La Spanish cuisine It's all delicious, there's no doubt about it, but today we're going to focus on the Malaga cuisine. It is a gastronomy influenced by all the peoples of the Mediterranean Sea so there is a little bit of everything here, from Arab and Phoenician touches, to Roman and flavors very typical of Spain.
Today, just days before the year 2023 is about to end its journey, let's get to know the best typical dishes that should be eaten in Malaga.
Dishes with fish
Fish is one of the main ingredients in Malaga cuisine by the extension of its coast. Sardines are a classic and this colorful and easy way to cook them is very popular. Espetar means to skewer, so looking at the photos it is easy to deduce the dish: sardine skewers.
Many coastal restaurants serve this dish and cook it directly in front of people. Although espetos can be made from any fish, here on the coast of Malaga they are preferably made from sardines.
Another dish that uses fish is the classic fried anchovy or fried anchovies, actually. It is a popular dish in the mountain part of Malaga and it is made in a super simple way: to give it more flavor, use olive oil, a little salt and that's it.
Traditionally, anchovies were caught in the Bay of Malaga but today, due to the overexploitation of the waters, it often happens that anchovies are even bought outside the country. But well, even if they come from somewhere else, they are cooked in the Malagu style: They are joined by the tail, lightly coated with flour and fried in plenty of olive oil. And if you visit this part of Spain on September 8, the day of Our Lady of Victory, then you can eat the Victorian anchovy, which is about 9 centimeters long. A delight!
In the Malaga menu we can also add the Papandua, based on yeast, saffron and cooked cod and the rice with cod. Fish and shellfish are usually included in the same bag, right? So, it's the turn of the thin shells: They are somewhat larger than clams and their meat is orange to white. They are delicious and are cooked in different ways: either gratin, or included in ceviches, or made with ajoblanco or sauce. But of course, you can always eat them naturally, cooked with lemon and pepper.
If you like seafood then Malaga is for you. Beyond the sardine espetos or the anchovies or the thin shells you can always order the «Malagüeña frying», a dish made up of various small fish, all rather small, which They are fried until crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.. We are talking about anchovies, yes, but also about choitos, pijotas, mullets and others.
Finally, the garliccod, which is also very typical, especially in Vélez-Málaga. We can think of a cod pate with garlic, lemon juice, chilli, olive oil, paprika and bread that is baked in the oven before. Everything is processed and ready.
Soups
Since we are talking about fish we can name the red dogfish caldillo. It is one of the most common tapas in Malaga and it is a fish soup which is made with redfish. Pintarroja is the name given to a small shark who lives in the Bay of Malaga. Sometimes it is just dogfish broth, sometimes some shrimp, or clams or other fish are also added.
The hot local soup that is a classic here is the gazpachuelo. There are a thousand varieties but the classic version is fish soup, mayonnaise and boiled potato. A bomb that raises your temperature even in the harshest winter.
We cannot forget about cold soups, seasonal vegetable and fruit broths that are great when the sun is hot. For example, porra and ajoblanco. The Porra de Antequera It is typical of the area of the same name and resembles salmorejo from Cordoba. All the ingredients are ground with a masonry: tomato, garlic, oil and bread with a touch of green pepper and vinegar. They serve it here with shavings of ham, or tuna in oil and boiled egg.
For his part, White garlic, so traditional from Andalusia, is made with oil, garlic, bread and vinegar. This cold soup is accompanied with grapes. There is also the malagueña cabbage, a simple legume stew (beans and chickpeas). It is a typical winter dish.
Or the call mondeña soup, a typical Monda dish that even has its own day of the year. In the Álora area, for example, in the Guadalhorce Valley, there are Perotas soups: With typical garden ingredients (onions, potatoes, asparagus, tomatoes and peppers), a soup is made to which pieces of bread are added. First you eat the vegetables and when only the bread is left you add something called Bolus, a mixture of tuna, spring onion and hard-boiled egg, so you finish eating everything that's left.
meat dishes
Following with the best dishes to eat in Malaga We can name the best meat-based dishes. Not everything is fish! He Rondeña-style oxtail It is very popular. When the tail is made rondeña style, a red wine sauce is made and served with cooked carrots and celery.
Goat is also eaten here and the dish that you will see everywhere is roast suckling goat, seasoned with salt, thyme and garlic.
Panes
Baking is also present in Malaga and we cannot ignore it from our list of what dishes to eat in Malaga. In the first place are the so-called Molletes from Antequera, rolls that are usually served for breakfast and snacks, and in all the bars of Andalusia. This bread is round and small and fill it with whatever you want.
The muffin can be white and soft or, if cooked on a special griddle, acquire a golden hue and be very crispy. There may be muffin toast, a typical breakfast, or eat it with tomatoes, pork rinds, various pâtés or serrano ham.
El Malaga camper It is something quite new, let's say it appeared in the 80s of the last century, but it became very popular. It's a round sandwich, we could say, filled with York ham, lettuce, mayonnaise, tomato and cheese, basically. Although there are variations.
Within baking we can also talk about sweet dishes or Malaga pastry. There are calls here crazy cakes, some puff pastry dulles filled with cream and covered with a orange glaze with a cherry in the center.
The Poor Clare nuns of the Cloistered Convent of Belén make a sweet called bienmesabe which is of Arab origin: it has almonds, citron syrup, sugar, ground cinnamon, sponge cake and eggs.
Finally, outside of our list of what dishes to eat in Malaga but without a doubt deserving a place we do not forget the salchichón from Málaga, olives, wild eggs, eggplants with cane honey, coquinas from Málaga, sweet wine torrijas typical of Holy Week or Torta from Málaga which is a rich, soft sponge cake, with raisins and almonds bathed in muscatel wine and apricot jam...