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Murcia, a city in the south-east Iberian with orchards so fertile that in the past they turned this region of Spain into the Orchard of Europe.
And it is not surprising, since, beyond the fertility of this area, there are many dishes that you should try when you travel to this beautiful place.
In this article we want to highlight what those Murcian dishes are, why they are so famous and what wines can be perfect to accompany your meals in Murcia.
Gastronomic history of Murcia
The first thing you should know is the history of Murcian gastronomy, and why it is so famous.
First of all, some of the typical dishes come from the Greco-Roman influence, as well as some of the crops from Roman times, such as the vine or the olive tree.
Later, this area received a great influence from the Muslim culture, which developed the famous Murcian vegetable garden, thus creating staple foods, which today stand out as typical dishes of the region.
Finally, we must highlight the introduction of foods from the Americas, after the discovery of the new continent.
And, as for the origin of the fame of this gastronomy, it resides in the existence of unique products such as Calasparra rice, one of the only three rice dishes with a denomination of origin of Spain, fish and shellfish from the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean, the fruits and vegetables from the garden, the quality of the meats and sausages, and, of course, the excellence of the wine as the perfect companion.
Gastronomy by zones
The more than 10 thousand square kilometers that make up the Region of Murcia, added to the fact that it is attached to the sea, have created different types of gastronomy within this area, thus allowing us to differentiate between the coast area, The indoor areas, and, of course, the famous orchards.
- Gastronomy on the coast
As we have already pointed out, beyond the influences received, the fact of being attached to the Mediterranean Sea has allowed a great variety of foods to be created, but this sea is not the only one existing, since, in addition to this, the inner lagoon known as Mar Menor, has favored the creation of unique dishes, based on unique species typical of this lagoon, such as prawns.
Regarding the influence of the Mediterranean Sea, it allows the fishing of anchovies, sardines, whiting, bonitos, hake, horse mackerel, milk, marigolds, roosters and mackerel.
All these foods are used to create unique dishes such as the famous Murcian cauldron or migas ruleras.
- Gastronomy in the interior
This area of Murcia stands out for being more caloric and abundant. If you visit it, you cannot decline to eat menus like the one we present below:
The perfect starter must be a good sausage, like the sausage, typical of the area, although there are many other sausages to choose from. The main course, a good gazpacho complemented by snails, and for dessert, an Easter cake, which you can find at any time of the year, even if it is a typical dessert of the Christmas season.
- Orchard gastronomy
Finally, we focus on the typical gastronomy from the garden, among which the great variety of fruits, like the peach, vegetables, like tomatoes, coming from the Americas as we have already pointed out, and vegetables, like lima beans or beans.
Another singularity of this area is the famous peppers, for which the ñoras, dried and ground ball peppers are needed as an ingredient.
The perfect companion
- The wine
All self-respecting food must be accompanied by a good wine, and, as it cannot be otherwise, these exquisite dishes are usually accompanied by famous wines from Designation of Origin, whose origin is, without a doubt, synonymous with quality, due to the exhaustive control that is carried out on them, from the planting phase to their bottling and sale.
And, in addition to these, you can choose the known ones “Wines of the Earth”, corresponding to Campo de Cartagena, among which you can find reds, rosés, whites and natural sweets, and those corresponding to the Abanilla region, whose climate is characterized by being drier and sunnier, with red, rosé and white wines.
We hope that this article has motivated you to learn more about the gastronomy of the Region of Murcia or, as we pointed out at the beginning, the “Huerta de Europa””, And of course, don’t forget that, in addition to its excellent food, Murcia also offers incredible places to visit such as the Cathedral of Santa María and the Episcopal Palace or the Salzillo Museum.