History and local products
At the beginning of the 8th century, the Umayyad Caliphate was the largest known empire in human history. Already stretching from India to Morocco, it continued its expansion to the north. In 711, the Arabs attacked Gibraltar and took Seville in 712. Less than 10 years later, they occupied almost the entire Iberian Peninsula. This presence will only end with the capture of Granada in 1492. This cultural imprint is reflected in the cuisine and the Arabs introduced new ingredients from the East to Spain: rice, saffron, apricots, sugar cane, eggplant, almonds, carrots, coriander, etc.
The Arabs also introduced new irrigation techniques in Andalusia in arid areas and methods of preserving and salting fish, especially tuna. Fried fish finely coated with flour is also a Moorish invention. Another contribution was the use of vinegar for the preservation of food. Many recipes still bear the name " moruno " ("Moorish"), such as pinchitos morunos (chicken kebabs with saffron, cumin and coriander), cordero a la moruna (leg of lamb with dried fruit and cinnamon) and sopa moruna
(spicy chickpea and lamb soup) similar to the North African chorba.Andalusia shares with Extremadura the production of the famous jamón iberico, which is also produced in southern Portugal. This term includes the so-called " pata negra " jamón, referring to the black color of the hooves of Iberian pigs. There are three grades: bellota (free-range pigs that eat only acorns, the most popular), recebo (semi-free-range pigs that eat grass, acorns and cereals) and cebo (fed only on cereals). Jamón de Jabugo, Guijuelo, Dehesa de Extremadura and Los Pedroches have a PDO. Jamón Serrano ("mountain ham") refers to the Sierra Nevada, and the most prized is the Jamón Serrano de Trevélez
, produced at an altitude of 1,700 meters.There are other embutidos - meaning "cold cuts" - in Andalusia, such as the unavoidable chorizo and salchichón. But also the morcón, a thick sausage flavored with garlic and paprika. The lomo embuchado, with very little fat, is similar to a dried filet mignon. The zurrapa de lomo is a bit like our rillettes, but flavored with pimentón, which gives a bright orange color to the layer of lard that the Spaniards love spread on bread. Among the cheeses, there are several varieties of mountain quesos (from the Almería, Granada, Ronda and Grazalema mountain ranges), mainly from goat and sheep. Most of them are in the form of large round tomatoes. Around Jaén, there is an excellent curado
cheese with an interior soaked in olive oil. Olive oil is the liquid gold of Andalusia. Spain alone produces more than a third of the world's olive oil, and Andalusia provides some 75% of Spain's olive oil. Although the province of Jaén is the largest production area in the region, olive trees can be found in almost all of Andalusia. There are no less than 14 production areas with Denominación de Origen Protegida in Andalusia, almost as many as all the other regions of Spain combined: Antequera, Baena, Campiñas de Jaén, Estepa, Jaén Sierra Sur, Lucena, Montes de Granada Montoro-Adamuz, Poniente de Granada, Priego de Córdoba, Sierra de Cádiz, Sierra de Cazorla, Sierra de Segura and Sierra Mágina.The classics of Sevillian cuisine
As in the rest of Spain, tapas are a major part of Sevillian cuisine. In addition to cold cuts and cheese, there are simple ingredients such as olives (aceitunas), anchovies (boquerones) or peppers (pimientos) marinated in olive oil. From the Arabic " musama ", the mojama is a piece of tuna dried in salt, cut into thin strips and served with olive oil. Anchovies or boquerones in vinagre are also popular. Popular are cold soups such as gazpacho (tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, bread and olive oil), salmorejo (tomato, bread, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, jamón) andajoblanco
(garlic, bread, almonds, olive oil).Hot tapas include chicharrones (small cubes of fried pork bacon), albondigas a la andaluza (beef balls in tomato sauce), croquetas de jamón (breaded croquettes with dry ham), espinacas con garbanzos (spinach and chickpeas confit with olive oil and garlic), caracoles guisados a la andaluza (snails simmered with mint, fennel, garlic and chili) and habas con jamón (beans with ham). Montaditos are small sandwiches - known as " bocadillos " in the rest of the country - filled with every imaginable filling. There are also huevos a la flamenca (boiled eggs with chorizo and ham) and revueltos de espárragos
(scrambled eggs with asparagus).Seafood lovers will enjoy tortillitas de camarones (fried shrimp cakes), chocos con habas (cuttlefish with beans), puntillitas fritos (fried squid) and boquerones fritos (fried anchovies). The pescaito frito is an assortment of small fried fish and seafood, always served with a lemon wedge. The soldaditos de Pavía are pieces of breaded cod rolled in a slice of candied bell pepper. We must not forget thearroz caldoso marinero (rice served with a rich broth, garnished with seafood) and the cazuela de fideos
