Bienvenido a Andalucia

View from the Puente San Miguel, Ronda

To ease the blow of returning to gloom, snowy London after a few weeks home in sunny California, Nate and I took a four day road trip through Andalucia, Spain.

We flew into Malaga and drove along the coast of the Mediterranean for an hour or so and then headed north into the mountains toward Granada - home of the Alhambra. 

Hungry upon arrival we went in search of some tapas and found a place with lots of jamon serrano - dry cured mountain ham from the "original" Sierra Nevada - that is served raw and super-thin.

We also had chorizo - cured pork sausage a bit smokey and spicy from the smoked red peppers that are used to flavor the pork and a mild Manchego cheese made from the whole milk of the Manchega sheep.

Anxious to get out into the countryside we left Granada the next afternoon and drove west zipping through the mountains covered in olive orchards.

I thought the trees would be bare as olives are usually harvested in the fall but these trees were full of deep purple empeltre olives.

Taking our time to enjoy the scenery we made it to Ronda in the early evening. We explored the town famous for the Puente San Miguel - an old Roman bridge that spans across a 500 foot gorge. 

We stopped for our second evening of tapas and tried cana de lomo iberica - Iberian air-dried pork loin, which was absolutely delicious. It is made from Iberico ham or black-hoofed ham which has a longer curing process than the serrano ham, typically for at least two years. Because it is the loin of pork it is a bit more meaty, deeper in color, and less fatty than serrano ham. Unfortunately, the dark tapas bar prohibited any great pictures of the cana de lomo iberica - but a must to try if you get the chance. These juicy pork meatballs - albondigas - were absolutely delicious as well.

After tapas and riojas wine we went to dinner and had a juicy roast chicken, tortilla, and more serrano ham - this time sliced table-side!

In the morning we were greeted with a little Spanish rain so decided to get back on the road and head to Sevilla. Quickly we went past the clouds and came across more orchards - this time not of olives but solar panels! With thousands of hours of sunlight Spain is a leader in the use of this renewable energy!

Our last stop for this trip to Spain ended in Sevilla, where the streets are lined with fragrant orange trees.

If your wondering why these ripe oranges haven't been picked and eaten by locals and tourists its because these Sevilla oranges are bitter oranges - the type used for bitter orange marmalade and very popular in the United Kingdom.

More important than Christmas in Spain is Reyes celebrated on January 6, when the Three Kings came to visit the baby Jesus, baring gifts. Nativity scenes are in every church and in nearly every courtyard in Sevilla. The day is celebrated with the exchange of gifts (rather than on Christmas day) and with Rosco de Reyes - Three Kings Cake. This yeasted cake is formed into a ring and baked with candied citrus and other brightly colored fruits. Some are sliced and layered with different flavors of cream.

Inside the cake is often a hidden plastic Jesus, candy, bean, or almond. The finder is considered blessed, but also responsible for a number of things like paying for the cake or hosting Dia de la Candelaria or the Purification of the Blessed Virgin on February 2.  

We couldn't leave Spain without spending our last night in a tapas bar and this time decided to go for seafood as we hadn't had any yet. Our favorite was small and tender - grilled cuttlefish.

 

Comments

[Lori]

What beautiful pictures! It sounds like a great trip. I loved reading the history of the cake. I didn't know a whole lot about it.

[Daily Spud]

I'm feeling just an ever-so-slight pang of jealousy :) - I've visited Seville around this time of the year and it's just lovely. I love the orange trees that line the streets (and I love the marmalade you can make with them!)

[Tangled Noodle]

How I love your posts! Your photos and commentaries are so detailed yet simply evocative - vicarious travel (for me) at its best. Thank you for sharing!

[Maria]

I'm feeling a pang of jealousy as I have never been to Spain at all and I am in dire need of a getaway right now. Your photos are beautiful and it sounds like you enjoyed some great dishes.

[Sam]

I love Spain, it's an amazing place. I've cycled right across it twice now on the Camino De Santiago.

I love your photos, I'm a little jealous as I never got to try the Iberico ham, I saw it for sale once but the price was obscene!

Great post!

[Gastroanthropologist]

Lori - The history of certain foods makes them that much more interesting, doesn't it?

Daily Spud - With no checked luggage we couldn't bring any marmalade home... But, I wasn't too upset because I know the selection of bitter marmalade is probably greater here!

Tangled Noodle - Thank you for reading!

Maria - Thanks...add Spain to your getaway list...but maybe for the early summer to take full advantage of the wonderful weather there!

Sam - While driving through we thought the terrain perfect for cycling. We saw a whole hind leg of Iberico on sale for over 700 Euro! That's why they slice it so super-thin!

[Joie de vivre]

Oh wow. What a way to combat gloom! I think if I ever walked in to a place and saw all those serrano hams hanging from the ceiling, I would think I had just been hit by a bus and must have walked into heaven! Ahhh...and the serrano ham sliced tableside! Oh man.

[V]

Aww... you were there! We went to the same area (Rhonda, Granada, Seville, and... Tarifa, but that was a bit off). But we didn't find the juicy looking cuttlefish! Where was that?

And thanks for answering the questions on the oranges. I wondered about it myself.

[gastroanthropologist]

V - Cuttlefish...we went to a seafood tapas bar just a few blocks north of the Cathedral. It's called La Alicantina at Plaza del Salvador 2. Tapas were only 2 Euros and the other offerings were delicious as well!