The Legacy Of The Moors
Andalucia was the last bastion of the Moors in Spain and the cuisine still retains a strong North African influence. Pinchos Morunos, (marinated lamb kebabs) are a typical example of the many dishes which originated during the long occupation of Andalucia. The mixture of meat and fruit, common in north African countries can be found on the menus of a number of Andalucian restaurants. Some of Spain's most famous dishes originated in Andalucia, one of the best known is Gazpacho, a cold soup which is now eaten all over Spain and worldwide. A few other local versions of cold soups which are not as widely known can be found in areas of Andalucia. Solerejo is served in the Cordoba region, this uses only tomatoes instead of the cucumber and red peppers found in Gazpacho and Ajo Blanco from the Malaga area, is a cold soup which uses pureed garlic.
Spanish Ham
Paletilla de Jabugo
The ham pictured above is the seriously expensive Paletilla de Jabugo. This is reputed to be the best cured ham in the world. A whole leg would set you back in the region of $800. The black iberico pigs which produce this ham are free range. One of the main staples of their diet are acorns which gives the ham its distinctive flavour.
Dried ham is one of Spain's most famous specialty foods and can be found on the the shelves of all Spanish supermarkets. A few areas are noted for the excellence of their hams, Extramadura and some of the mountainous regions of northern Spain spring to mind. Another area producing the most sought after air cured hams are the villages dotted around the slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Andalucia. The climate in this area is supposed to be excellent for air drying legs of ham resulting in a unique flavour. The best known of these mountain villages is Trevelez. This is Spain's highest village at 1,700 meters above sea level. The air here is cool and fresh for most of the year. Trevelez air cured ham has a distinctive aromatic flavour. The hams are dried in specially constructed sheds which are a common site in the village and are are cured for a minimum of twelve months. Air cured ham is expensive even in Spain.
Andalucian Cheese
Andalucia is one of the few areas of Spain which isn't particularly noted for its cheese. There are a few producers of regional cheeses, notably Malaga, a cheese made from goats milk from the Malagueña breed which are found in the area. Another goats cheese is Alahama which is found in the Granada area, this has an extremely strong "goaty" flavour. A goats cheese flavoured with rosemary "Aracena" recently won an Andalucian cheese award, it is produced in the Huelva province. There are a few other manufacturers but you'd be hard pressed to find any cheese from Andalucia outside Spain. You can buy Spanish cheeses online in the U.S from specialist Spanish food importers Spanish Feast, or if you're in the U.K try The Tapas Lunch Company
Olive Oil
Andalucia is Spain's major exporter of olives and olive oil. Vast areas of land around Granada and Cordoba are swathed in olive tree plantations. The dry arid climate is ideal for growing olives. The Romans exported olives around the empire from Cordoba using the river Guadalquivir. Have a drink in a bar in Andalucia and almost inevitably a plate of olives will accompany it.
Seafood
Paella
The Mediterranean coast offers an abundance of seafood and there are many excellent seafood restaurants up and down the Costa del Sol. Seafood is cooked simply either by frying in olive oil or on a large griddle known as a plancha. Parillada is a mix of grilled seafood with garlic, parsley and a few wedges of lemon. Fritura. which is popular along most of the Mediterranean coastline is an assortment of small fish which have been coated in flour and fried in olive oil with garlic and parsley. I don't know how they catch these small fish legally but you can find them on the fish stalls of all the major supermarkets. Baking in salt is a popular method of cooking fish in Andalucia. The fish is encased in a salt mixture which sets hard during baking. Special salt pans are available for this type of cooking. The salt case is broken away before serving. Far from being salty, the fish becomes moist and tender.
Tuna has always been a staple of the Andalucian costal areas and dried tuna (mojama) is exported throughout Spain.
| Buying Spanish Food Online
If you're in the U.S or the UK, its unlikely you'll find a good range of authentic Spanish food in your local supermarket. You may find one or two popular items but to buy speciality products, you need to go to a Spanish food importer.
We've found two excellent companies who can provide you with a wide selection of authentic Spanish food. The Tapas Lunch Company are based in the UK and stock a variety of cured meats, cheeses and other hard to find delicacies which are essential for creating a true Spanish food experience at home. For U.S visitors, try Spanish Feast, who provide everything needed to give you the true taste of Spain. Both companies offer fast delivery straight to your door, ensuring the food is fresh and at its best. They also supply a selection of food baskets which make great gifts.
Last Christmas, we were getting a bit stuck deciding on what to give our kids who are both married and seem to have everything they need, I remembered seeing Spanish food baskets on the Spanish Feast website and thinking at the time that I wished somebody would buy me something like that. My wife thought it would be a good idea for the kids because they're both really into their food.
We're in the UK so we bought a couple of wicker hampers locally and then ordered a variety of Spanish goodies from The tapas Lunch Company including cheese, ham, tins of Spanish olives and some turron, which is like a nougat eaten at Christmas all over Spain. One thing I didn't expect The Tapas Lunch Company to stock, was those brilliant little Padron Peppers that you find in tapas bars all over Spain, they call them Russian roullete peppers because most of them are mild but occaisionally you get one that blows your head off. We had to include a bag of those.
We finished off with two bottles of quite expensive Rioja and voila, job done. When we went round to their houses on Christmas morning they both reacted with childish excitement. Maybe it reminded them of when they were young, opening their Christmas stockings which always had lots of little treats.
You don't need to give full baskets to impress, maybe just a few slices of Iberico ham and some different cheese like manchego or one of the lovely Cantabrian goats cheeses which are extremely hard to find outside Spain.
Chorizo
Cured Chorizo
Chorizo For Cooking
Eaten all over Spain, chorizo is a Spanish sausage made with finely chopped pork flavoured with a smoked paprika known in Spain as pimiento. Pimiento come in two varieties, picante (hot) and dulce (sweet). The pork mixture is encased in the pig's intestines and hung to cure. Families making chorizo sometimes include their own secret ingredients to add flavour. Not too long ago, few people outside Spain had ever heard of chorizo sausage, let alone cooked with it. Thanks to a plethora of tv cookery programmes and the new celebrity chef phenonemon, chorizo has gone from relative obscurity to one of the most popular Spanish food exports. Chorizo is a very versatile ingredient and is almost unique in its ability to enhance dishes ranging from scallops and monkfish to chicken and even paella. If you haven't already tasted it, try the recipe below, which uses the uncooked chorizo. It combines chorizo with monkfish in a rich tomato sauce which is great served with a crusty french stick to mop up the sauce and a crisp dry white wine. You can buy chorizo from Spanish Feast, and The Tapas Lunch Company
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