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The Valencia Community
It is not at all difficult to describe the main ingredient of the cuisine of this area:

it is the kingdom of rice. The native of Valencia has learned to control this very modest element to perfection and obtains the most exquisite results, whether the cook adds a veritable army of ingredients or practically nothing.

And here we find one of the most universal dishes of the Spanish cuisine la paella, which is a masterpiece of the art of cooking. However, it has become so widespread that at times it is almost unrecognizable.

Castellón

Prawns 19kb

Around the Maestrazgo inland this province offers meat dishes, above all lamb, and heavy stews, based on potato, corn, flour, almonds and walnuts. Baked kid goat, larded meat and tripe are prepared, as are stews or ollas. The famous Castellón olla can be found everywhere in the province.

It is prepared with white beans, beef and bacon. However, perhaps the most typical dishes are those made with rice: rice with green beans and snails and the famous arroz empedrado, which contains tomatoes and cod and a top layer of white beans. Arroz a la marinera is served all along the coast, and if we approach the sea, we should, if possible, try the prawns which are really excellent.

Fine cheeses are also made in Castellón though they do not usually travel beyond its borders. La collá deserves special mention, ie, a type of yogurt made with the pistils of wild artichokes. Some of the popular local sweets are mostatxones and las puntas de diamante.

Alicante

Here the recipes of La Mancha, Valencia and Murcia can all be found, and it is not very easy to find the most original dishes in public places. There are for example the paella alicantina, which has no seafood, only chicken and rabbit, and los bajoques farcides, which are peppers stuffed with rice, pork, tomatoes and spices; the vegetable stews with rice, potatoes and beans, and la pericana, a winter dish made during the olive harvest to test the quality of the olives. It contains cod, oil, dry peppers and garlic.

And to honour a guest or celebrate a special festive occasion, there is the original and tasty cocido de pelotas (a stew whose main ingredient is minced meat wrapped in cabbage leaves apart from chicken or turkey, lean pork bacon, chickpeas, potatoes and spices).

In Elche, the town of palm trees, a very original kind of rice dish is preserved like a treasure. This family recipe is laborious and delicate: arroz con costra, which has conquered the whole of the East Coast, though its origin and best version is found here. It contains a huge number of ingredients: chicken, rabbit, sausages, black pudding, chickpeas and spices, and on top of all this, meatballs made of pork and bread crumbs. All this is then 'hidden' under beaten egg and put in the oven to form a mysterious and delicious crust.

However, Alicante really takes the spotlight when it comes to desserts, for the area has excellent dates

Turrones, famous almond paste 25kb

which are sold everywhere in Spain, and another very old fruit, the pomegranate. However, los turrones (almond paste) have really made the name of Alicante universal when it comes to sweets.

It is fairly safe to say that this sweet is of Arab origin. El turrón made in Alicante is of two types: the one which carries its name and is made from whole almonds, in a mass of honey and sugar; and the one of Jijona, in which the almond is ground. There are others of the soft type, with flavours such as chocolate, fruit, coconut... They are more modern and have nothing to do with the traditional almond paste or turrón.

Valencia

Although Valencia used to be famous for its excellent food in the 15th century, today the cuisine of Valencia means above all and almost exclusively paella.

La paella is of recent origin, ie, the middle of the 19th century, and it was first prepared in the region of La Albufera outside Valencia.

The secret of the paella, as well as of the other rice dishes of Valencia, lies in the unique texture of the grain after cooking. The grain is loose, dry and soft at the same time. The next priority is the flavour from the huge range of ingredients which put a stop to any conversation about the austerity of Spanish cooking, as do some Catalan dishes.

Popular fireplace
Valencia 21kb

This famous and most representative Spanish dish really has no specific recipe. In any case, a good paella may easily include chicken, pork, shellfish, eel, squid, beans, peas, artichockes and fresh peppers. In addition, the secret ingredient must not be forgotten: saffron which is also used for rice in Milan and Marseille. After the splendid paella, there is an endless number of rice dishes parading through the cuisine of Valencia, with varying accompaniments, specially el arroz amb fessols i naps, (rice with beans and turnips), which until recently was considered the daily fare of the farmers and which is rather 'soupy'. A variety of the same dish includes pig's trotters, pig's ears and black pudding. Then there is the so-called arroz en oros y bastos, a name referring to the figures on Spanish playing cards.

