Entertainment & Culture
Gastronomy
Intro
Seville's gastronomy is a true reflection of its entire history. It is intimately linked to Andalusian from where it gets its ingredients. This is this case of jamón serrano (cured ham), shellfish from Cádiz and Huelva, manchego cheese...It is a popular cuisine inherited from its past. The essential olive oil can be traced to Seville's close ties with Mediterranean civilizations.
Refined and tolerant Muslims introduced other new elements. Additional ingredients brought back from America were rapidly integrated into Sevillian cuisine and later spread throughout Europe.
The Arabic roots are especially vigorous. Certain dishes such as gazpacho, something found in all Andalusian provinces, were also extended throughout the rest of Spain
Highlights
Gazpacho is a mixture of bread, water, garlic, tomato, peppers, vinegar and olive oil. It is served in a cup or bowl when accompanied with garnish. It represents one of the best exponents of our cuisine. Its recipe evolved further as new ingredients were brought back from America in the 17th C.
Amongst the main dishes of Sevillian gastronomy we can highlight, aside from gazpacho, ensaladilla sevillana, (variation of potato salad) which uses endives instead of lettuce, menudo (type of Andalusian styled tripe), cola de toro (bull's tail), lomo de cerdo con manteca (pork loin with lard), ternera a la sevillana (Sevillian styled veal -olives and white wine), pringá (mixture of veal, bacon, chorizo, blood sausage and ham), pavías de pescado (fish pastries, named after the battle of Pavía) or espinacas con garbanzos (spinach with chick peas), a recipe inherited from the Arabs
The selection of fruit is rich and abundant. During the reign of the Arabs jams and jellies were already being made.
Sevillian stoves, which existed during the splendour of the Arab-Andalusian times, were reclaimed during the Renaissance period. Some even lasted up until very recently. In such devises pastries such as tortas de aceite (pastry thin large rounded olive oil cookies) were made and exported throughout Spain, polvorones (sweet traditional pastries of Arab influence), eaten especially during Christmas; today many varieties exist.
However, the most exquisite Sevillian pastries, resulting from the presence of past cultures, can be traced to our city's enclosed convents; a special tradition with charm. The sweetest tooth's can get their fill on a variety of pastries such as yemas de San (sweet made from sugar and egg yolk) Leandro, mermeladas caseras de Santa Paula (homemade marmelades), pasteles and rosquillas rellenas de cidra de Santa Clara (cider pastries), bollería surtida de Santa Inés, or rosquitos de San Clemente (varied pastries from these convents). All of these products, rich and mysterious legacies, defying the passing of time, are still being made today. They remain untouched even by large multinational and high quality industries; these pastries made by nuns defend handmade tradition and natural products, ingredients essential to recipes that have been jealously guarded over generations.
Today Sevillian cooks prepare elaborate and varied dishes without ignoring original and popular roots. There are many fine establishments renowned both within Spain and outside our borders which offer varied and imaginative menus of top quality products, aside from an endless number of authentic and traditional Sevillian dishes which over time have received improvements and variations.
We invite you to come and check out these delights by visiting our establishments and by trying these recipes; we're confident that you'll leave fully satisfied wishing to return and repeat the experience.
Tapas
Although there are excellent restaurants in Seville offering all types of Andalusian specialties as well as national and international cuisine, Sevillian gastronomy's true identity lies in tapeo (snacking in bars) or dishes of hors d'oeuvres. Its tradition in the city and throughout the province and consists of going out with friends to "tapear" at midday while having a beer or at around dinner time. Although tapas exist in all of Spain, Sevillian traits are most particular due to the ritual and cultural character that go in hand.
The most common theory about the origins of the tapa is that it derived from a custom of covering (tapando) the wine glass with a piece of bread and pork, this way serving both at the same time.
In order to really get to know authentic Sevillian cuisine, one must try the ample and varied assortment of tapas offered in bars and taverns. Although even small grocery shops may serve pork tapas when they don't even offer cooked food. This is also true in certain kiosks and old taverns that sell picadillos (minced meat) or aliños (various seasoned meats), ensaladillas (version of Russian potato salad), papas aliñás (seasoned potatoes), tortilla de patatas (Spanish potato omelet) and lomo mechado (loin strips).
Bars in Seville specialize in a great variety of tapas. Some places even go as far as inventing new variations of original recipes. Although the list of tapas can go on forever, the most common ones are the above mentioned picadillos o aliños varios, ensaladillas, papas aliñás, the tortilla de patatas and lomo mechado.
One must add the unending list of aliños (seasoned foods): melva (blue fish), pulpo (octopus), pimientos (peppers), huevas de pescado (fish eggs - roe). including "papas aliñás" (potato). Other popular cold dishes include adding olives which are prepared many different ways.
Assortments of fried fish such as boquerones (anchovies), puntillitas (small squid), cazón en adobo (dogfish) are also very popular tapas. Other important tapas consist of cuchareos (stews), small casseroles of stews of the day potaje de chícharos, garbanzos con bacalao, papas con chocos, espinacas.
Montaditos, a type of small toasted roll-sandwich usually filled with morcilla (blood sausage), chorizo picante (spicy sausage) or even the typical pringá (meat from cocido dish) from cocido (stew of meat, bacon, chickpeas, etc.), as well as other ingredients such as palometa (harvestfish) and queso (cheese), jamón iberico (expensive cured ham), lomo (pork), roquefort cheese, carne mechá (broiled beef), "capotes"... are other tasty tapas worth trying.
Under the hot (heated) tapa category the king is the pincho moruno. Known also as "pinchitos", this typical andalusí snack is a mixture of a series of spices that season marinated pieces of chicken or pork.
Between glasses of wine or beer, we suggest a flamenquín (ham stuffed breaded/fried meat rolls) or a favorite, "soldaditos de pavía" (hake or cod breaded with flour; the name is derived from the colour of the uniforms used by soldiers - soladados, who won the Battle of Pavía)
A curious note is to listen to Sevillian waiters recite the list of tapas, an ideal substitute to those listed on menus or blackboards.
Tapeo (going out for tapas), is not just an eating and drinking act, instead it constitutes a social act. Bars and terraces that serve them are the preferred spots for the locals to savour these small and varied dishes.
A tapa's best ally is a Sherry wine; a manzanilla sherry or an amontillado (pale dry sherry), although the warm climate of Seville recommends a cold beer.
Seville has thousands of bars which offer exquisite tapas.