Costa del Sol: Catering

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Buen provecho - Enjoy your meal!

 

The patrons are packed in like sardines, chattering happily and loudly while eating standing up or sitting down. The air is heavy with the aromas of sherry and ham, cheese, beer and wine. We are at a bar in Andalusia, to be more specific, at a tapas bar on the Costa del Sol. How can one possibly get into this scrimmage...?

Yet somehow, everyone finds an undisturbed spot somewhere between the sky clouded up by a parade of pork knuckles with scrumptious ham on them that make you want to bite into them and the ground covered with napkins, olive kernels and pistachio shells. So don’t fret, you'll get yours.

Once you’ve pushed your way through to the bar, the burning question instantly arises: what should I eat? All of the edibles are tantalizingly presented and cooled behind glass so that your eyes can sample the dishes. It’s overwhelming and your brain seems to freeze up. A tip for those who want to survive this adventure: simply grab what you like and give it a try! The sky is the limit when it comes to the culinary imagination that goes into the local dishes – fish, meats, vegetables: virtually everything is combined – there are no restrictions – the only thing that counts is great taste... You have landed in the land of tapas!

The term probably comes from the Spanish "noun apa", which means cover or lid. In the past, small pieces of bread or similar snacks were used to cover wine or sherry glasses to prevent flies from encroaching upon the revered spirits. Tapas are served in hot, cold or warm varieties. Some are very basic dishes – such as olives marinated in rosemary and olive oil, mature cheeses or wafer-thin sliced ham. Tapas prepared by the chef are much more complex. You will have a choice of countless variations of blood sausages. Morcilla is one of those varieties. Seared in a hot pan until the grease bursts out of them they are combined with rice and/or onions and cinnamon. Yet that’s just one recipe – virtually every village has its own. Pieces of tortillas – lukewarm and combined with chilies roasted on a hot skillet – they’re absolutely delicious, as are the croquettes with cheese or ham. Try kidneys in sherry sauce or meat balls in a savory gravy – Albondigas.

Actually, the former two are complete meals. Add sides to this spectrum such as vegetables, which are also available in breaded and fried varieties, oven baked button mushrooms, crisp salads, including seafood salads. You will be amazed by all the treasures from the ocean served here! Many of them are available straight from the tapas counter: Boquerones al Vinagre for instance. The later are slightly sweet-sour sardines, which are also available fried. Gambas al Pil Pil – a dish featuring shrimp that get their heat from chili, garlic and oil, are brought to the table in boiling hot clay pots. Count on a fiery adventure! Unfortunately, just in case you’re planning to make tapas a part of your diet plan – they won’t help you lose weight...

Cuisine

As a typical Mediterranean diet, the healthy cuisine of Andalusia deserves some special attention, as the use of olive oil and fresh ingredients from the ocean, combined with salads, vegetables, fruit and red wine contributes to the longevity of the locals.

People here like to eat down-to-earth foods and have a natural intuition to select products that are fresh and of excellent quality. Here you will find a wealth of seafood, fish, meats, fruit, vegetables and certainly the world’s best ham as well as excellent cold cuts and sausage made of Iberian pork, as well as goat cheese.

Many of the dishes are spicy or savory. The region offers many good and a few excellent restaurants. However, the dishes served in the country are frequently not quite up to par. Premium ingredients in oil and garlic seem to have been drowned in the marinade or are served fried. The gravies seem to lack inspiration. The rule of thumb: the further you get away from the coast, the more expensive and heavier the dishes. On average, though, you will still eat better and healthier foods here – which are also less expensive, at least in the interior of the country, than for example in Germany, Holland or England.

In the tourist developments along the coast prices are usually slightly higher. On the appetizer menu, you will find Picadillo, a yummy soup; the world famous cold Gazpacho and its thicker relative, the Salmorejo. Another cold and refreshing summer dish is the Ajoblanco. One of the most traditional local creations is the Rabo de Toro – braised oxtail. If it has been prepared to perfection, it should be as tender as butter with a full-bodies and smooth taste. You absolutely have to try this scrumptious and complex meal – no one else puts the time and attention into cooking it these days. Meat is generally of good quality and either comes from cattle raised on Spanish grasslands or from Argentina. The Andalusians are partial to meats that actually taste like meat and prefer the juicy varieties, such as rump steaks or tenderloins.

An immense choice of fresh fish is served prepared à la plancha – a very light cooking method, where the fish is seared in a hot skillet. Gilthead sea bream, sea bass and dentex are especially delicious if prepared al sal – cooked in a coating of salt; a method that is very gentle and totally fat free. In addition to fish, the local restaurants serve countless varieties of crustaceans and shell fish – fried, seared or à la plancha.

The most popular supplies come from Sanlúcar de la Barrameda and Garrucha. If you are going out to eat in the country, you best choices are salads, vegetable, meat dishes, poultry, rabbit, partridge and wild boar. Although Andalusia is blessed with a wide variety of herbs that are grown locally – rosemary, thyme, basil, lavender, bay leaves and star anise – the regional kitchens do not always take advantage of them. You will be served plenty of fruit and vegetables. Spain is also a serious contender in the hard cheese world and offers everything from young and fresh cheeses to mildly mature and sharp varieties, which make wonderful appetizers as well as desserts.

Restaurants

In Marbella, Málaga, Ronda, Córdoba and Seville you will find premium restaurants that serve consistently good food. Get recommendations and a list of good addresses on the coast from your experienced H&S Holiday Team.

Many of the restaurants on the Costa del Sol will fire up their stoves to prepare international recipes as well: you can find everything from French, to Belgian to Italian, Germany, Chinese, Thai, Japanese and even Russian creations – in other words something to please every palate.

Another choice you might want to check out is the new Spanish molecular kitchen fans of El Bulli & Co. adore. For those who want to take it up a notch: restaurants with single and multi star award winning cuisines can be found in Marbella, Ronda, Málaga and a bit farther, in the interior of the country, for instance in Sanlucar la Mayor near Seville.

Dinner and lunch times at restaurants: tourists who have dinner before 9 PM will usually dine with other tourists, as will those who have lunch before 2 PM. It you’re planning to go to a tapas bar in the evening, you might want to go earlier and partake in a Tapeo, which means you’ll have your appetizers there and dinner later.

Wine

Food without wine? An unthinkable option in a major wine cultivating country such as Spain! White wines from Galicia made from Albariño grapes can be fresh and fruit flavored, however this controlled appellation also supplies dry varieties under the name Riax Baixas.

Other enjoyable wines come from Peñedes and Rueda, simpler table wines from Andalusia, for instance from the Condado region. Spain's red wines have won worldwide acclaim, especially those hailing from the appellations of Ribera del Duero and Rioja. Other regions offer their share of good reds – and most of those are less expensive. Hence, it should be easy for everyone to find a favorite Spanish cruet.

By the way, if you are looking for the perfectly yummy summer drink, you might want to give the Tinto de Verano a try – it’s a glass of red wine with a shot of clear Casera lemonade served over ice. A great companion for every summer dish. Simply ingenious and brilliantly simple.