We Love Tapas Blog | We Love Tapas

Sevilla | Best Ice Cream

June 15, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

classic vanilla & chocolate cone from Freskura

Okay, this is hardly news, but summer in Seville can get pretty hot. Afternoon temperatures often reach 40ºC, the sun beats down from directly overhead, and only mad dogs and Englishmen are still out and about (I’m joking of course; the mad dogs are all indoors, where it’s a little cooler). In days of yore there was little relief from this state of affairs, which is why most Spanish buildings are constructed to keep the heat out as far as is humanly possible, with those shady courtyards and thick walls, and not too many south-facing windows.

Times have changed, however, and a number of inventions have made Seville a realistic summer holiday destination. Air conditioning is one of these, and indeed the art of refrigeration in general is another. A third, and the topic of our homily of the day, was made possible by these advances. I speak of nothing other than that summertime staple, the humble, and often not so humble, ice cream.

Italian soft-serve at Buoni le Pizze

Sweet treats made from fruit and ice go back a long way, certainly more than two thousand years, and we have references to such delights from both ancient China and Persia. Special buildings (mostly underground) with high insulation properties, where ice could be stored are also known. Later the Arabs added milk to these frozen delicacies. In the absence of refrigeration, however, these developments relied on supplies of natural ice, either stored from the winter, or transported from nearby mountains. Iced fruits or creams were therefore the preserve of the wealthy, and not for the common folk.

trademark ice cream flower at Amorina

With the invention of refrigeration in the 19th century, however, ice cream became a staple summer treat for everyone from Blackpool to the Med. Spanish ice cream is generally made in the Italian “gelato” style, a thick creamy ice cream that’s actually lower in calories than most others. In the last ten years both the number of ice cream parlours in Seville and the variety of flavours available have increased dramatically. These are some of our favourites.

Heladería Rayas
Almirante Apodaca, 1
Tel: +34 954 221 746

The original Rayas opened its doors here in 1980, and there is now a second shop (shown above) near the Puerta de Triana. It’s still among the most highly regarded parlours in Seville.

Heladeria La Fiorentina
Zaragoza, 16
Tel: +34 954 221 550

Considered to be one of the most innovative, with both traditional and modern flavours. Also does excellent granizadas (half frozen drinks that I used to know as “slush-puppies” back in the day).

Amorino
Granada, 2
Tel: +34 954 227 428

I’m not generally a big fan of international chains, but Amorino’s, recently opened just off Plaza Nueva in the city centre, has a nice ambience, a good location and some great ice-cream.

Freskura
Vulcano, 4
Tel: +34 645 859 198

As well as a full selection of ice creams Freskura also has desserts and pastries. You can find them just off the Alameda de Hercules in a convenient location for a post lunch merienda.

Buoni de Pizze
Amor de Dios, 56
Tel: +34 955 293 150

Wonderful Italian soft-serve made from locally sourced fresh milk. Two flavours are made each morning.

Day Trip to Córdoba

June 1, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

Just an hour by train from either Sevilla or Malaga, Cordoba is one of a string of romantic Andalucian cities stretching across southern Spain. It was an important Roman city (you can still see, and walk across, the Roman bridge over the River Guadalquivir), but its glory days were in the 8^th to 10^th centuries, when it was the capital of Islamic Spain, and one of the most important cultural centres in Europe, where Moors, Jews and Christians lived together with a degree of religious tolerance remarkable for its time. The Mezquita, or Grand Mosque, one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in Spain, was built during this time.

Part of the charm of the old city today comes from the atmosphere of slightly faded greatness that fills the old courtyards and narrow streets, and make it an enchanting city to stroll around. Cordoba is also famous as a city of flowers, and in spring and early summer in particular is vibrant with colours and smells. Not surprisingly, there is an annual competition for the best patios, courtyards and balconies, but you can also visit one of our favourite places in Cordoba, the Palacio Viana, which has 13 garden courtyards each in a different style.

Number one on everyone’s must see list is the Mezquita (the Grand Mosque, now a cathedral), the symbol of the city, with its famous horseshoe arches. Despite the number of visitors it still feels like a calm and peaceful oasis, though people have mixed feelings about the cathedral that was built in the middle of it. It didn’t impress the Spanish king of the time either; he said of it “You have destroyed something unique to build something I can find in any Spanish city.” Also nearby and worth a visit, especially for the gardens, is the Alcázar of the Christian kings

Perhaps the most picturesque area of Cordoba is the old Jewish quarter, a neighbourhood of small courtyards and narrow twisty streets inside the remains of the west wall of the city. Here you can find the old synagogue, the Sephardi house and the zoco (market), a courtyard with small shops and workshops still making the jewellery and leather goods for which Cordoba is famous, and a good place to come for a souvenir or two.

