Food and Drinks.

Alicante and food

Alicante’s traditional food revolves around the Mediterranean Sea. The main feature of the area’s cuisine, much like on the rest of the eastern coast of Spain, is rice. Alicante is furthermore a vegetable growing region, which is why legumes and vegetables are also responsible for some of the key dishes that make up Alicante’s traditional food.

Some of the traditional / famous dishes: 

• Botifarra de ceba
  Botifarra de ceba or morcilla de cebolla is a Spanish sausage originating from Alicante. In Valencian, the word ceba means onion. The sausage consists of blood, fat, and onions that are seasoned and flavored with salt, pepper, pimentón, oregano, and cloves before the concoction is stuffed into casings. It can be consumed fresh, fried, grilled, or boiled.
  
• Arroz a banda
  Rice is the most common used ingredient of in the Alicante kitchen. Arroz a banda is, without a doubt, the most popular of these rice dishes and originates from Alicante. The dish was invented by fishermen, rice was placed on the table with the fish and seafood to the side of it (‘a banda’). Nowadays it is all served together. The key to the dish’s delicious flavour is the fish broth in which the rice is cooked and a generous sofrito made of garlic, ñora peppers, tomatoes, cuttlefish and prawns, among other ingredients. 
  
• Arroz con costra
  Out of all the traditional rice dishes of eastern Spain this is the most different, above all because of the ingredients that go into it (cold cuts of meat and beaten egg, as well as chicken and/or rabbit) and because of the fact it is cooked in a clay pot. To get its characteristic crispy texture (costra is Spanish for ‘crust’), it is finished off in the oven.
• Paella alicantina
  Like all paellas this one has many versions based on the main ingredients: fish, meat, chicken, rabbit, vegetables, etc. All the versions have one feature in common, however: salmorreta, the sauce in which the rice is sautéed. Salmorreta alicantina is made from tomatoes, garlic, parsley and ñora peppers, which are, to a large degree, responsible for the flavour and colour of this type of paella.
• Turrón de Jijona and Turrón de Alicante
  Turrón, a type of nougat, is without a doubt Alicante’s most popular traditional Christmas food. Jijona (a soft turrón), gets its texture by grinding almonds, the main ingredient, together with honey. Although turrón de Alicante falls under the Protected Geographical Indication, it is quite different to that of Jijona, due to its texture. It is known as turrón duro, or hard turrón. It also contains a large amount of almonds, but in this case they are not ground but diced. Turrón de Alicante also contains honey, however the ingredient responsible for emulsifying and making the other ingredients stick together is egg white.
• Borreta alicantina
  Borreta is one of the best examples of Alicante’s traditional winter food. Similar in concept to potaje de vigilia, a cod and chickpea stew that is eaten at Lent and Easter, its core ingredient is some good salted cod, which is combined with potatoes, vegetables such as spinach, and the almost ubiquitous (at least in Alicante’s food) ñora peppers.

Funfact:
Like we shared under History, tapas originated in Alicante. In Alicante they started to serve small delicacies on a slice of bread to travelers.

Wineries to visit

• Bodegas Volver
  
• Bodegas Bocopa
• Bodega Finca Collado
  
• Bodegas Sierra Salinas
• Bodegas Cerdá
• La Cueva de Baco
  
• Bodegas Gutiérrez de la Vega
  
  

Wines/drinks you need to try

• Tinto de Verano
  This is a typical drink in Spain for the summer and is similar to the Portuguese /Spanish drink sangria, but tinto de verano is much more common to find. The drink is created by a mix of Spanish red wine with a fruity soft drink (f.i. lemon Fanta, 7-up or another soda as long as it is sweet, fizzy and lemony). Add some Vermouth for an extra kick and garnish with citrus. Serve it cold and enjoy!
• Tarima Mediterráneo 2018
  This beautiful red wine is produced in the Alicante region and you can visit the winery Bodegas Volver.
  
• Mistela
  A liqueur made by adding alcohol to grape must, thus avoiding spontaneous fermentation. Before bottling, to give it a complex flavour and aromatics, herbs and sliced fruit may be added to the barrel in which the mistela is stored. It has a minimum alcohol proof of 13% and a maximum of 23% and is drunk as an aperitif, with dessert or as a digestif.
  
• Cafe Licor
  This coffee liqueur is popular throughout Alicante and in Valencia. It is made by roasting coffee beans and then macerating them in a distillate. Typical alcohol content varies from 15 to 25% ABV. Unlike other types of coffee liqueurs, this version is not sweet or syrupy. The legend says it was developed from the tradition of adding a splash of aguardiente, rum, or brandy to coffee. The combination became popular among the citizens of Alcoy, and many decided to produce and bottle the drink. This dark liquor has typical coffee aromas and flavors and is best served neat, preferably well-chilled.
  
• Monte Alicia Chardonnay 
  In case you prefer a white wine, Monte Alicia is unbelievable. We need to share however it is from the north, near Barcelona (Somontano)

Restaurants you need to visit

• la tasca del barrio, Alicante center
  Traditional Alicante food with superb wines from the region.
  
• Pinchos in Lizarran, Santa Pola 
  Incredible good pinchos, in a very nice space/terrace with a beautiful view in the Marina of Santa Pola. Every piece of food has a small or a large stick which indicates the price. In the end you pay for your number of sticks and of course your drinks. 
• Pizzeria Il Capezzolo
  Super pizza's for superb prices. Give our regards to Javi!
• Zvra, Santa Pola
   On the pier in Santa Pola with a beautiful harbour view is this classy and modern restaurant. Delicious and very nice experience.
• La Mirada, Torrevieja
   After visiting the shoppingcenter we went to playa de la Zenia and had a drink with the breathtaking view at the terrace of La Mirada.
• more will follow...    the more we eat in Alicante
  

Il Capezzolo	La Tasca del Barrio
Zvra in Santa Pola	Jamon Iberico (La Tasca del barrio)
La Mirada	Stunning view from La Mirada