There are a few things that we love as much as travelling, but one of the things that comes closest to our love for discovering new places is to discover the gastronomy of the places we visit. Who does not want to try the most delicious meals during the holidays? Especially when we visit the Costa Blanca! Products such as fruit, vegetables, rice, fish and wine can be found on all menus of the restaurants in this area. The quality of the food comes from the sea and the gardens which results in a taste experience for every traveller. Today you’ll discover all about the gastronomy of the Costa Blanca!
The gastronomy of the Costa Blanca
Rice dishes
One of the most common mistakes is thinking that the famous ‘paella valenciana’ is made from seafood while this is actually not true. This paella is made with chicken, rabbit, green beans and broad beans. When you are on holidays at the Costa Blanca, you can also try a rice dish with seafood, or order a mix of meat and fish.
Another culinary dish which you can try in this area is a black rice dish made on the base of squid which gives the dish a black tone. This famous rice dish consisting of fish broth can be served together with fish or separate. You can discover more than 300 different rice dishes but in the restaurants in this area you will mostly find the dishes which the tourists like the most. As the Costa Blanca is located close to the sea, the rice dishes with seafood are of top quality and let you fall in love with the local cuisine.
Typical drinks
Wine is one of the most important drinks in the province of Alicante where you can also find the best wines of the country. Moreover, you can visit several vineyards during your holiday and discover the different types of wines. The climate and soil in the Alicante area varies per region which results in a great selection of different wines on the menus in the restaurants. The most popular wine is red wine with 75% of all the production in the region.
Besides that we cannot forget another important drink from Alicante. We are talking about the drink ‘Cantueso’, made from herbs such as fennel, sage, chamomile obtained from the Sierra Mariola including alcohol.
Two other important liquors are an anise drink ‘Paloma’ from the Monforte del Cid area and a coffee liqueur. The coffee liquors of the region Costa Blanca consist of different types due to the fact that they are mixing this liqueurs with other ingredients: ‘Mentira’ made of coffee liqueur and lemon water, ‘Penguin’ which also contains horchata (a Spanish almond drink), ‘Plis-play casera’ which is mixed with soda and ‘Xinet’ coffee liqueur mixed with a vanilla milkshake. They are delicious!
Although horchata is a drink which is especially made and consumed in Valencia you will also find this drink in restaurants and cafes in the region of the Costa Blanca. Horchata is a milky substance made from nature almonds. This drink is consumed mainly in Valencia where residents dip fartons in the drink. Fartons are long dough rolls with icing.
Original products
Furthermore Alicante offers various products originating in this region such as nougat from Jijona and Alicante, one of the most famous products. While the nougat from Alicante is hard, the nougat Jijona is much smoother; both are made with almonds.
Besides that, this place is known for its delicious ice creams. You will find different types of ice cream with plain ice cream or even combined with horchata or smoothies. Next we will find the medlar of Callosa d’en Sarria, the cherry of the mountain of Alicante, the Vinalopó grape and the pomegranate Mollar Elche.
While most of these products cannot be found on the coast, it is still easy to find them in the main destinations of this area which gives you many opportunities to try these treats. Finally, we cannot forget that the gastronomy of the Costa Blanca is not only dominated by fruits but also by the fresh vegetables from the gardens. They give a unique touch to the main dishes served in the restaurants in this region.
We recommend you to try all these wonderful products if you get the chance. A trip through the Costa Blanca is undoubtedly a treat for your taste buds. Enjoy it!