Taste the Mediterranean in Alicante

Magic Ingredients
Dating back to the ages of Phoenicians, Romans and Muslims, Alicante city has developed its own unique way of cooking, based on the art of transforming simple, affordable ingredients into colourful, delicious dishes. Fish and seafood are firm favourites in Alicante city and across the Valencia Region, and traditionally eaten at celebrations such as weddings, christenings and even for Christmas dinner in many households. Along with obvious links to the sea, the warm, Mediterranean climate in the Province of Alicante is known to produce very fertile agricultural land, hosting the perfect conditions for fruit and vegetables to thrive. Its principal produce include apricots, nectarines, plums, loquats, cherries, lemons, peaches, grapes, oranges, tomatoes and of course olives, which are farmed and sold locally. Rice is prevalent in a range of dishes, as well as beans, chickpeas and other pulses. Throw in the abundant use of garlic and other spices to flavour dishes, along with olive oil, with its high concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and you can begin to see why the locals have longer life expectancies, and less risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. One of the city’s most popular sauces, “Alioli”, combines olive oil and garlic to make a delicious mayonnaise, which the locals will tell you is their secret to a longer, healthier life and use in abundance on bread, as a cooking ingredient, or as an accompaniment to meat, poultry or fish. The sauce was first created by the Arabians and now appears in kitchens across Italy, France and many other European and African countries.

Signature Dishes
The Valencia Region has its own traditional version of paella, Paella Valenciana, which is what is typically eaten in Alicante, although you will often be given a choice when dining out. The local variation is prepared over a wood fire and combines rice, chicken, rabbit, snail, tomatoes, bajoqueta (green beans) and garrofón (butter beans), with olive oil, salt, saffron, red pepper and water. It is quite a dry rice dish, containing no real sauce although brimming with flavour, and usually served with a squeeze of lemon and plenty of bread and alioli. Other popular rice dishes include “Arroz al horno” (oven-baked rice), “Arroz a banda” (rice with seafood), “Arroz negro” (black rice with squid in inky sauce), and “Arros amb fesols i naps” which combines a moist rice with mixed beans and turnips. “Fideuá” is another signature seafood dish enjoyed in Alicante city and other parts of the region…

and was originally created in Gandía where an international competition is organized every year to promote it and reward its protagonists. Looking and tasting very similar to paella, Fideuá relies on saffron, garlic and tomatoes to influence the flavour, but rice is replaced by thin noodles in this instance.

De Tapeo!
One of the best ways to sample a good selection of local dishes without too much expense or concern that you may not like it is to head to one of the many tapas bars located across the city. Short of bull-fighting and flamenco, nothing is more Spanish than nipping out for your favourite tipple and tapas, but did you know that their origins can be traced back to Alicante itself? The trend began when bar owners started to serve little delicacies placed on a slice of crusty bread, known as “montaditos” along with their beer or wine, to entice hungry travellers and farm workers. The idea was a huge hit and it wasn’t long before bars across the country had adopted it and began to design their own signature tapas, which would range from small complementary nibbles, to larger servings known as “Raciones”, which can be ordered from a menu and shared among friends. It is quite common for people to go “de tapeo” and hop from bar to bar, enjoying a few cheeky drinks and indulging on the tapas so there is no need to cook a meal when they return!

Typical Alicante Tapas include:
• Arroz – a rice based dish, with just about anything thrown in, from seafood to vegetables.
• Albóndigas – pork or beef meatballs in tomato sauce.
• Caracoles – snails usually served in an oily garlic sauce.
• Mejillones – mussels, often served in a tomato based sauce.
• All y pebre de anguilas – seasoned eel nibbles with peppers.
• Esgarrat – Barbecued and seasoned red peppers with cod.
• Tortilla de patatas- Classic Spanish potato omelette.

