Traditional delicious dishes you need to try in Malaga &

the best spots to enjoy them

One of the most famous Spanish dishes, and that we probably all know, is the cold soup called gazpacho. Made of, tomato, cucumber, pepper, bread, garlic, onion, vinegar, olive oil, water, and salt, it is a delicious meal to have in summer, fresh, super healthy, and very nutritious.

Today we want to help you discover new treasures of Spanish and Andalusian gastronomy that may be less famous than the gazpacho, but are just as tasty if not more.

If you come to Malaga or Andalusia you have to try these savoury soups that we will introduce you to here. Yummy! 😋😋

We will also tell you the best places to try these recipes in Malaga.

And don’t forget, as always our Cooltoural locals’ team will be happy to help you discover the typical dishes, the best restaurants to taste them, but also many hidden treasures in Malaga. The Cooltoural immersion is totally tailor-made with your interests and preferences in mind. It is a private experience just for you (individuals, couples, friends or family) and flexible as you chose the duration. To book your cultural immersion or to learn more about the Cooltoural immersion, don’t hesitate to contact us, we will be very happy to help.

La porra is a cold traditional Spanish soup, “whose origin is Antequera (a city and municipality in the province of Malaga). This is why you might see in some menus “porra antequerana”.

The name “porra” means truncheon, referring to the pestle that was used to prepare the typical dish.

As mentioned before, for the preparation of the soup, the traditional recipe would require a pestle and a mortar. Luckily, nowadays we have a great tool called blender that will be enough. 😊

The Andalusian dish is made with peeled tomatoes, bread, red pepper, green pepper, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar (vinegar produced in the Spanish province of Cadiz, close to a city called Jerez de la Frontera; its Spanish name is “vinagre de Jerez”), and salt.

The garnish can be Iberian ham and/or boiled eggs. In Malaga it is often served with tuna.

The texture needs to be thick enough to be eaten with a fork.

There are two important details to remember when cooking this delicious soup:

• Add the olive oil at the end of the preparation. If added before you might have a mayonnaise-like effect with a soup becoming like an emulsion. To have the desired creamy texture, the extra virgin olive oil is added at the end.
• Regarding the creamy texture, the tomatoes need to be peeled. The skin would give a too heavy and thick texture.

“Salmorejo” is another typical Spanish cold soup. Its preparation is very similar to the “porra” we’ve just covered.

Its origin is probably Cordoba, and we think that it was a common dish in farmers’ families who would use the stale leftover bread to prepare it.

The recipe is very similar to “porra”. “Salmorejo” is prepared with ripe tomatoes (this time they are not peeled), extra virgin olive oil, bread, garlic, and salt.

A good quality of the olive oil is the secret to a delightful and divine “salmorejo”. 😋

The difference with “porra” is that there is no pepper in its preparation.

Traditional “salmorejo” is prepared without vinegar.

The final consistence of salmorejo is similar to a thick sauce.

It is usually served with Iberian ham and/or boiled eggs.

It is usually eaten with a big spoon.

So before talking about the origins of “ajoblanco”, let’s start with a little language lesson: “ajo” in Spanish is garlic, and “blanco” means white. The English name of this cold soup is therefore be “white garlic”. Maybe now you have a little idea of what it is made of. 😄

There are different hypotheses. One is from the Roman era as they were in the Iberian Peninsula from the 3^rd century B.C. until the 5^th century A.D. The other is from the Greeks. So nothing is for sure about its geographic origins but was is certain is that it is a very humble dish and now part of traditional Malaga gastronomy.

Just like many typical dishes from Malaga and Andalusia, there are as many recipes as families in Malaga. 😄 Some like this soup with a thick texture, others will add more water to have a lighter texture; in general the “ajoblanco” is made with almonds, garlic, fresh water, bread, extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, and salt. And all these “white” ingredients give it its beautiful white colour making it very easy to differentiate from all the other cold soups from Andalusia.

Cooltip: As you’ll often see, the word “calle” is street in Spanish.

•   Los Delfines – Address : Calle Reding, 12 (close to Malagueta beach) 29006 Malaga

Phone number: +34 952 225 168

• Mesón de Cervantes – Address: Calle Álamos, 11, 29012 Malaga

Phone number: +34 952 216 274

• La reserva 12 – Adress: Calle Bolsa Nº12 (Next to Larios street)

Phone Number: 952 60 82 18 - 952 21 76 38

• El refectorium – Address: Postigo de los Abades, 4 (close to Malaga Cathedral) 29015 Malaga

Phone number: +34 952 60 23 89

Now you know almost everything about these super healthy, fresh and nutritious traditional dishes in Andalusia and you have a few options to try and enjoy them.

These cold soups made with fresh vegetables are a delicious option to savour in summer but really they can be enjoyed at any time of the year.

If you are interested in more Spanish and Andalusian culinary specialities check out this post about the top 5 typical dishes you should not miss during your stay in beautiful Andalusia.

And if you want to know more about Malaga’s culture, curiosities, and fun stories, take the plunge and book your customised tour with a local. During a walk, he/she will show you authentic treasures (not just touristy stuff), you’ll get practical info and the best tips that only locals know, to enjoy Malaga like a local. Don’t hesitate, contact us! 😊👌

Mona for Cooltoural