Malaga’s Top 7 Foods to Try
A great way to make an impression on tourists is through their gastronomic experience. Malaga boasts a very inventive and mouth-watering cuisine that is widely praised not only in southern Spain, but also in Western Europe. Cooked in the best traditions of Mediterranean eating habits and based on fresh fish and seafood as well as exceptional fruit and vegetables, Malaga’s traditional foods are among the things you must try when in this region.
Paella
Being Spain’s most recognizable seafood delicacy, paella cooked in the Costa del Sol region is still one of a kind. The key factor contributing to its exceptionality is the fresh seafood, cooked on the very day of catching and selected carefully. Paella is the quintessence of Spanish traditions and hospitality, commonly made in a pot or paella pan and served with lemon and bread. When friends or family gather at a table on a festive occasion, paella is always there! The locals are proud of the mere sight of this dish – richly adorned with huge prawns and juicy mussels. And tourists are truly amazed by the taste of it.
Rabo de Toro
Have you ever tasted the tail of a bull? With the Rabo de Toro dish, you will have such an opportunity. It sounds exotic, but is widely cooked in bars and restaurants as one of the most delicious specialties in Malaga. A tour of the Costa del Sol is truly incomplete without this gastronomic experience. The bull’s tail is a slow-cooking dish stewed as long as it takes for the meat to get juicy and tender. The vegetable-based sauce, on the other hand, absorbs the best sultry flavor that the meat has to give. Consumed with fries and wine, thick lumps of Rabo de Toro will make your day and quench your hunger!
Fritura Malagueña
Despite the wide range of dishes and special offers, seafood served in restaurants and eateries of Malaga is undoubtedly the most delicious. The top choice of many tourists is fish with lemon, which is commonly known as ‘Fritura Malaguena’. What makes the dish unlike other variations of fried fish is the use of cod or squid and a vivid difference between the crumbling top and the watery, soft texture that is literally melting on the tongue. Since the dish is rather fatty, it is recommended to taste it with local beer.
Porra Antequerana
Porra Antequerana is a popular variation and alternative to gazpacho. This tomato soup originates from the town of Antequera, but it has spread widely. Porra Antequerana is served cold and with pieces of boiled eggs and ham. Containing tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and paprika, the dish acquires its sought-after smoky flavor. At the same time, the soup is not hot or heavy, so a bowl of Porra Antequarana is a great choice for sun-bathed days. The locals recommend eating it with a glass of beer.
Albóndigas en Salsa de Almendras
Another Malaga’s classic is meatballs, dubbed in all menus as Albóndigas en Salsa. The recipe of Albóndigas meatballs is uniform across Malaga, but the sauce often depends on the chef’s preferences. The best taste, flavor and texture are said to be reached when ground almonds are added to the sauce. Another competitor for the tourists’ choice award is the sauce based on tomatoes, which is distinct both by sight and by taste. Albóndigas en Salsa de Almendras are often served as a mini-tapas of a snack size. In Malaga, these meatballs are usually placed in earthenware pots and come with freshly baked bread.
Gambas al Pil-Pil
Fried prawns served in Malaga are exceptionally delicious. Their flavor and taste are fully preserved due to being accentuated with garlic and pepper. Gambas al Pil-Pil is a hot and spicy dish, but tourists usually order it as a kind of Malaga’s specialty. The prawns being consumed hungrily, both seasoned gourmets and budding travelers take a lump of bread and eat the remaining sauce – not to lose a single bite of this delicacy. The classic variation of this dish tastes even better with white wine.
Carne en Salsa
If everything you expect from this dish is meat and sauce, you are both right and wrong. Carne en Salsa is really as simple as that, but it is a symbol of Andalusian cuisine and a meal that will never disappoint you. The way it is frequently cooked in Malaga’s restaurants and bars, Carne en Salsa includes stewed pork meat in a tomato sauce. Portions are lavish, as a rule, so a good treat to this classic southern delicacy will keep you full of energy for the rest of the day.
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