Málaga culture

Gazpacho

Gazpacho andaluz

Receipt:
Ingredients: 1 kg of mature tomatoes, 1 peeled cucumber, 1 green pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and breadcrumbs.

Wash, peel and cut the tomatoes, the cucumber and the pepper. Put everything in the mixer, together with the breadcrumbs soaked in vinegar. Mix it well and add the salt and the oil and mix it all together. For a more liquid soup, add half a liter of cold water. Add some ice cubes and put it in the fridge. To serve with the soup: pepper, cucumber and onion in small pieces.

Brochette of Sardines

The best way to eat fish in Málaga is the "pescaíto" which means the fish grilled or fried. It doesn´t matter whether you go to one of the open "grills" on the beach or to one of the many good restaurants. The "Sardinas en espeto" are especially famous. The sardines are put on wood brochettes with shaped tips not to destroy the delicate flesh of the sardines. The brochettes are put into sand close to the embers. The wood being used is olive because it burns much slower.
The "espetero" is someone who knows this method best and can decide when the fish is ready. To have an "espeto de sardinas" and a cool, refreshing beer is the ideal appetizer on a hot day on the beach.

Fritura malagueña

A typical way to prepare fish is to fry it in olive oil (small sardines, squid, shrimps, white fish, small salmons, etc.). The platter consists of a variety of fish caught in the Bay of Málaga.

Tapas

In former days, starting at the end of the 18th century, when people started to have a glass of wine in one of the taverns, it was most likely that because of the hot Andalucian summer insects would fall into their glasses.Ordering the wine the landlord was told to "cover" (tapar) the glass. So he cut thin slices of cheese or sausage to do so. Once you had taken your drink without insects, people took to eating cheese, serrano-ham and olives with their wine.