Mediterranean cuisine: What to eat on the Costa Blanca?
Another reason to settle on the Costa Blanca - Mediterranean cuisine and thousands of restaurants: with Michelin stars, excellent service, delicious dishes and reasonable prices. The varied and exquisite food offer combined with an interesting assortment of properties for sale or rent in a nice natural and urban environment, turn Costa Blanca into a great place to live.
The Healthiest Diet
Mediterranean cuisine combined with the unique healing climate of the Costa Blanca brings health and long years of living. The average life expectancy in Spain is 83 years, and the risk of obesity or heart disease is less than 18% lower when compared to the average value in the world according to the WHO (World Health Organization). Gastronomic colouring of the coast is not only the famous paella, cooked in each town in different ways, taking into account local traditions. Other national Spanish specialities are the seafood: shrimp in batter, fried calamari, octopus with potatoes, rice with anchovies...
Gastronomic cities of Costa Blanca
Denia is the main gastronomic city of Costa Blanca. There are many gourmet restaurants here, and the most famous of them is Quique Dacosta, the author's restaurant of the most famous chef of Costa Blanca. The restaurant takes 26th place in the ranking of the 50 best restaurants in the world and has 3 Michelin stars. Just think how wonderful it would be to own an apartment in Dénia and be able to enjoy any of these restaurants at your pleasure. More information about other restaurants in this resort town with a wonderful climate – Denia, can be found in the article: Denia: Are you still looking for your place on the Mediterranean coast?
For meat lovers, in the resort town of Xàbia you can find a juicy and delicate dish - beef tongue in the nuts sauce. Best of all, it is cooked in BonAmb restaurant, it is served in a sizzling skillet with a "carpet" of bacon slices, sprinkled with local white wine, peanut sauce and served with pieces of broccoli. This restaurant has 2 Michelin stars and is famous with its chefs Alberto Ferruz and Pablo Català, who turn meat dishes into masterpieces.
Another dish, which is a business card of Costa Blanca - beef with capers under tuna sauce. You would wonder, how can you combine fish and meat in one dish? You will not believe but, it creates an unusual palette of tastes. Try it yourself! And most importantly, all products of the restaurants in Costa Blanca are fresh, fish is brought from the port in the morning before opening; restaurants do not open without fresh fish. Fresh vegetables and fruits are grown on local farms, wine and olive oil is brought from local wineries. Together, these products form the famous Mediterranean diet, which rejuvenates and influences your health.
The best choice for summer lunch is a refreshing tomato soup, Gazpacho! On the Costa Blanca, it is considered not only the first dish, but also a drink, so it can be served in a beautiful glass, like fresh tomato juice. It is prepared from tomatoes, a few slices of bread with the addition of spices, garlic and vinegar. The prototype of this soup was consumed by Roman legionaries.
One of the most popular Spanish dishes is tortilla, this is an omelette, made from potatoes. On the Costa Blanca, in the midst of the velvet season, it is prepared in a special way: add fresh tomatoes, zucchini and lettuce leaves. This dish has been known since the XVII century and presumably for the first time it was prepared by the Cartesian monks. The monastic order of the Roman Catholic Church was founded in 1084. Tortilla is loved and used in every family, as the main dish or snack, and local cafes often offer to buy tortilla’s "street" version -tortilla sandwich.
Unusual things, gourmets should try
Nowadays, you would not surprise customers with widely available mussels, shrimp and scallops are, however the sea life specialties of the Mediterranean restaurant Aticcook, in Denia, are highly valued even by experienced gourmets. Here is prepared the traditional fishermen dish - Iyandetu. It consists of half of the Dorado steaks and half of the large Denia’s shrimps. Served in its own juice with tomatoes, potatoes, and perfectly combined with the sweet wine Gramona Gessami. The restaurant is considered one of the best in service and design of dishes on the coast, its founder, Bruno Ruiz, speaks of his cuisine: "Our motto is love and sensuality."
Unexpectedly, but you will also be pleased with fried sardines, they are fried in olive oil on a grill and served with potatoes. Sardine is appreciated here not only as a delicious fish, but also as a long-standing traditional fishing dish of Spain. Fried salted sardines here are considered a tribute to the medieval tradition, as the main dish of the celebrations of many Spanish kings. Imagine: in honour of this river fish on 2nd of April, in Moraira, a masquerade festival "The Burial of the Sardine" is held! Despite such a mourning name, the carnival itself is very fun and solemn. The people come out in bright outfits, interesting costumes and become participants in a comic "funeral" procession on the streets of the city. Several mourners accompany the "coffin" adorned with flowers and decorations - a large figure of sardine made of cloth or papier-mâché.
Wine of Costa Blanca
Mediterranean cuisine, restaurants, cafes and port bureaus: everything on the coast will surprise the gourmets! You can arrange a gastronomic trip on the Costa Blanca, necessarily part of which should be wine tourism. On the coast there are about 30 wineries that produce more than 25 varieties of wine. Spend the evening at the tasting of an exclusive stockyard, which is served with snacks: jamon, cheeses and foie gras.
More information about wine tourism on the Costa Blanca and the secrets of family wineries you will find in the article: Wineries of Costa Blanca: Where to find the best wine?
