It’s been a beautiful warm week in southern Spain. The Holy Week parades have been fascinating. There are 33 of them! Each church congregation has their own, complete with cone shaped hat and robed participants, band members, and 2-3 Easter religious floats carried on the backs of members willing to suffer the pain.
We have been eating out for lunch, which is from 2-4pm. Dinner is 9-11pm or so. Córdoba is less than an hour by train from Seville, so the food is similar. Here are some pics and then travel suggestions at the end.
A piece of toasted dark bread with hummus, quince paste and sesame seeds.
Traditional salmorejo, with sliced egg and chopped jamon. This cold soup is a purée of fresh tomato, fresh white crusty bread, olive oil, garlic and salt. Olive oil is drizzled over the top. Gazpacho, a more well known cold soup, is made with a variety of fresh vegetables including tomatoes, onion, peppers, garlic, olive oil etc, but no bread.
A twist on the Andalusian traditional salmorejo cold soup, this soup has beets instead of tomato with squid ink. On top is squid/calamari rings and quail eggs.
Quail eggs! They are everywhere you find eggs!
Hard boiled quail eggs for dinner! Cover with water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover 5 minutes. Run under cold water. Tap eggs on the side of the pan to crack the shells, and then peel.
Iberian sausage sliced thin with sesame crackers.
Quail Foie Gras made with pork and quail liver topped with diced quince paste. Membrillo is quince paste and is very commonly used in Spain. It’s a sweet thick jelly made with the pulp of the quince fruit. It’s a wonderful complement to manchego type cheeses
Traditional Spanish omelet or Tortilla Espanola, which is very plain and made with eggs, potato and onion.
Fried eggplant strips served with a dark honey. I’ve also seen squirt bottles of this honey served at the table, like ketchup.
Thick hard crispy sesame crackers served in bags at most tables.
A mix of Cordoban cheeses we found at a market. Their cheeses are made with cow, sheep and/or goat cheese. Yes, they do mix the milks! The younger cheeses are softer and the more aged are harder.
Flamenquin, a specialty of Córdoba, is like a home made cordon bleu. Chicken, pork or veal is rolled with jamon and sometimes a bit of manchego cheese inside, then breaded and deep fried. Parsley is also sometimes in the filling. These are about 3 inches and considered a tapas for 2 Euros. The larger 8 inch size is a 1/2 ration serving. A full ration is even larger. A variety of foods in some of these 3 different portions are found in most restaurants, bars and tavernas.
Fried calamari, lightly breaded and tender! Served with a mayonnaise like garlic sauce. Standard food.
Cazon in Adobo, Daves favorite. Marinated pieces of fish that are breaded and deep fried.
Fried marinated anchovies. Crispy and hot without a strong flavor. The marinade is light.
Chorizo in a wine sauce. Best when fried crispy and brown.
Black pudding, similar to the Cajun boudin sausage. Filled with rice and other unknowns? Tasty and mild. Crispy fried potatoes on the side.
A little more unusual is the diced raw RED tuna, mixed with ground cashews, scallions, pimento, Dijon, soy sauce and olive oil. Formed into a mold and served cold, unmolded. Delish!
Grilled calamari over lettuce salad with aioli and lemon vinagrette.
Aubergine or eggplant cut crosswise into 4 inch wedges and simmered in water, vinegar, and sugar. Then layered with a strong soft cheese and baked and topped with a red pepper sweet chopped chutney. Yum!
Another tuna, diced and mixed with a stronger mustard marinade, topped with a crisp thin toast and bamboo shoots. The mustard marinade is poured around the plate.
Pisto, a traditional warm salad similar to ratatouille, is a cooked mixture of chopped pumpkin (which is like the US butternut squash), eggplant, tomato, onions, peppers, summer squash, cumin, garlic, olive oil. All this served with a fried egg.
Paella with squid ink, baby squid, and shrimp. Not as good as Valencia and L’Abufera, also known as Albufera, where paella was born. The authentic paella sticks to the bottom of the pan, is crusty, and is scraped off the bottom of the pan.
Traditional pastry of Córdoba, Pastelon Cordobes. This is like a firm crusted apple pie with a thick jam like filling that has additional citrus fruits. Then it’s sprinkled all over with cinnamon and sugar.
Torrijas, is like French toast. It’s fried bread that’s layered with custard. Then it’s covered in honey or cinnamon and sugar. Chocolate may be spread over the top. These are made for the Easter season.
Pestino, also made for the Easter holidays. Crispy and fried then covered in cinnamon and sugar.
This is a deceiving dessert from the pastry shop. It’s basically a wedge of a 2 layer white cake with a thin chocolate icing on top and sides and a plain custard in between the layers. The cut side of the cake is covered with custard.
Fried Milk Dessert with cinnamon ice cream and cinnamon cream sauce. The fried milk is actually wedges of firm flan fried and then rolled in sugar and cinnamon.
Brownie and ice cream! Gourmet in Córdoba!
Fancy cappuccino with whipped cream. Caffe con Leche is more common here. Many places don’t offer cappuccino! If they do, it’s always dusted with at least chocolate and maybe also cinnamon, cocoa and or chocolate syrup.
Sights not to miss:
The Cathedral of Cordoban/Mezquita
Jewish Quarter and Synogogue
Roman Bridge and Calahorra Tower With audio tour
Patios of the Alkazar Viejo
Courtyards of Viana
Archeologie Museum
Museo Julio Romero de Torres and Courtyard
Alkazar Royal Stables and Show
Capilla de San Bartolome
Andalusi gourmet food shop
Casa de las Cabeza
Dining:
El Banista
Bodegas Campos
El Churrasco
La Casa del Viejo
Taverna del Potro
Pastry Shops:
San Francisco Confiteria (near Viana Palace)
nina in the kitchen 