Cordoba is the home of salmorejo, the thick tomato soup often served with a garnish of hard boiled egg and jamón, of the flamenquín (rolled pork and cheese fried in a coating of breadcrumbs), and of fried aubergine/eggplant with a dressing of cane sugar molasses. You can also find the biggest tortillas de patatas in the world, available from Bar Santos next to the Mezquita in calle Magistral Gonzáles Francés. Each one is made with 30 eggs and 5 kilos of potatoes. They do a mean salmorejo too.

Some of our other favourite bars & restaurants are:
Blanco Enea
Plaza de San Pedro, 1

La Regadera
Ronda de Isasa 10

Casa Pepe de la Juderia
Calle del Romero 1

Garum 2.1
San Fernando 120

Casa Mazal
Tomás Conde 3

El Churrasco
Calle del Romero 38

Tuna Almadraba

May 15, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

The meat of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (also known as Red Tuna in Spain) has long been a prized item in the gastronomy of Spain and the western Mediterranean. These majestic fish, weighing up to 200 kg (and definitely not a small round fish that fits neatly into a tin), normally live in the cold waters of the Atlantic, but every spring they migrate along the west coast of Spain and through the Strait of Gibraltar to lay their eggs in the warm waters of the Mediterranean. And it’s along the southwest coast of Spain, in the fishing towns of Zahara de los Atunes, Conil, Barbate and Tarifa, that they are trapped using the traditional method of the Almadraba.

The season is brief, starting following the full moon in late April or May. The Almadraba is a system of nets that drive the tuna into a central pond, where they are forced to the surface and are hauled into the fishing boats to be slaughtered. This allows the fisherman to select the best fish, the rest being released to continue their journey, making it a sustainable way of harvesting the bounty of the sea. The fish are normally flash frozen to be sold at auction. The local bars and restaurants in Seville will often buy a tuna, which will last them through the year, being taken from storage to be used as required.

The filleting of a tuna, in which the head, tail and fins are removed, and the different cuts separated from the backbone is called the ronqueo (literally, snoring, after the sound of the knife running along the spine of the fish), and an expert can complete the job in about twenty minutes.

The tenderest cuts, especially the ventresca (belly), are of often served raw or marinated. Other parts are usually grilled. Almost all the fish is consumed, including organs and cheeks (considered by many as a great delicacy). Many of the minor cuts, such as Morrillo (collar), were once the food of the poor, retained by the fisherman when the bulk of the fish was sold, but have since become gourmet items.

There are also various Rutas de Atún (Tuna Routes) this time of year, where you can see the fish being caught and prepared.

Spanish Cold Soups

May 1, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

Light, cool and refreshing in the hot summer weather, gazpacho, the cold tomato soup of southern Spain, is nowadays well-known all over the world. It’s one of a family of tomato based cold soups that includes salmorejo and porra, as well as other local varieties, but the origins of these dishes actually goes back to before tomatoes and peppers came to Spain from the New World, and even before the other common Spanish cold soup ajoblanco, made with garlic and almonds (which came to Spain with the Moors).

gazpacho

In early mediaeval times the Spanish are known to have made a soup of water, dry bread, olive oil, garlic and vinegar, which probably went back to Roman times, as all of these were important elements of Roman cuisine. Leftover vegetables and, if you were lucky, meat or fish, were added to the mixture, which was mashed up to make a paste. In Moorish times peeled, blanched crushed almonds became a major ingredient, resulting in a thick, creamy white soup that was an early form of today’s ajoblanco, still strongly associated with the last of their strongholds in Granada and Malaga.

ajoblanco

Tomatoes (and peppers) began to appear in cold soups after these arrived from the Americas in the early 16^th century. Because Seville had the monopoly of the trade, and tomatoes thrived in the soil and climate of the Guadalquivir valley (Los Palacios tomatoes are almost legendary for their taste and size), these new tomato based soups first developed in this part of Andalucia, and were not well known or highly regarded elsewhere until the 19^th century.

salmorejo

The terms used for the different varieties depend on how thick the soup is, and the extra ingredients that are used, and are commonly associated with different localities. Gazpacho, from Seville, normally adds more vegetable ingredients, particularly cucumber, peppers and onions, but less bread and olive oil, which results in a thinner mix that is usually drunk rather than spooned. It’s often garnished with croutons and chopped cucumber and pepper.

