Arrope

Fruit chunks in syrup, mostly pumpkin, melon and apple. The syrup is made with honey and brown sugar. This is a traditional All Saints Day sweet which was brought to the cemetery to enjoy while tiding the graveyard.

Bota de vino (Wineskins bag)

The bota is popularly associated with the running of the bulls in Pamplona. During the festival of San Fermín the people of The Basque Country carry botas - animal skins filled with heady wine - similar to the wineskins of Biblical times.
We have identified the premiere bota craftsmen in Pamplona, who for generations have cured and hand-sewn these animal skins. If you are a purist, your choice will be a bota whose interior is coated with pine pitch that you must patiently knead to assure uniform water-proofing. On the other hand, we have the same authentic animal skins with a superior lining of latex - a substance unknown to the ancients - so that you can enjoy drinking from them without a lot of tedious care. It all depends how uncompromising you want to be!

Artichokes
Originally from Mediterranean Europe, artichokes are long-stemmed vegetables with spiny leaves shaped like pineapples.
The edible part is formed by the heart of the flower. This vegetable has different characteristics depending on the variety involved: Brittany: thick, round and heavy; Laon: big and green; Provence: violet in colour. Of the Spanish ones, the Blanca de Tudela is outstanding. This variety is largely grown in La Rioja and its main characteristics are: medium sized with a rounded and slightly elliptical shape. It is a crunchy, juicy product, with a slightly bitter flavour. It is usually eaten fresh, although it is a vegetable very suitable for making preserves. In cooking it offers many possibilities for presentation, above all as a garnish and in salads.

Jamón – ham off the bone, cut to order in almost all bars and restaurants. You’ll see the leg on a special holder at the bar and often you’ll see many legs hanging from the ceiling (with their little upside down umbrellas to catch the fat). The Jamón is taken seriously in Spain, with a number of varieties including Iberico, Serrano and Bellota.

Patatas Alioli – Boiled potatoes, in a creamy Alioli sauce (raw garlic mayonnaise) topped with a sprinkle of parsley.

Patatas Bravas – Potatoes with a hot mustard, tomato and Tabasco sauce.

Tortilla – A fat omelette made with potatoes which sometimes includes peas, meat, tuna, peppers or mushrooms. Magras con Tomate – Fried pork cooked in a sweet tomato sauce. Calamares – Fried, beautifully fresh calamari, that melts in your mouth and Calamares en su tinta, squid in their own ink.

Aceitunas – Olives – big, fat olives, often with stalks intact, firm to bite.

Pollo al Ajillo con Vino – Garlic chicken with wine

Caldo en Albóndigas – Meatballs in a watery soup (consommé)

Gazpacho – Cold tomato soup, almost like a salad, only usually available in the summer, unfortunately!

Melocotones con Vino (Peaches in wine)
Traditional Murcian summer dessert

Revuelto – Revuelto is a common name for another tapas counter staple – eggs scrambled with runner beans, garlic, onions and ham.

Zarangollo – Zarangollo is a Murcian dish combining the concepts of ratatouille and omelette. It is made from tomatoes, courgettes, onions and eggs. Every tapas bar worth its salt in the region should have a plateful in the chiller. Menestra is similar, a dish of sautéed vegetables

Ensalada Murciana – A wet salad of cooked tomatoes, sweet onions, boil egg, tuna, black olives and olive oil. Always served cold and frequently with. Almost always on the Tapas counter.

Pastel de carne – Little pasty or pie shaped pastries, filled with delicious meat, tomato and egg. Very good, give it a try.

Arroz – Rice is grown in the Calasparra region, with it’s own quality standards. Among the wide variety of rice dishes are:

• Arroz y conejo – rice with rabbit
• Arroz de verduras – rice and vegetables
• Arroz y costillejas – rice and ribs
• Arroz marinero – seafood rice
• Paella huertana – a vegetable paella

Potaje – a rich stew dish

Habas con jamón – ham and broad beans

Caldo murciano – local soup dish

Chuletas al ajo cabañil – garlic chops

Pescado a la sal – baked fish in salt

Fresh Vegetables & Fruit – Known as the market garden (huerta), the Murcia region boasts an extensive and year round fruit and veg selection. Many of the fruit and vegetables you’ll find in supermarkets in the UK will have come from Murcia – particularly tomatoes, melons and oranges.

Wild Boar – Jabalí is available as a delicacy throughout Spain, and Murcia is no exception. The boar is served in a number of dishes (including the famous wild boar with figs) as well as just roasted.

Cheeses – The best cheeses in Murcia are granted a DOC rating, just like the wines of Yecla, Jumilla and Bullas. There are two categories of the Murcia DOC cheese, ‘Queso de Murcia’ and ‘Queso de Murcia al Vino’. The Murcia DOC cheeses are all produced from whole milk from Murciano–Granadina goats.

The ‘Queso de Murcia’ DOC comes in two varieties, fresh and semi–cured. The fresh variety is mild, white and has a woven texture on the rind from the tall, cylindrical mold. The cured variety is cured for at least 60 days, is rather more flavoured with a firmer texture, some holes and a smooth rind.

The ‘Queso de Murcia al Vino’ DOC is a richer cheese with a characteristic reddish colour which comes from the wine that the cheese is soaked in while maturing. The cheese is matured for at least 45 days for large moulds, and 30 days for smaller cheeses.

Caviar – A locally–produced variant of caviar (huevas de mújol) is produced on the Mar Menor. It’s available in jars in most local supermarkets at a very reasonable price compared to ‘the real thing’ – but tastes pretty good!