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Turismo de Alcalá de Guadaíra

Gastronomic guide

Unique Tastes for Everybody

Talking about Alcalá's Gastronomy, of a determined specialty of food or stew or of an autochthonous food, is difficult, if not impossible. Alcalá, the same as most of the Andalusian villages and above all, those from Seville province, use the same alimentary products and practise the same type of cooking: Mediterranean. They are different ways of cooking. There are few specialties and several ways of cooking them.

Alcalá's cooking has all the ingredients of Andalusian's: Gazpacho, fried fish, the stew with pringá (It consists of roast beef or pork, cured sausages such as chorizo and morcilla, and pork fat; people break off pieces of crusty bread and use it to pull away a little meat, sausage, and fat; then, they mash the bread in the meat and eat it. It was called food), the sopeao [a singular version of gazpacho], the tomato soups, spinach, rice with partridge, migas[breadcrumbs fried with different ingredients] and more than a hundred dishes with various forms of elaboration.

Unique Tastes for Everybody

It would be very difficult to find a special dish. But within Alcalá's way of cooking, if we can find some dishes or products with a special sign or touch. We are talking, for instance, to the different pucheros, cocidos (different kinds of stews), and rice dishes. Or, for example, the elaboration of the pork scratchings that at some of Alcalá's butcher's shops reach a certain level of sublimity.

Another point is bread. Alcalá has always been named as Alcalá of the Bakers. Its history is backed by the uncountable flour mills located at the Guadaíra's bank where the wheat was ground by the millers, and later this flour was used to make bread. This bread was manufactured with varied shapes and sizes (and names!): Bollos, teleras, roscos and regañás, molletes, picaítos, cuarterones, medias de canto, medias bobas, medias acarrilladas..., in more than half a hundred bakeries. Many of these pieces can be considered like specifically from Alcalá, conforming an own sign of identity.

This bread is kneaded with a special component: Water. This water comes from Alcalá's springs and was also driven to Seville through the wrongly-called "Caños de Carmona" (Carmona's Pipes) through subterranean channels.

Alcalá's Bread
Alcalá's Bread
For several centuries, Alcalá supplied Seville thousands of kilos of bread that was taken in mules and later by train to be distributed at different homes or to be sold in stands or markets.

 

Finally, before getting into other matters and gastronomic specialties, we should mention, because of its importance, the multiple factories dedicated to olives dressing, more popularly known as "olives stores" ("almacenes de aceitunas" in Spanish). There were many types of olives that were dressed: manzanilla, gordal, pitted olives, stuffed with pepper, azofairon olives... Alcalá, along with Dos Hermanas, exported olives to the United States, Venezuela, Cuba, and, of course, sold them for Spanish consumption.

Alcalá has also famous restaurants that offer some dishes elaborated on the basis of a traditional cooking but with modern and innovative touches of the new cuisine. It has always two characteristics: Andalusian and Mediterranean Cooking.

Gastronomy in Holy Week
Gastronomy in Holy Week.
The typical dishes of this season are: Codfish prepared in many different ways and with varied ingredients; fished garnished with vegetables; spinach; chickpea stews and pots without chorizo.
Christmas Gastronomy
Christmas Gastronomy.
Among culinary traditions of these days, there was one of having turkey or chicken on Christmas Eve dinner, depending on the economic situation of each one. Typical of Christmas are: Pestiños (honey or sugar-coated pancakes), torrijas (fried slice of bread soaked in milk, wine, etc), marzipans, mantecados (They are a kind of Spanish shortbread, very similar to polvorón; the name mantecado comes from the manteca de cerdo ibérico -fat of Iberian pig- with which they are made.)
Tapas around the town
Tapas around the town.
Going de tapas in Alcalá is not easy. It is not difficult, either. Bars that offer splendid tapas as portions or half-portions are many. Other ones offer the simple tapa [i.e., smaller portions]. However, all of them elaborated with imagination and full of quality. Alcalá has bars, cafés and taverns where you can taste from a plate of snails to fish, cold pork meat and sausages, meat dishes. In order to confirm these specialties, there is a "Route of tapas".

 

Confectionery.

It deserves special attention, not only regarding the great variety of sweets made in our town, but also because we can be proud of autochthonous varieties and products; we are talking about two specialities, famous "tortas de Alcalá" (Alcalá's cakes) and "bizcotelas rellenas" (a kind of filled pastry). These two gastronomic delights -known in many places of Spain and abroad- are consumed by every kind of people and personalities.

Confectionery

Tocinos de cielo (sweet made with egg yolk and sugar), mantecados de Viena (they are a kind of Spanish shortbread, very similar to polvorón; the name mantecado comes from the manteca de cerdo ibérico -fat of Iberian pig- with which they are made), signos, cidra (sweet made of pumpkin and syrup ) and egg ring-shaped cakes, piononos, meringues, medialunas, cream... There are up to hundreds of pastry cooks varieties, a part of our confectionery, elaborated by famous Alcalá's confectioneries with magic and professional hands. A special little case is made up by sweets made by the Sisters of Santa Clara (St. Claire) Convent: suspiros (sighs), corazones (hearts), bocaditos (little mouthfuls)...

Alcalá has, therefore, a complete gastronomic menu worthy of the most demanding palates.

Descargar Guía Gastronómica

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