Fish and seafood from the bay, with fresh vegetables and fresh fruit from nearby orchards, and a wide selection of rice dishes, accompanied by prestigious wines from the region, form the basis of a healthy and natural gastronomic tradition in this area.
Standing out among the many rice dishes prepared here (over 300) are the specialities known as arroz a la alicantina (combining meat, fish and shellfish), arroz a banda (cooked in fish broth and served straight, without fish) caldero (a rice stew, with the fish served first) and olleta (with vegetables and sausages).
Typical appetizers include Alicante’s well-known salted fish (salazones), such as mojama, bonito and marrajo, and roe (hueva) as well as the small, pizza-like cocas with sardines or tunny (tonyina) on top, or the sweet coca variety much like sponge cake and known as coca boba. Tapas in Alicante include montaditos, or little slices of bread with different toppings. Popular desserts include the nougat-like turrón made in nearby Jijona (soft) or in Alicante (hard), accompanied by the local Fondillón dessert wine, an enological treasure first made in the 16th century according to written records.
