pedro Ximenez: dark and sweet with a rich syrupy texture, Pedro Ximenez has a strong and intense flavour that pairs well with strong cheeses and desserts
The Best of Spanish Food
Spain lives and breathes food like few other places: from region to region, local life is inextricably tied to the production, preparation and consumption of it. As a result, it’s simply the best way to really get under the skin of the country.
Spanish Ham
Andalusian cured ham is a highly prized gourmet treat especially when it comes to Jamon ibérico de bellota. This creamier version than the regular cured ham comes from black pigs bred in the western area of Andalusia around Huelva. The pigs roam free around large oak-filled pastures all year and in the autumn, their diet consists almost entirely of acorns – look for the “Pata Negra” black label around the hoof for the best ham in the world!
The legs of ham are cured for 24-48 months and the end result is an intensely-flavoured meat that’s dark red in colour. Served in wafer-thin slices as a tapa, it’s a great accompaniment to a glass of fino sherry or intense red wine.
You can buy a whole leg (if kept in dry conditions, it will last for as long as it takes you to eat it!), although cutting ham is a fine art and probably best left to those in the know; pre-packed slices – open the packet a while before you plan to eat it to allow the ham to breathe; and off the leg in all good food stores – they slice off the amount you need.
As a general guide, the more expensive per kilo, the better quality the ham.
Olive Oil
Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world, with the province of Jaen alone producing more than the whole of Italy.
The backbone of all Mediterranean cooking, olive oil is one of Andalusia’s main exports and olive groves cover hectares of the region, particularly in the provinces of Cordoba and Jaen.
Olive oil features at every meal in Andalusia – from the breakfast drizzle of toast to the evening salad dressing via biscuits and pastries.
Not only does olive oil taste good, its monounsaturated fat content make it a healthier substitute for butter and margarine. The best olive oil is unrefined and known as ‘virgin’ or ‘extra virgin’, and almost green in colour with an intense flavour. The best extra virgin olive oils taste both peppery and fruity
For the best oil out there, look for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), ideally from one of Jaen’s three denominaciones de origen: Sierra de Segura, Sierra de Cazorla or Sierra Magina. Made from handpicked olives whose oil is cold-pressed and unrefined (and therefore lacking in chemicals) the oils produced here are truly remarkable.
When buying olive oil, go for the very best and as young as possible. We’d use a good virgin oil for general use (yes, including cooking!) and a more expensive extra virgin for salad dressings and a drizzle on pasta and rice dishes. You’ll find the best brands in good supermarkets and specialist shops such as D’Oliva in Marbella
Cheese
The cured sheep cheese named Manchego is undoubtedly Spain’s best known cheese. But there are plenty of others to keep an eye out for, from creamy blue Asturian Cabrales, Navarran/Basque Idiazabala and Galician Arzúa-Ulloa up north, and Torta del Casar in the west, to Cadiz’s Payoyo and Malaga’s goats’ cheeses down south.
Goats’ cheese from Ronda
The mountains that surround Ronda are some of the most beautiful in Andalusia. They’re also home to numerous goat herds who live at high attitude in wet conditions (the village of Grazalema near Ronda has the country’s highest rainfall) meaning excellent pasture and by extension, delicious cheese.
Ronda Goats Cheese with Caramelized Mixed Nuts
Most goats’ cheese from Ronda is made using traditional methods and brands to look out for are Flor de Ronda and Queso Payoyo.
Queso fresco: This ‘fresh cheese’ is a lowest-fat version, pure white and has a creamy, texture. It’s ideal in salads and on canapés with quince jelly or anchovies.
Rulo de cabra: You buy a slice of this from a roll with a thick white rind. This version combines superbly with apple and caramel in a green salad or an accompaniment to foie gras.
Queso semi-curado o curado: A harder type of cheese, semi-cured and cured goats’ cheese has a stronger taste than the fresh and usually has a dark yellow rind. This is best cut into small slices and eaten as a tapa, perhaps with cured ham (see below).
