Speak the Culture: Spain: Be Fluent in Spanish Life and Culture

At Elche they proudly nurture Europe’s biggest date

grove, planted in the 10thcentury by Moors. Next

door inMurciait’s a similar story, the irrigated coastal

stretches nurturing everything from oranges to broad

beans. Murcia also boasts fine cured meats and a rice,

calasparra, with its own DO status.

Catalonia

Zarzuela de mariscos– casserole featuring squid, mussels, fish and much more.

Aragón

Migas– yesterday’s breadcrumbs fried with olive oil, sausages, egg and anything

else to hand.

Valencia

Arroz negro– rice and seafood dish coloured black with squid or cuttlefish ink.

Murcia

Zarangollo– courgettes fried with onions, egg and, in some cases, potatoes.

Iconic dishes from the east

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1. Identity: the
   building blocks of
   2. Literature
   and philosophy
   3. Art and
   architecture
   4. Performing
   arts
   5. Cinema
   and fashion
   6. Media and
   communications
   7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
   the details of

Fungi stuff
Mushroom foraging is
virtually a religion in
Catalonia, as is the
subsequent consumption
of any pickings. The
skills of theboletaire,
the mushroom hunter,
are passed down from
generation to generation
in the Pyrenees, with
prize fungi locations kept
a strongly guarded
secret.

Grandma is traditionally
given the task of making
thecrema Catalana
(very similar to a crème
brûlée), to be eaten on
St Joseph’s Day, 19th
March.

Rich pickings
Three types of truffles
are found in Catalonia,
of which tuber
melanosporum is the
celebrated black Périgord
truffle. Connoisseurs
head to the special
markets in Olot, Vic and
Centelles from December
to March.

Turrón, an almond

nougat originating

in Jijona, Valencia,

is considered a

national treat.