Salmorejo, the Cordobes tomato soup has more olive oil and breadcrumbs than gazpacho, and is thicker and creamier. It’s often used as a sauce (one of my favourite tapas is a carpaccio of salt cod topped with salmorejo), and may have a wide range of extra ingredients, such as beetroot, melon and avocados. In Úbeda I even came across a variety for the gluten intolerant that replaced bread with green apples – and very tasty it was too. The traditional garnish is a quartered hard-boiled egg and chopped ham.

porra

Porra (literally “club”, and I’ve seen it translated that way on a menu) is from the central part of Andalucia around Antequera, and is probably named for the mortar and pestle used to grind up the ingredients. With more breadcrumbs and red and green peppers it’s the thickest of all. Tuna is a popular garnish.

Sevilla | Vamos a la Feria!

April 15, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

The Feria de Abril is Seville’s traditional spring fair and general celebration, and starts two weeks after Easter Monday (this year April 21 to 26), officially at midnight on Monday with the alumbrao, the switching on of the fairground lights, although in practice people may go to the fairground as early as the Saturday. Monday evening is traditionally the pescaito, the fried fish dinner. The fair runs until Sunday, and finishes with fireworks at midnight.

Originally founded in 1847 as a horse and cattle fair on the Prado San Sebastian, the feria has been held on a purpose built site in Los Remedios since 1973. The streets are lined with little stripy marquees (casetas) where you can eat and drink, and decked with lights and paper globes strung from poles. Fast food and candy stalls are much in evidence, and adjacent to the fairground is an area known as the Calle del Infierno, Hell Street, where you can find the funfair and attractions.

During the day the big draw is the parade of horses and carriages, all groomed and polished and spick and span, the men dressed in the traditional traje corto (short jacket, tight trousers and wide brimmed hat), the women in flouncy polka dot flamenco dresses. Later, many of the participants will head off to the bullring. Bullfighting is still popular in Seville, and the period around feria is the main bullfighting season. The bullfights are also an important social and business occasion, and everybody who’s anybody will be there.

From the evening onwards, though, it’s party time at the fairground. There’s lots of eating and drinking and dancing of Sevillanas, a local flamenco style folk dance. You should try rebujito, a mixture of fino sherry and 7Up, which is the fair’s traditional tipple, though it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and fried fish, prawns and puchero (a meat stew) to ward off hangover. For those with the stamina the party goes on until dawn. Fortify yourself with chocolate and churros on your way home.

To get to the fairground you can take a taxi (which have special – higher – rates this week), one of the regular bus services 6 or C1/C2, or the special Feria bus service that runs from the Prado San Sebastian. It’s also possible to walk, especially if you’re in the southern part of the city.

Sevilla | Churros & Chocolate

April 1, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

After coffee and toast, churros and chocolate is probably Seville’s most popular breakfast. Churros are made by squeezing dough through a nozzle, and deep frying it in a special round vat of hot oil. It’s a dish that’s common in Spain and Latin America, and comes in two basic types. In Seville, the fat round spiral known as “porra” or “masas” is the most typical, but there is also a thinner version with ridges called “papas” that are made from potatoes. Traditionally they are eaten for breakfast or mid-morning with a thick hot chocolate sauce for dunking (some people prefer coffee), but may also be served in the early evening for “merienda”. The high fat and carbs content makes them an excellent “hangover cure” and at weekends some churrerías (also known as calenterías) will open as early as 6am to take advantage of homeward bound revellers.

People often ask me where they can get good churros, so below is a list of some of our favourite churrerías in the centre of Sevilla. Do you know of any others that you’d like to recommend?

Churrería Alfalfa
The Churreria Alfalfa in Calle Guardarmino on the corner of Plaza Alfalfa has been run by Antonio and Inma Paz Tejada for more than thirty years.

Opening times 8.00am to 12.00 (except Mondays). Coffee and the family’s special recipe chocolate are only served at weekends, but you can take your churros to one of the nearby bars to have with a drink.

