Gastronomy
 The
rich variety of Valencia cooking mirrors the variety existing in its
province and comes as yet another pleasant surprise to the visitor.
Among the typical dishes, the Paella
Valenciana comes first, after having become the most
international Spanish dish in its own right. The true Paella Valenciana
is prepared over a wood fire and has the following ingredients: rice,
chicken, rabbit, snail, young beans, "tabella", "garrofo",
tomato, olive oil, salt, saffron, red pepper and water.
The rice
dish has produced an endless variety of different combinations. Arros
a Banda, based on fish, and Arros Negre
with squid in inky sauce, which are served with all y oli as an appetizer.
Paella de Verduras (with vegetables),
Arros al Forn (prepared in the oven),
Arros amb Bledes (with chard), Arros amb
Fesols i Naps (with white beans, pork, lard, "garreta",
black pudding and turnips), followed by a long list of other varieties
since rice is the local staple food.
 The
Fideua is
a "paella" of thin noodles with shellfish and fish, which
comes from Gandia where an international competition is organized
every year to promote the dish. All i Pebre
is a sauce made with garlic and pepper and normally accompanies eel,
a very common dish around La Albufera and Catarroja.
El Gazpacho is a typical dish prepared
with hare, rabbit and partridge with "torta de pastor" (lit.
Shepherd's pie), sopa coberta or les pilotes; olla churra, calducho
or morteruelo; gachamiga, ajoarriero, ajetao, giraboix, lamb prepared
in the oven, blat picat, sausage products, mazamorro, cachuli and
les coques escaldes are all very traditional fare in the inland regions.
Apart from the excellent quality of Valencia fruit where the orange
takes first place, there is a wide range of desserts or sweet dishes,
especially arnadi, and a series of typical
refreshments, outstanding among which is the horchata,
a cold drink -originally from Alboraya- made with chufa, rush or tiger
nuts. It is usually drunk with fartons.
As a result of a well conceived plan, the Valencia wines
are made with ever increasing care and their quality will also come
as a surprise to the visitor. The whites from the Upper Turia and
the Serrania or the reds from Requena, Utiel and Campo de Liria as
well as some other area will satisfy the most demanding tastes. |
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