(a similar dish but with pasta instead of rice). Other dishes include flamenquín (breaded and fried ham and cheese rolls), which originated in Cordoba but is very popular in Seville, ternera a la sevillana (veal in olive sauce),olla de trigo (a stew of chickpeas and wheat topped with meat) or rabo de toro (a bull's tail confit in a red wine sauce) Puchero - sometimes called cocido andaluz - is a kind of chickpea stew with potatoes, carrots, cabbage, chicken, veal, ham bones, chorizo and black pudding (morcilla), which is very popular in winter.Desserts and other sweet treats
Many of the traditional Andalusian desserts or sweets are in the form of cookies or fritters. Among the most famous specialties are piñonates, small balls of dough made with almonds, sesame seeds and pine nuts, but also mantecados de Estepa, shortbread cookies, flavored with cinnamon, lemon peel or even cocoa. Very similar, the polvorones with almonds, are also from the region of Seville. The lard gives them a very crumbly texture, hence their name: polvo
(powder).The roscos de Loja come in the form of rings generously covered with white icing. The mostachones de Utrera, from the region of Seville, are soft lemon cookies. Other more substantial sweets include bizcochos borrachos (a type of babas), torrijas (cinnamon French toast), dulce de membrillo (quince paste), cortadillos de cidra (crumbly cookies with lemon filling) and tocinillo de cielo (egg pudding with caramel). Pan de Càdiz is a nourishing confection made with candied fruit and almond paste. It is also impossible not to mention the churros. In Spain, it is customary to have a breakfast of thick hot chocolate with churros (chocolate con churros). Many specialties are also served during religious holidays, such as roscos fritos, crown-shaped doughnuts covered in sugar and eaten during Holy Week. Or pestiños
, fried tubes of dough flavored with sesame and soaked in honey, usually prepared for Christmas and Easter. Some of the cookies and other pastries can be bought in the convents of Andalusia. It is a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages, when winegrowers used egg whites to clarify wines. They donated the egg yolks to convents. In exchange, the nuns made pastries that they sold. You can taste the yemas of San Leandro, soft almond cookies, whose convent is located in Seville. In the same city, you can find the bollitos of Santa Inés, flavored with sesame. Note that some congregations have taken a vow of isolation and are not in contact with the outside world. To buy the pastries, you have to use a " torno ", a kind of pass-through that allows you to place an order. You deposit the money and in exchange the door turns with the pastries, without being able to meet the eyes of the nuns.In the land of sherry
An inseparable wine from Andalusia, sherry originates from the province of Cadiz, south of Seville, and takes its name from the city of Jerez de la Frontera. It has a DO (Denominación de Origen). This mutated wine - by adding brandy - will seduce a Northern European clientele since the Middle Ages and will be exported abundantly from the 18th century, under the impulse of British merchants who will baptize the beverage " sherry ", not being able to pronounce its Spanish name: " jerez
". This region, very hot in summer, is tempered by the humid Atlantic air that gives this wine its character, not to mention a unique soil, both clay, limestone and sandy.The three grape varieties used are pedro-ximénez, moscatel and palomino. The fermentation is classic, but the barrels are not filled completely, because once the fermentation is completed, it is fortified to 15.5% with neutral brandy. The last process, the solera
, consists in mixing young wines with older ones, allowing to homogenize the production. From the driest to the sweetest, sherry wines cover a wide range, including Finos and Manzanillas with delicate and fine aromas, while Olorosos have a more pronounced aromatic profile. Of course, there are many other famous Andalusian wines such as Moscatel (muscatel), Montilla-Moriles and Condado, which is produced between the Guadalquivir and the Portuguese border. The tinto de verano, made with red wine, lemonade and lemon, served iced, is the summer cocktail par excellence. The mosto is a grape juice not fully fermented, very pleasant as an aperitif with some ice and a slice of orange. Beer is extremely popular in Spain, which is the 9th largest consumer in the world. Cruzcampo has been produced in Seville since 1904 and is one of the most consumed beers in the country.