Calenteria Postigo
The same family have been making churros at this little stall next to the Postigo in Calle Arfe for six generations (150 years), with Angela & Manolo in charge of the porras and papas. Price 1.50 euros for a ración.

Opening times 7.00 to 12.30.
Take-away only, but you can sit down with your churros and order chocolate from Bar Los Niños a couple of doors up the street.

Calentería San Pablo
A friendly little take away tucked into the corner of San Pablo and Bailen, that has been selling churros every morning except Sundays since 1960. Churros are 1.20 euros, with chocolate 2.50 euros. Take-away only

Doña Carmen Cafeteria
Pleasant little family owned bar in Calle San Eloy in the town centre that is open for churros Mon to Sat 8.00 to 14.30 and 17.00 to 20.30, either to eat here or take away. Churros with coffee cost 2.30 euros, with chocolate 2.70 euros.

Bar El Comercio
Founded in 1904, and still owned by the same family, Bar El Comercio in Calle Lineros retains a traditional appearance and ambiance. Open all day (except Sundays) from 7.30 to 21.00 and serving churros morning and evening.

La Centuria
La Centuria, behind the Metropol Parasol in Plaza Encarnación, gets is name from the “Centurions” who accompany one of the Semana Santa processions, and who used to give a concert here on Jueves Santo before setting off. Churros are available morning and evening.

Sevilla | Semana Santa Preview

March 15, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

You may think you know something about religious festivals and festivities, but trust us, unless you’ve been to Sevilla for Semana Santa (Holy Week) there’s a definite gap in your education. Although Holy Week is an important festival throughout the Catholic world, the celebrations in Sevilla are thought to be the largest and most elaborate.

The basic format doesn’t sound too complicated. The celebrations are organised by an association of religious brotherhoods (with the co-operation of the City Council), each of which is directly responsible for one of the processions (there are around 40 of these during the course of the week) that carry the statues of the Christ and the Virgin from where they normally “live” to the Cathedral to be blessed, and then return them. The actual mechanics can get complicated, of course, and between the processions and the onlookers a large part of the city, but especially along the processional way and around the Cathedral, is pretty much closed for normal business.

35 costaleros carry the weight of the pasos on the backs of their necks

So far so good, but this is where it starts to get a bit weird if you don’t know what’s going on. For a start those floats with the statues are heavy, and also valuable (in most cases very valuable), and they have to be moved purely by manpower, often through narrow streets and around tight corners. The manpower is those guys with the rolled up towels on their heads (actually purpose built headgear) to protect them from the weight of the float. They’re called costaleros, and for a couple of months beforehand they can be found practising their routes with floats weighted with sandbags and concrete blocks.

special headgear for carrying the pasos

Even odder for the uninitiated are the penitents who accompany the statues. You hardly need us to tell you what most people’s first impression is when they first see them. The pointy hoods serve the same purpose in both cases, though; they preserve the wearer’s anonymity.

But despite the solemnity of the occasion Holy Week and the period of preparation leading up to it has its moments of humour. Some of our favourites are recorded here, from the boy in an adult’s hood to the cigarette smoking penitent (his world weary expression is priceless), and from the “stormtroopers” to the dangers of driving on wax coated streets, but you’re sure to find plenty of your own too.

incense burners

semana santa bottle recycle bin

smoke break

slippery when waxy

costaleros taking a break (notice pedestrian slippery when waxy sign)

stacked chairs along the procession routes

Recipe | Asparagus Tortilla

March 1, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

We love cooking! And so we’ll be sharing some of our favourite recipes for our favourite Spanish dishes here from time to time. As it is almost spring we thought we’d start with a spring-veggie twist on a Spanish classic – the tortilla de patatas.

The important thing to know about making a great tortilla de patatas is that you should start with very good olive oil and not be afraid to use it. A traditional tortilla is simply potatoes and egg, but we wanted to give you a jump start on doing your own tortilla creations…

Ingredients

one bunch of fresh asparagus
one large or two medium (slightly waxy) potatoes, peeled and sliced
6 free range eggs
sliced roasted red peppers
1 small onion, finely diced
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
olive oil (lots of it)

Steam the fresh asparagus until tender, then slice into 1 inch bits and set aside. Cut the onion in half lengthwise, then slice finely. Using a 22cm skillet, sauté the potato slices in an abundant amount of olive oil on medium heat, turning occasionally. Halfway through cooking add the onion slices and continue cooking until onions are transparent and the potatoes are cooked through and tender. Remove potatoes and onions to one side and add salt and pepper to taste. Drain olive oil to one side, keeping a bit to cook the tortilla.

Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk them around until light and frothy. Slice up the roasted red peppers, and add them to the eggs with the cooled cooked asparagus, potatoes and onions. Mix well.

Heat up the same skillet you used to cook the onions and potatoes, adding a bit more olive oil if necessary. When the pan is well-heated pour in the egg mixture and immediately turn the heat down to med-low. Cook until the omelette is almost firm, shaking pan occasionally so it doesn’t stick. Slide omelette onto a plate, invert pan over top, and flip it back into the pan. Continue cooking until the tortilla is set. Place plate over pan, flip the tortilla one more time, and you’re done. Let cool before serving.

Postcards from Andalucía | Antequera

February 15, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

We love Andalucia! And to start off our series of “postcards” from our travels around the most southern region of Spain – where we live! – we’d like to introduce you to one of our favourite places, Antequera. Andalucía is justly famous for its great classical and mediaeval cities – Seville, Málaga, Cádiz, Córdoba and Granada – but its riches are by no means confined to these. Beauty, culture (and good food) can be found almost everywhere you look in this part of Spain, and we hope our postcard posts will encourage you to explore further afield, and perhaps enjoy some things that not everyone gets to experience.

Antequera, in the province of Málaga, is officially the centre of Andalucia, and has a plaque and small pillar in the Plaza San Sebastian to mark the spot. It’s easy to reach by train or car from Córdoba, Granada, Málaga or Sevilla, and as well as its picturesque small town charm it boasts a number of monuments that reflect its complex and fascinating history (including the Alcazaba fortress on a hill on the southern edge of town), and a number of unique attractions nearby.

Just outside the town, and easily visible from the Alcazaba Hill, is the strangely shaped mountain of Peña de Los Enamorados (Lovers’ Rock) A poem by Robert Southey reflects the story of two young lovers from rival Moorish clans who are said to have thrown themselves to their deaths from the top while being pursued by the girl’s father.

view of Antequera from the Alcazaba

A little way to the north are the burial mounds of Viera and Menga, which are more than 4,000 years old, and among the largest in Europe. Further afield, but worth considering if you’re here for more than a day trip, are the nature reserve of El Torcal, famous for its bizarre limestone rock formations, the gorge of Los Gaitanes and the King’s Way, and the Fuente La Piedra, a saltwater lagoon that is a major breeding place for the pink flamingo. Also worth a visit is the wolf sanctuary of Parque Lobo.

The Alcazaba was built by the Moors in the 13th century after the Christian kings conquered Cordoba, and finally fell to the future Ferdinand I of Aragon in 1410. It’s well worth a visit, with an excellent audio guide to the castle, and panoramic views of the town and surrounding countryside (look out for the golden angel on top of the San Sebastian church tower). Antequera is also famous for its large number of churches, convents and palaces (it’s sometimes called the city of churches), mostly built in the period of prosperity after the discovery of the New World, and an important museum which you can find in the Nájera Palace in the Coso Viejo.

But now let’s talk about what you’ve all been waiting for … the food! Antequera is the home of the mollete, a special type of soft bread bun, typically served for breakfast. Though the debate still rages about whether to toast the mollete before or after cutting it open (we agree with our friends @PolloyEnsalada that the latter is preferable).

breakfast mollete with olive oil, tomato and jamón serrano

Another thing we liked about breakfast in Antequera is that you can order their crispy and delicious version of churros by the ring…

two rings of churros please!

Porra, a thick cold tomato soup similar to salmorejo, is also an Antequera staple. There are a lot of good bars where you can sample this, and other local dishes, but be sure to pay a visit to Arte de Cozina, our favourite restaurant in the town, which specialises in old traditional, often forgotten, local recipes (chef Charo Carmona will even give you the recipes to take home with you). Opt for either the tapas bar or restaurant and enjoy some of the best traditional food in Andalucía.

three types of porra: tomato, blanca and orange

Have you visited Antequera? Did you love it as much as we do?

