Month: July 2019

The Moor’s Last Sigh…………

“A sigh isn’t just a sigh. We inhale the world and breathe out meaning. While we can. While we can.” Salman Rushdie, The Moor’s Last Sigh.

Lágrimas de Boabdil

It would be impossible to count how many times I’ve told the story of Boabdil, the last Nasrid King of Granada or Garnata al Yahud; Granada of the Jews. There are many legends and stories connected to Abdullah Mohammed Xll, the man who handed over the keys of the last Muslim stronghold on the Iberian Peninsula to Isabel and Fernando in 1492. He referred to these keys as the “keys to paradise”. As he left the city of Granada to go into exile to the Alpujarras (southern part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range) he paused at a mountain pass which is now named, The Sigh of the Moor, and shed tears over ending of 800 years of of Muslim rule. His Mother, Aixa, who was with him on this journey into exile said, “Do not weep as a woman for what you could not defend as a man.” Hence, the legend of the tears of Boabdil.

We have a dessert in Granada named after this legend. It is called “Lágrimas de Boabdil”. This dessert, with an obvious Moorish/Jewish influence, is unfamiliar to most people but they serve my favorite version at the restaurant next to my house. It has a buttery almond base topped with carmelized crunchy almonds and a raspberry glaze. It pairs well with a local red wine from the Señorio de Nevada winery.

Boabdil’s tears are understandable to anyone who has been to Granada. Not only did handing over Granada to the Catholic Monarchs signify the end to one of the most important examples of religious tolerance, Boabdil was forced to leave his home and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Washington Irving speaks well of this in his last paragraph of Tales of the Alhambra, and I can also share this sentiment as I have been unable to live anywhere else for the past 25 years.

We just call it “rice”….

I’ve spent a lot of time in Valencia on my own and with different groups on tour. When someone asks me where to eat a great paella only one word comes to my mind, “VALENCIA”. Years ago I found this little place in the historical center that served an excellent Valencian Paella. Prepared with bomba round grain rice, rabbit, garrofó (fat white beans), artichokes, green beans, saffron and a couple sprigs of rosemary on top this is true paella and always will be for me. You may also find it as traditionally prepared with snails. Since the paella (from the latin word for pan, patella) is just the pan it is prepared in, the ingredients can vary greatly. The most common one internationally is the seafood paella. However, you can find rice prepared with all different ingredients. And many times we just refer to this dish as rice with…….seafood, fish, squid and ink, lobster, chicken and sausage. Sometimes it can be prepared dry and sometimes creamy or with a broth. The varieties are endless and change greatly depending on where you are in the country. One of my favorites is “arros de muntanya” in Catalunya with chicken, rabbit, butifarra sausage, pork ribs, and wild mushrooms.

Traditionally, rice is prepared out in the country over an open fire. The best paella should have “socarrat” or a carmelized crust of rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan that you scrape off and enjoy with your wooden spoon. Each person eats their own portion starting from the part closest to them and going towards the center of the pan. My photo above was from a great beach restaurant just on the coast of Barcelona. Xiringuito Escribá. Served with a cold sparkling wine sangria made with mint and berries, it made a perfect afternoon with friends.

Tis the sardine……….

The sound of the waves, the salt on my skin, and the smell of grilled sardines in the tropical air. This describes summer for me. Before moving to Southern Spain my only beach memories were blue lip freezing Lake Michigan and 3 for a dollar burritos in Mexico every once in a while. Since living here the beach has become a great part of my life and necessary relaxation. With our van we have traveled along many beautiful coast lines, but the closest to home is the Costa Tropical. Pebbly or rocky beaches with a deep shore that feels like a swimming pool at times. There is no gradual wading into the water here. One second your foot is on the bottom and the next you are swimming in the deep sea. Of course, most people come here for the beach, local fish, tropical fruits and sun but the Costa Tropical is also filled with history.

Salad with local fruits. Mango, tomato and avocado.

History here dates long before this but the Phoenicians named the largest town Sexi (now Almuñecar) in about 800 BC. In the city of Almuñecar you can visit the area where certain foods were conserved with salt and they produced garum, the fermented fish sauce that was mainly used by the Romans and Greeks. The coast line is also dotted with watchtowers (atalayas) from different times in history as well as a Roman aqueduct over the Jete Valley. In both Almuñecar and the town of Salobreña you can visit the castles that were rebuilt and used by the Nasrid Dynasty of Granada. From the 10th century the production of sugar was the most important industry along the coast and you can still visit the old sugar factories in some towns. You can trace the gastronomy in this area by following the lines of history. The fertile soil here now allows for the production of many different tropical fruits and fresh fish is the most obvious protein. However you can still find sweets dating back to Arabic and Jewish origins made with sugar, sesame, almonds and honey.

Perfectly baked fish professionally cleaned and served with garlic, peppers and potatoes

Visiting the castles and old ruins along the coast reminds of the rich history that is recorded here but the sea always calls our name so we sit down at a local “chiringuito” with our feet in the sand to enjoy a glass of local white wine and fresh fish accompanied by a tropical salad. This is the best of Spanish summer for me!

Sardine bread with sardines fresh of the bbq!