Andalusian cuisine is the regional cuisine of Andalusia, Spain. Notable dishes include gazpacho, fried fish (often called pescaíto frito[1] in the local vernacular), the jamonesofJabugo, Valle de los Pedroches and Trevélez, and the wines of Jerez, particularly sherry. Culinary influences come from the historic Christian, Muslim, and Jewish traditions of the region. The oldest known cookbook of Andalusian cuisine, Kitab al tabij fi-l-Maghrib wa-l-Andalus fi `asr al-Muwahhidin, li-mu'allif mayhul, dates from the 13th century.[2]
Frying in Andalusian cuisine is dominated by the use of olive oil, produced mainly in the provinces of Jaén, Córdoba, Seville, and Granada.[3] Málaga, Almería, Cádiz and Huelva produce olive oil too, but in smaller amounts. The foods are dredged in flour a la Andaluza (meaning only flour, without egg or other ingredients, but may include flour from the chickpea especially for use in batters). They are then fried in a large quantity of hot olive oil.
Andalusia's coast has unique access to both the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.[4] With five coastal provinces, the consumption of fish and shellfish is high: white shrimp from the Bay of Cádiz; prawns; murex; anchovies; baby squid; cuttlefish; "bocas de la Isla", a dish found in San Fernando that uses a local crab that can regenerate its claw; flounder; etc. Another important fish to the region is tuna which is caught during their Atlantic migration.[4] Tuna can be used to make the traditional dish atún encebollado.[5]
Andalucian cuisine includes also some less frequently seen seafood dishes, like ortiguillas, sea anemones in batter.
Sugar was first introduced to Andalusia by the Moors around the 10th-century and cultivated in Granada.[6]
Andalusian desserts are heavily influenced by Arabic medieval Andalucian cuisine. Notable dishes include pestiños (a deep-fried pastry bathed in honey), amarguillo [es] (a form of almond macaroon) from Medina Sidonia, polvorones (almond cookiesofEstepa), lard bread, wine doughnuts, torrija [es] and calentitos.
The wines of Jerez (also known as sherry) are famous the world over, praised even by William Shakespeare. Other standouts are the manzanillaofSanlúcar de Barrameda, the white wines of Cádiz, paxarete (a sherry derivative), wines of Condado in Huelva, wines of Montilla-MorilesinCórdoba, wines of Málaga, and latintillaofRota. The liquors of the region are also popular, included the anís made in Rute, and in Cazalla de la Sierra, and the rums from the Tropical Coast of Granada (Motril).
Typical Andalucian dishes include pescaito frito (fried fish), gazpacho, Cordoban salmorejo, pringá, oxtail, jamón ibérico (Iberian ham), prepared olives, alboronía, poleá, anise, and various kinds of wine, including sherries (fino, manzanilla, oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, amontillado) which are undoubtedly the most exported and most widely available of all Spanish wines, as well as Málaga wine. The wine from Montilla, while similar to sherry, is not technically a sherry, but gives its name to amontillado, meaning "in the style of Montilla".
Some other Andalucian dishes include:
Empezaba a nacer así aquel "espeso bosque" o "mar de olivos" de las provincias de Jaén, Córdoba y Sevilla, que en 1888 ya sumaban más de medio millón de hectáreas de olivar que representaban más del 40% de la superficie total española.