Málaga | City of Museums

February 1, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

Once considered something of a high rise beach holiday city, in recent years Málaga has been bringing itself into the modern age, with pedestrianisation of the old centre, a complete redevelopment of the old harbour, and other projects to attract visitors to what is actually one of Andalucia’s most beautiful and modern destinations.

You’re here for the food, of course, and there’s a thriving bar and restaurant scene, and the recently renovated Atarazanas Market which now has gourmet food bars alongside its more traditional market stalls. But you can’t spend the whole of your holiday eating and drinking, so you’ll be looking for other things to do between meals. And there’s actually plenty. As well as monuments such as the Alcazaba, Roman Amphitheatre and Cathedral, some beautiful gardens and the Muelle Uno harbour development, all of which you’ll want to visit, Málaga has become a city of museums, which is our subject for today.

Many of the new museums are quite small, but the range of subjects covered is broad and eclectic, from the arts and history, to local culture, and a number of “niche” museums that you probably wouldn’t expect.

At the forefront are a number of important arts museums. Best known of these has to be the Picasso Museum. Pablo Picasso was born in a house on the Plaza Merced (which has another small museum), and it had long been an ambition of the city to have a museum in honour of its most famous son, an ambition finally realized in 2003. The museum can be found in the Palacio de Buenevista, a beautiful 16th century building near the Cathedral. As well as nearly 300 artworks donated by the Picasso family, there are also ruins from Phoenician, Roman and Moorish times in the basement.

Picasso Museum
Palacio de Buenivista
San Agustín, 8
Tel: +34 902 443 377

As well as a number of artworks, the Museo Casa Natal remembers the early life of Picasso, his family and his connections to Malaga.

Casa Natal
Plaza de la Merced, 15
Tel: +34 951 926 060

The recently opened Centre Pompidou Malaga, dedicated to 20th century art, is the first branch of the Pompidou museum to open outside France, and can be found beneath the big glass cube (an obvious reference back to the famous pyramid at the Paris Pompidou) on the corner of Muelle Uno and Muelle Dos in the harbour. There’s a permanent exhibition of around 80 paintings and other works from the parent museum, themed temporary exhibitions and workshops for children and teenagers.

Centro Pompidou Malaga
Muelle Uno
Tel: +34 951 926 200

Other must see art museums are the Carmen Thyssen museum, which has a collection of over 200 paintings focusing on 19th century Spanish painters, and the Contemporary Arts Centre in the Soho neighbourhood, which features art workshops and events alongside its regular exhibitions.

Carmen Thyssen Museum
Compania, 10
Tel: +34 902 303 131

Contemporary Arts Centre
Alemanía s/n
Tel: +34 952 120 055

The Centro Arte Tauromaquia is another Malaga museum that’s widely regarded as the best of its kind – in this case art and memorabilia relating to bullfighting, with 300 pieces from the Juan Barco collection, the biggest and most comprehensive in the world.

Centro Arte Tauromaquia
Plaza del Siglo

Another favourite is the Automobile Museum, and you don’t need to be a car enthusiast to enjoy it. This is one of the world’s most important collections of Vintage and Classic cars, and there’s also an exhibition of the fashions (especially hats) that went with them.

Automobile Museum
The Old Tobacco Factory
Avenida Sor Teresa Prat, 15
Tel: +34 951 137 001

Also in the old tobacco factory is the new Russian Museum, with an exhibition of Russian art from the State Museum in Saint Petersburg that ranges from Byzantine icons to Soviet Realism. This is a fascinating collection that’s well worth making that little extra effort to see.

Russian Museum
The Old Tobacco Factory
Avenida Sor Teresa Prat, 15
Tel: +34 951 926 150

The newly opened Malaga Museum in the 18th century Palacio de la Aduana (Customs House) houses the collections of the former Fine Arts and Archaeological Museums. The exhibitions are well laid out and are a fascinating treasure trove of the history of Malaga. One of the most important museums in Malaga this is a definite must see.

Malaga Museum
Plaza de la Aduana S/N
Tel: +34 951 911 904

Other more specialist museums include those dedicated to glass and crystal (this one is excellent, with the exhibits displayed in domestic settings in a historic palace, with period furniture and other accessories), wine (from the local region, with a history of advertising, and grape-growing and wine-making equipment), music, and popular arts and culture. Also in the pipeline is the full opening of the Aduana Palace, which will house both the Fine Arts Museum and the Archaeology Museum.

