Cuisine of Southern Spain

Authentic Spain has long been considered to be Andalucia which is the largest of the country’s provinces and is located along the southern coastline of the Iberian Peninsula. It is a vibrant region which was home to Moorish invaders for over 700 years and as such has a cuisine which is rich in its use of fresh, locally produced products and abundant use of spices and herbs, with oranges and other fruits used in savoury dishes and again locally grown almonds and cinnamon with meat dishes.

Gazpacho is arguably Andalucias most famous culinary contribution. This is a cold bread soup with stale bread, garlic olive oil and salt and vinegar as its basis although other ingredients such as tomatoes are often used to taste. A different variation of this which is popular in the southwest and the central areas of Spain is the ‘gazpacho manchego’ which, rather than a cold soup, is a warm stew including meat (mainly rabbit), bread and mushrooms as the main ingredients.

Olives

As the world’s biggest producer and exported of olive oil, Andalucians can be expected to use it as the basis of many of their dishes and cooking in general. For example, it is not unusual to find toasted bread drizzled with virgin olive oil eaten for breakfast.

In the west of the region you can find the province of Huelva which is the home of the famous Serrano Ham. This is a cured hams produced from pigs which live in the mountainous areas and are fed almost entirely on acorns.

As it has around 2000km of coastline it is hardly surprising that Spain is known for its fresh seafood dishes. In Andalucia you will be spoilt for choice in the tapas bars which are terrific places to sample the vast array on offer. Anything from tiny fried anchovies and rings of squid to Sea Bass which has been cooked entirely in salt can be found for you to try. There are literally hundreds of different tapas delicacies and most Spaniards have their favourite bar or cafe where the selection of fish and shellfish, such as mussels, clams, giant shrimp and many more, would amaze most foreigners.