Benidorm is known for its multiculturalism. Different nationalities share its streets, but it still keeps its traditional gastronomy.
Benidorm is a modern and cosmopolitan town. Considering that it is the tourism capital in the eastern coast of Spain, it is not strange that you can find a wide variety of cultures and nationalities that you can enjoy in your holidays in Benidorm.
Thanks to this city’s open-minded relationship with other cultures, we can find nearly all national or international kind of food in any of Benidorm hotel or restaurant. Considering this you can either enjoy an excellent Asturian stew, a nice Japanese sushi or the typical English breakfast with bacon and eggs.
But, what could you eat in Benidorm before it became a touristic town?
Benidorm traditional gastronomy
Benidorm is placed in a privilege area considering both its geographic and its ‘geogastronomic’ location. The Mediterranean littoral is the cradle for the well known Mediterranean gastronomy.
As you can find in many of the towns and cities bathed by the Mediterranean waters, the traditional gastronomy is a healthy mixture of vegetables and meat or fish from the area. As many other different localities, Benidorm has its ‘typical dishes’ that were its gastronomic base when this town was only a small fishermen village; and what did they eat at the time?
Benidorm typical dishes
You can find different places to enjoy this town’s typical old dishes. In between the most well known dishes we can point out these ones:
Rice with red mullets and pumpkin
Made with rice, fish and vegetables, this is one Benidorm typical dish.
This tasteful stew is made with the fish called red mullet, pumpkin and green beans. As we can find in many different rice dishes from this area, it is prepared with lightly fried garlic and some spices that will give this dish a special touch.
Rice with beans and turnips
Known as well as ‘Arròs amb fesols i naps’. This succulent rice is made with soggy rice, meat broth and vegetables and it is perfect for a cold winter day. In this case the rice is prepared with pork pieces (ossobuco, feet and backbone) and ‘blanquets’, a typical sausage from the area. We mix everything up with white beans, turnips and cardoons.
Rice with white anchovies and spinaches
It is a typical kind of rice, not only from Benidorm; you can find it in nearly all of La Marina regions. The rice with white anchovies and spinaches is dry rice, as the one in paella. Its main ingredients are spinaches, white anchovies and delicious lightly fried ñora peppers, garlic and parsley.
Filled ‘coca’ and ‘coca a la calda’
They are typical Roman recipes. Salty ‘cocas’ are one of the delicious traditional dishes you can taste in Benidorm. Their dough is similar to the one you prepare for bread, with round shape if they are for one person or with square shape if it is a family one. You can fill this salty dough with different food and that will create the different types of cocas, for example: tomatoes, roasted pepper, tuna and eggs filling or sausages and black puddings filling are the more typical ones in Benidorm.
Saint Blas bun
They are perfect for the sweet-tooth. This Saint Blas bun is one of the typical sweets form the Benidorm gastronomy. These buns have Arabic origin and they are prepared with almonds and cinnamon. They are traditionally made during the winter months, mainly in Saint Blas festivity.
There are loads of restaurants in hotels or campings in Benidorm where you can try these typical dishes. Once you know their names, you just have to look for them and enjoy!
What about you? Have you tried any of these delicious dishes during your holidays in Benidorm?
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