Wine Museum
Plaza de los Viñeros, 1
Tel: +34 952 228 493

Popular Arts & Customs
Pasillo de Santa Isabel, 10
Tel +34 952 217 137

Glass & Crystal Museum
Plazuela Santísimo Cristo de la Sangre, 2
Tel: +34 952 220 271

Interactive Music
Beatas, 15
Tel: +34 952 210 440

We Love Oranges

January 15, 2015March 26, 2019 WeLoveTapas

Although oranges don’t, in fact, play a large part in Spanish cuisine, there are so many orange trees in Andalucía – and especially Sevilla – that among the first questions we get asked are variations of “What’s with all the orange trees?” and “Can I eat them?”

oranges being harvested in Sevilla

To deal with the second question first, the answer is “No”. The orange trees of Sevilla and Malaga are, of course, of the celebrated “Seville Orange” variety, whose fruit is extremely bitter, and inedible straight from the tree, but makes the best marmalade in the world. In fact, after harvesting, most of these oranges will be shipped off to England for precisely that purpose, the Spanish themselves making very little use of them.

That being so it returns us neatly to question one. If the Spanish don’t use them, why did they plant them? And part one of the answer is precisely that – one function of the trees is to be decorative, and since you can’t eat them the oranges are left on the trees until harvest time (generally around this time of year, January-February). Another reason is the smell of the azahar (Arabic for “white flower”), which pervades southern towns and cities for 2-3 weeks during March or April, and is a major reason for coming here in early spring. The third reason is simply for the shade, a necessity in the oppressive heat of an Andalusian summer.

Orange trees were first planted in Andalucía by the Moors in the 11th century, arriving here from their native land in Northeast India and Southern China by way of Persia and North Africa. The word “orange” comes from Sanskrit (Indian) “naranyan” (as does Spanish “naranja”), and was originally norange. “Marmalade” is from Portuguese, and originally referred to quince jam; it began to be used for citrus jams from the 17th century, when oranges became widely available in England (Nell Gwynn, who became the mistress of Charles II, was an orange seller). In Spanish “mermelada” refers to all types of jam.

Tapas 101

January 1, 2015August 23, 2015 WeLoveTapas

What better way to start our new blog than to tell you something about what we love? We’re talking tapas, of course – those nifty little snacks that you buy to go along with your drink, and which can rapidly add up to a complete meal.

But what exactly is a tapa? What’s so special about them? And why are there so many tapas bars, and what should you expect when you go into one?

A tapa is, literally, a lid or a cover, and the name derives from the practice of landlords serving a piece of bread, ham or cheese to put over the drinks to keep out the dust and flies. This is rarely needed now, though if the bar you’re in is really crowded the top of your glass may still be the only place to put your plate!

But there’s more to tapas than just food, of course. In Andalucía tapas is part of the social culture, and it’s something that every visitor to Spain should experience, preferably in the form of a “tapeo”, which is going from bar to bar for drinks and tapas (one of the reasons there are so many of them).

Tapas are typically informal. Food is often shared between friends or family, and because the bars are often busy they may be eaten standing at the bar or at small tables, or even shelves or upturned barrels, and the atmosphere is noisy and convivial. The style of the different bars can be quite varied, but posters for those other Sevillano traditions, bullfighting, flamenco, Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Ferias are common. So too are the cured hams hanging from the rafters, picos (little breadsticks), and paper napkins seemingly specially designed not to absorb any spillages. Bars that are full of locals will usually be the best, but the only ways to be sure are trustworthy recommendation and trial and error.

Before ordering check whether tapas are available at the tables or outside (sometimes you have to order raciones – full size plates), or only at the bar. Once seated (or stooded, if you’re at the bar), don’t order everything at once – it may all come at once, get cold, or just be more than you need – just one or two tapas each to start, and more as you go. Expect to pay around €2-3 for a tapa, though it can go as high as €6, especially in “gastrobars”. The barman will usually keep a tab for you, which is paid at the end, but if you’re eating outside you may have to “pay as you go”. There aren’t any rules about tipping, but we generally leave 10%, or just some change if we’re at the bar.

Kitchens are generally open from around 1 pm to 4 pm, and again from 8 pm to midnight, though the bars may stay open during the afternoon for drinks, coffee and cold snacks. Many bars are also open for breakfast, serving mainly coffee and toast.

So don’t be shy, or intimidated by the noise and chatter. Just get stuck in.