Queso Payoyo: Unique to this part of Andalusia, this strong cheese is fast gaining popularity in gourmet bars where it’s often served as a tapa.
Sustainably-caught blue fin Tuna
May is Tuna season, and in Cadiz the ancient Almadraba tuna catch takes place, as it has done since Phoenician times when the migrating Bluefin tuna pass from the Atlantic into the Med to spawn.
Due to the traditional catching methods used, the product is among the best in the world and there are whole festivals dedicated to it! It’s a must-try, whether in tartare form or shop-bought tinned ventresca (belly) from Barbate, or try a variety of dishes during the annual tuna tapas festivals ‘ruta del atun’ in Cadiz.
Octopus & Squid
In the south of Spain octopus tentacles are often cooked slowly over hot coals to give them a wonderful wood smoke-infused taste. Up, in the north, pulpo a la gallega (or ‘a feira’) is served cold with paprika.
Its cephalopod cousin, squid, can also be found cooked in a dizzying range of ways up and down the peninsular, with a couple of the most common being fried rings, grilled whole squid or deep-fried baby squid (calamaritos or puntillitas).
Cold Soups
Gazpacho is a cold tomato soup, made with peppers and cucumbers, that’s often served – in southern Spain, particularly – as a refreshing starter during the summer months. Its cousin, salmorejo, hails from Cordoba and is thickened with bread and often comes sprinkled with jamón and egg.
Another cold soup that’s well worth a try in summer is ajo blanco. Made with almonds, bread, garlic, olive oil and a dash of vinegar, it’s delicious.
Cured meats
Pork is king in Spain, and there are many cuts that are unusual to visitors. Two in particular are Presa and Secreto: these are quickly cooked on a high heat and served crispy on the outside and slightly pink in the middle. Ensure the meat is from an Iberian pig (Ibérico), as they’re marbled with fat.
Sausages are also a huge deal in Spain. While chorizo (again, ideally of the Ibérico variety) is the headlining act here, there are countless others to work your way through.
A few of the main players include Catalonia’s fuet and butifarra, Aragon and the Basque Country’s chistorra and Burgos’s Morcilla. The latter is made from a blend of pig’s blood flavoured with onion, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika which is then mixed with rice. (Trust us, it’s much nicer than it sounds.)
traditional Spanish cakes and pastries
In many convents in Andalusia, the nuns who live there are famed for their cake and pastry-making skills. They offer a range of homemade wares, known as dulces de convento, from simple magdalenas (plain sponge cupcakes) and almond biscuits to elaborate marzipan sweets and traditional Christmas delicacies.
At the entrance to the convent, there’s usually a list of produce, prices and opening times, a bell and a small sliding or revolving tray. You place your money on the tray, ring the bell and your purchases are delivered back on the tray. But don’t expect to see or hear the nun behind the convent walls!
A Note on Spanish Dining Times
Perhaps the best advice when visiting Spain is to immediately change to their eating patterns. Everything happens just that little bit later: most good restaurants won’t open for lunch until around 14.00 hrs and for dinner until around 20.00 hrs. If you go out for dinner around 17.00 hrs or 18.00 hrs in summer, its likely you will find the restaurant to be closed ‘between turns’. During the hot summer months it’s rare to see a Spanish family sitting down to eat their dinner until 21.00 hrs.
Some useful phrases for dining in Spain
Tapas: a light bite generally served to accompany a drink. The Spanish typically eat tapas during the evenings, from 20.00hrs onwards. They can often be eaten standing at a bar or at a high table, as part of a lighter, more informal dining experience.
Ración: a full portion/plate of food, usually meant to be shared.
Media ración: a half portion/plate of food.
Menu del día: directly translated as ‘menu of the day’, this is a set lunch menu of two or three courses served during the week.
Poco hecho: rare
Al punto: medium, or ‘just right’
Bien hecho: well done
Appetite suitably whetted – and looking to try some of these Spanish gastronomic highlights? Speak to our Guest Experience Team to book a table at a local restaurant or organise a top-class chef to cook for you at your villa.
Lindsay Gregory
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