Tapas are served at a number of locations in Alicante centre, although you would be well advised to commence your tapas route around the Town Hall Square and the Plaza de Montaceta. From there take Calle Rafeal Altimira, where you will find sophisticated tapas bar, “Senzone”. This contemporary eatery is one of the most stylish you will find in the city, combining modern décor with traditional cuisine at unbelievable prices. It is entirely your prerogative whether you choose to eat at the bar, outdoors in the charming covered courtyard, or more formally in the restaurant area. From there it is commonplace to migrate to La Rambla Bar, which is a smaller café bar situated on the Portal de Elche square. The bar offers a full menu, serving food from breakfast through to evening meals, along with a fine selection of tasty tapas. If you stroll a little further along La Rambla you will stumble across the Lizarran Taberna, where you order a drink and help yourself to a huge selection of hot and cold “pintxos” or tapas on cocktail sticks. Lizarran is one of Spain’s most successful franchises because of its winning formula- you may chose as many nibbles as you like, and then just take your pile of empty cocktail sticks to the cashier who will calculate your bill, with the drinks on top. Each pintxo will cost around 50 cents, so it’s a great way to enjoy lunch on a budget!

Award-Winning Wines
As mentioned earlier, at the heart of every tapas tour are a good few glasses of local wine, with the Valencia Region and Alicante province in particular being home to some of the nation’s most famous, award-winning blends. The municipality of Alicante is still registered with the D.O (designation of origin), Alicante Regulatory Council, as one of its production centres, and as one of the oldest in Spain remains emblematic of Alicante wines. Historically, the city was one of the wine capitals of the Iberian peninsula, with thanks not only to its extensive and diverse production of wines, but also to its port which was actually constructed and promoted to export Alicante wines to other nations. According to the D.O there are 44 wineries spread across an area of 14 613 hectares of vineyards situated on both sides of the Vinalopó River in Alicante province.
Some of the types of grapes produced in Alicante are Garnacha, Monastrell, Tempranillo, Bobal, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah, which are the red varieties. The white varieties are Moscatel de Alejandría, Planta Fina, Merseguera, Chardonnay, Verdil, Sauvignon Blanc, Airén y Macabeo.

Best-Sellers
The Vinalopó, an area along the banks of the river of the same name, adjacent to the Yecla region of neighbouring Murcia, has a continental climate with long hot summers. This makes for the perfect conditions for Monastrell (Mourvedre), which is very expressive and powerful on the palate. Monastrell dominates the vine yard plantations and is harvested to produce the voluptuous red wines, as well as refreshing rosé and sweet wines which are served in the majority of restaurants across the province. The shining star of the region however, is Fondillon, a semi-sweet, non-fortified, vino rancio (oxidized wine) whose origins date back to the 17th Century. Made from overripe Monastrell, sometimes also blended with Garnacha, it has a relatively high alcohol content, around16% volume, and certain Fondillons are produced only using grapes from specific vintages, like Port. The complex oxidization process gives it a distinctive amber/brown colouring, enhancing the rich, nutty flavours. Moscatel wine is another top selling wine, and made from an extremely aromatic white grape to produce a variety of dry and sweet white wines, which are popular throughout the country and often given as gifts at Christmastime.

Wine Tasting
In spite of Alicante’s numerous accolades for its wine production, and glowing reputation among wine experts, wine tourism is not a big thing here compared to other parts of Spain. It does not have an official wine route, although many wineries do open their doors adhoc, inviting visitors to come on in and sample their goods. Therefore, there is little information regarding the location of Alicante wineries available online, and the best way to seek them out is in a Spanish wine guide, such as the Peñín Guide to Spanish Wine. We recommend paying a visit to “Salvador Poveda”, a uniquely modern facility in Monóvar, which houses its own museum and loves receiving visitors to show case its selection of rich blends. Like its neighbour, Yecla, Alicante has made a huge investment in its wine making industry in recent years and promises that an exciting range of new blends will be available on the shelves of our local supermarkets and bodegas very soon!