Hey guys,
So today I have something really exciting, different and new for you guys! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’ve been traveling through southern Spain with my boyfriend for the last 3 weeks. And of course I had to try all kinds of different local and traditional foods! And I recorded it all for you guys 🙂 So if you want to see me eat in live action:
So today’s blog post is about what I ate where and how it was. I hope that this can be helpful if you are planing to visit Andalusia and want to know where all the good stuff is.
Spanish Churros
So first thing‘s first, we landed in Malaga and spent a week there. Explored the beautiful city and all it had to offer. What stood out most were probably the Spanish churros! We went to a cafe called Casa Aranda in the old town. Apparently it is the oldest churro cafe in Malaga. Everything was freshly made. We ordered 6 churros (0,50€ each) with 2 hot chocolates (1,56€ each). We had read that you were supposed to dip the churros in the hot chocolate. We thought the hot chocolates were going to be chocolatey drinks, but it was so incredibly thick and sweet that it was great as a dip, but it wasn’t possible to drink it. (I don‘t think you were supposed to) The churros were so good! The thin ones were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside! And the thick ones were fluffy and a little chewy (reminded me a little of Chinese youtiao) But just so good! I had 2 and my boyfriends had 4 and felt a little sick afterward, so go easy on the amount since it is so fatty.
Tapas
We had tapas twice on our trip and is just a no-brainer in Spain. The first time was in Malaga, there we went to La Tranca. Great atmosphere and loved the interior! With lots of pictures on the wall and colorful tiles. Since this was supposed to be dinner, we ordered 4 media racion to share (a little bigger than a tapas size) We had Albondigas (Meatballs in tomato sauce) Ensaladilla (cold potato salad with tuna), Queso de Almagro (cheese with crackers) Habas con Jamon (beans with ham). The quality of all the dishes were really good! It gave us a great insight into Spanish tapas and the vibe was just on point. We ate a 6 or 7 in the evening. We had passed the bar a little later and was completely packed with locals, so I would say that is a good sign.
The second time we had tapas was in Sevilla at the end of our trip. There we went to 2 tapas restaurants. The first one was La Cava. There we had Ajoblanco (almond soup), Morrocan Chicken and black rice with shrimp. Again the quality was perfect! Everything was so good! And we were so happy with our choices. The Ajoblanco was especially something I had wanted to try, and was truly nothing like I had ever tasted before. The second restaurant was Mamarracha. This one was a little fancier. We felt a tad under dressed in sneakers and outdoor jackets. There we had sardines fillet with lemon and parsley butter and grilled eggplant with miso. Both were superb! Not 100% traditional but a new twist on tapas. The sardines were tiny though. I guess that‘s the way fancy restaurants are. But none the less, delicious! For drinks I had sangria. It was huge (for me)! But so delicious. My boyfriend had craft beer made with seawater. I told you, fancy…
Empanadilla
In Granada I passed by this beautiful window case with fancy looking pastry. I was so intrigued and bought a empanadilla filled with chicken and mushrooms. Super delicious! The pastry was nice and fluffy and the filling was perfect too. Tasted a little like curry. Highly recommend! The cafe I had bought my pastry was Cafe Pasteleria Lopez-Mezquita.
Arabic Tea houses
Before I went to Southern Spain I didn’t know, that it used to be mainly Islamic. When you go, you still can see many of their remains in the buildings and in the food. So we took the time and visited an Arabic style tea house in Granada. The one we went to was called Abaco Te. There I would definitely recommend getting there before it opens to get the best seat. They have a tiny roof top terrace with a BEAUTIFUL view of the city above! We ordered a peppermint tea and a Lemon Ginger tea. Everything was made with fresh ingredients and we were super happy with our choices. Highly recommend for tea!
Pan con Tomate
We drove up the mountains to the Alpujarras villages. There we stayed in this beautifully little bed and breakfast called Cortijo Casa Ibero, highly recommend! There a wide variety of breakfast was provided including Pan con tomate. Basically it was bread with some kind of tomato sauce where you layer olive oil and salt on top. So simple but some how so delicious!
Las Alpujarras Plate
We had this in one of the Alpujarras villages at a restaurant called El Corral del Castano. I had already heard a lot about this dish and though it was a really heavy dish we thought we’re here, we’ve got to try it! So we did. And yes, it lay like rocks in our tummy… did we regret it? nah.. I’m all about trying new dishes and with that to experience the culture. It was a large plate consisting of potatoes, 2 fried eggs, sausages and black pudding (blood sausage). To me the blood sausage was the scariest, but to my surprise it wasn’t that bad! It kind of tastes cinnamony and woody, a little like Christmas. But none the less, it wasn’t really my thing. And even though we were happy to have tried it, I’m not sure we would have it again any time soon. It is a very large and oily portion. Definitely have one plate for two if you go. The atmosphere was lovely, like a family living room with a beautiful fire-place.
Patatas Bravas & Patatas Alioli
Okay, so I know this is actually also a tapas, but this deserves an honorable mention. We had Patatas Bravas and Patatas Alioli in the town Arcos de la Frontrera. There a tourist had stopped us and said that we had to try this restaurant, that it was really superb! So if a stranger stops you just to say that, it must be good! So we trusted her and ate there. We had sandwiches with the food, sat outside on a tiny square in front of a church and everything was so affordable and delicious! The stranger was right. Most of all the owner of the restaurant was so incredibly sweet and kind. Always making sure we were having a lovely time. The restaurant was called Meson los Murales and we highly recommend!
Milhojas
In Sevilla we visited this beautiful Cake shop called Dulceria Manu Jara. There we tried this traditional pastry: Milhojas and a St. Marcos. The St. Marcos was nice and creamy and the Miloaja was more like a crumbly cookie. Both really good! If you are a cake fan, I definitely recommend. Also the interior as very beautiful. I liked how the cakes weren’t just plain sweet but rather like a symphony of sweetness.
Torrijas
In Sevilla we had passed by the Cafe Confiteria la Campana so many times and every time it was packed with people! So on our last day there I decided I finally wanted to try torrijas. I had seen them everywhere and didn’t know what it was. Even though it’s pretty much like a spanish version of french toast, it was so different so incredibly delicious! It was completely drenched in honey! And the consistency was so special, a little sticky and chewy somehow (but in a good way) it’s just so strange but so good at the same time I urge all of you to try it!! Unless you’re not a sweet tooth, because man than was sweet!
Catchy Cravings 