There are also special rice dishes for the days of fasting. These are prepared with kidney beans and potatoes, and others with snails and spinach, or small squid and cauliflower, or chickpeas and a couple of slices of tomato. The list would be endless, but a few more of the classical rice dishes deserve to be mentioned: arroz a la Alcireña, which is done in the oven and is very similar to the one of Elche, and el arroz rosetxat, which is also put in the oven.

Outside the forceful attraction of the rice dishes in the cuisine of Valencia, there are different fish dishes, seasoned with ali-ipebre, a garlic, olve oil and paprika sauce, which is very popular in the region. This sauce is served with eels, which are prepared on the grill or roasted over ash wood. Red mullet an sepia are very popular. The Albufera duck had a very good name, and although there are none left today, many delicious recipes still survive, among them, el pato a la naranja (Duck and Orange), which is a very old Valencia dish.

Oranges 13kb

For dessert, the people of Valencia have a lot to offer, especially on festive-religious occasions. There are roasted almonds, toasted bread, Easter buns (monas), arnadi (made of gourd) and sugared chestnuts, suspiros, egg rolls and an endless series of cookies and cakes.

There is also a huge variety of white wines in Valencia, light and dry ones from Albaida, Cheste and Liria and olorosos from the same area; the reds and light reds are from Utiel and Requena where the grape harvest is celebrated every year and a fountain is set up from which wine flows free of charge. A visit to Valencia would be incomplete without mentioning another very popular local drink, horchata, made from chufas or earth almonds. It is a white, light, sweet and refreshing drink which is popular as a summer beverage everywhere in Spain.

Murcia

Orchard produce
Murcia 21kb

The cuisine of Murcia is one of the most typical and well-preserved in Spain and one of the least known. It is a cuisine of the East Coast which relies on the products of the orchard and a secret Arab influence. Fresh pepper and tomato are preferred and used in an entirely different way compared with Aragón or La Rioja.

As for the rice dishes, there are many and there are those who say that the ones in Murcia are better than the ones of Valencia. They are prepared with chicken, rabbit, mujol (which is a local fish, the roe of which is exquisite and a very common speciality) and all kinds of vegetables. Another delicious rice dish is el arroz al caldero, made with local fish.

The people of Murcia can be proud of their excellent vegetables. The vegetable stew called menestra is magnificent and so are artichokes fried with tomatoes, pickled aubergines, cauliflower boiled or in béchamel. And above all, los michirones, ie beans which are served either in an omelette, stewed or uncooked and with a salad dressing.

Omelettes are served in a variety of ways: apart from the one with beans, there are omelettes with garlic shoots or pepper and tomato. Scrambled eggs come with asparagus and in an endless variety of combinations. The local produce is of such excellent quality that the lettuce, which is prepared by cutting the centre into four portions, dressed with olive oil, lemon and pepper, is called the "Orchard Partridge".

Fish
El Mar Menor 53kb

Apart from the orchard lands, there are fish dishes that are a real luxury, like the prawns from the Mar Menor, which are small and extremely tasty. The already mentioned roe of the mujol, which is worth its weight in gold, the more popular gilthead with pepper and sea bass coated with salt and put in the oven.

There are also stews and vegetable dishes typical of the East Coast as well as meat recipes with lamb, chicken and rabbit, which are often served with tomatoes and peppers.

Among the meat dishes, special mention should be made of the meat pie, made with veal, chorizo, hard-boiled egg, brains and minced meat, all wrapped in a fine layer of pastry and baked in the oven. It is a lovely old dish which is served on special occasions, the more modern version of which is el Pastel de Cierva. Murcia has a very typical series of meat products, including longaniza and black pudding, which are very mild and spiced and have an exquisite taste.

The sweet dishes are of Arab origin like those from Valencia. There is even one called Allah's Bread (pan de Alá), apart from fig bread, walnut cakes, tocino de cielo, roscos de vino and the famous marmelades and syrups.

The chapter of wines has two parts: on one hand, there are the Jumilla wines, which belong to the strongest in the country. Then there are also peerless rosés and light reds, which are, together with those from Cigales in Valladolid, the best in the country.

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