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Bucket list experience:

Andalusia’s best food & drink

Andalusia, Spain

Traditional Spanish jamon ham for sale at the market
Last updated: 10 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Dana Facaros

Andalusian cooking is renowned for fresh seafood, olives and olive oil, sun-ripened vegetables, garlic and paprika.

Cooking is simple, letting fresh, delicious ingredients speak for themselves. Much of the preparation in the kitchen is minimal – fish is usually lightly dredged in flour and golden fried in olive oil.

Cold soups star in summer, hearty stews in the winter and melt-in-your-mouth cured ham (jamon serrano) year-round. Many of the desserts, many involving almonds, go back to Arab times.

Sangria, as elsewhere in Spain, is a popular drink, as is sherry. Andalusia is home to Jerez de la Frontera, the world’s sherry capital – go for tours and tastings.

What to try

Try Andalusia’s famous cold soups: gazpacho, but also ajo blanco, made with garlic, almonds, and bread, and thick creamy tomato salmorejo.

Seafood classics include mixed fish fry (pescado or pescaita frito), bluefin tuna (atun Rojo), and gambas pil pil (garlic and paprika prawns).

Other specialities include carrillada (braised pork or beef cheeks), rabo de toro (bull tail stew) and pringa (slow-cooked beef or pork and sausage).

Be sure to visit the vineyards of Jerez to try the region’s world-famous sherry.

Also see our round-up of traditional Spanish foods you must try in Spain.

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Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Duration: -

Getting there & doing it

The food markets of Andalusia are often surrounded by tapas bars and traditional restaurants, patronized by the locals. For eating and drinking recommendations, check out the town-by-town restaurant listings at Andalucia.com.

When to do it

Spaniards traditionally eat later than most Europeans, and in the hot summer months, the Andalusians often dine as late as 11pm or midnight when it’s cool enough to sit out on the terraces. Restaurants, however, open much earlier, and there are always tapas to keep hunger at bay. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, eaten between 1pm and 3pm. In the summer following it with a siesta is strongly recommended.

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