A rainbow of cuisine in Valencia
Valencia is a port city that lies on Spain’s Southeastern Coast, it bathes in the Mediterranean sunshine for most of the year creating an exciting place to visit. A vibrant and creative city in so many ways especially when it comes to the cuisine and exciting new flavours just waiting to be explored.
When sitting down to enjoy a meal your senses should be enlightened in each and every way before you even begin to eat. One of the first senses to be activated is sight and you can definitely be reassured that the food in Valencia will provide a palette of colour for the eyes and tempt the taste buds.
Valencian Mediterranean cuisine is one of the healthiest ways to enjoy new flavours as a rainbow of colour upon your plate often means a broad range of nutrients is included in your meal. Produce in Valencia is so fresh and flavoursome it will be impossible to resist, so be prepared to try something new and enjoy exploring all that Valencian cuisine has to offer.
One of the most famous dishes in Valencia is Paella and there is no better place to be to try this tantalising dish. Bursting full of juicy flavours a traditional Valencian Paella is made of chicken, rabbit, and local white beans called ‘garrafo’. Mixed with rice, vegetables and sometimes seafood this dish is cooked for a long time allowing the ingredients to soak up the true Mediterranean flavours. Did you know…that the name Paella comes from the name of the large pan it is cooked in?
The best way to really enjoy a Paella the Valencian way is to head to the beach and soak up the coastal atmosphere while you dine and watch the sunset upon the glistening waters of the Mediterranean. What an immensely relaxing way to embrace the authentic flavours of Valencia and create a memory that will stay with you forever.
This area of Spain provides the chefs with such an eclectic mix of produce from both land and sea that it is easy to see why food excites the people of Valencia. So fresh, vibrant and tasty the fruit and vegetables produced in the region are like no others. Full of flavoursome sunshine just waiting to be enjoyed the food here really is going to leave a lasting impression and continue to inspire once you return home.
Another classic that you will find on the Valencian Coast is fideuá, a dish of noodles and seafood that is light, tantalising and fresh. A dish that was originally created upon board a fishing boat means this dish really is about praising the wondrous seafood of the Mediterranean.
Fish is central to many of Valencian dishes but it is all about highly flavoursome ingredients being cooked to perfection and this is often done using simple traditional methods to retain flavour and let the produce shine. Arroz a banda is a very simple dish of rice, fish and garlic yet its flavour is divine and the food is immensely satisfying, sometimes the simplest of things in life are actually the most memorable.
Gazpacho is another of Valencia’s stars that really does pack a powerful flavour extravaganza when consumed. Perfect for the hot summer months this soup is eaten cold and is full of vegetables that will give you a true taste of a Valencian summer.
What is clearly evident in Valencia is that food is to be enjoyed in a relaxed manner where allowing the time to savour every flavoursome mouthful is important. A time to absorb the beauty of the landscape, escape into conversation with friends and family and embrace trying new flavours from the rainbow of cuisine available in Valencia.
