Andalusian cuisine facts for kids

Andalusian cuisine is the delicious food from Andalusia, a region in southern Spain. It's famous for dishes like gazpacho (a cold soup), fried fish (often called pescaíto frito), and tasty hams from places like Jabugo. The wines from Jerez, especially sherry, are also very well-known around the world.

Frying in Andalusian Cooking

Puntillitas, which are battered and fried baby squid.

When people fry food in Andalusia, they mostly use olive oil. This oil comes from olives grown in provinces like Jaén, Córdoba, Seville, and Granada. Other areas like Málaga and Cádiz also make olive oil, but in smaller amounts.

To fry food, especially fish, people often just coat it in flour. This is called a la Andaluza. Sometimes, they use chickpea flour, especially for batters. Then, they fry the food in a lot of hot olive oil until it's crispy and golden.

Seafood from the Coast

Andalusia has five provinces right on the coast, so it's no surprise that people there eat a lot of fish and shellfish. You can find all sorts of seafood, like:

• White shrimp from the Bay of Cádiz
• Prawns
• Anchovies
• Baby squid
• Cuttlefish
• A special dish from San Fernando called "bocas de la Isla," which uses a local crab that can regrow its claw!
• Flounder

You might also find some unique seafood dishes, like ortiguillas. These are sea anemones that are dipped in batter and fried. It's a very special local treat!

Sweet Treats and Desserts

Pestiños de miel, a sweet pastry covered in honey.

Did you know that sugar first came to Andalusia a long time ago, around the 900s? It was brought by the Moors and grown in Granada.

Many Andalusian desserts have a strong influence from the Arabic cooking styles of the Middle Ages. Some popular sweet dishes include:

• Pestiños: These are deep-fried pastries covered in sweet honey.
• amarguillo [es]: A type of almond macaroon from Medina Sidonia.
• Polvorones: Crumbly almond cookies from Estepa.
• Wine doughnuts
• torrija [es]
• Calentitos (which are also known as churros)

Famous Wines and Drinks

The wines from Jerez, also called sherry, are famous all over the world. Even the famous writer William Shakespeare praised them! But there are other great wines too:

• Manzanilla from Sanlúcar de Barrameda
• White wines from Cádiz
• Wines from Condado in Huelva
• Wines from Montilla-Moriles in Córdoba
• Wines from Málaga
• La tintilla from Rota

The region also makes popular liquors. These include anís (an anise-flavored drink) made in Rute and Cazalla de la Sierra. There are also rums from the Tropical Coast of Granada, especially from Motril.

Popular Andalusian Dishes

Jamón, which is a type of dry-cured pork ham.

Some of the most well-known dishes in Andalusia are:

• Pescaito frito (fried fish)
• Gazpacho (a refreshing cold soup)
• salmorejo from Cordoba (a thicker version of gazpacho)
• pringá (a mix of meats from a stew)
• Oxtail stew
• jamón ibérico (a special Iberian ham)
• Prepared olives
• Alboronía
• poleá
• Various kinds of wine, including different types of sherries like fino, manzanilla, oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, and amontillado. These are some of the most exported Spanish wines.
• Málaga wine

While wine from Montilla is similar to sherry, it's not technically called sherry. However, it gives its name to amontillado, which means "in the style of Montilla."

Here are some other delicious Andalusian dishes:

See also

In Spanish: Gastronomía de Andalucía para niños