Gastronomy

The gastronomy in Benidorm is absolutely delicious

The Mediterranean diet is considered the best in the world, consisting of a balanced diet, a combination of fresh fruit and vegetables, and hydrates, meat and fish in a moderate amount,. Thanks to its location on the Mediterranean and its history and mixture of cultures, we can find the best of this diet in Benidorm.

The richness and variety of the gastronomy of Benidorm has been achieved thanks to the success of assimilating good influences that the ancestors and other civilizations have introduced. Thus, the international cuisine, the culinary tradition inherited from the Arabs, the legacy of the merchant seamen, without forgetting the typical recipes of the fishermen and the elaborated inland recipes that as a result offers an extraordinary list of specialties. The rice with red mullet and pumpkin, poor -style fish casserole, the rice of anchovies with spinach, the pebrot is one of the typical dishes, while in the pastry department, a special mention to the “coca rellena”, sweet potato cakes or the San Blas pastry.

When it comes to rice, there is a great variety in our community. Below we highlight those that are specialty on the Costa Blanca.

Rice Broth

It is called broth because it is prepared in a container with a large proportion of water, it is achieved that, once cooked, it is possible there is still a broth that forces us to eat the dish with a spoon. The dish is very typical in the south of the province of Alicante but nearby Benidorm, in Villajoyosa you can find specialized restaurants: Rice with prawns, rice with lobster…there are endless combinations.

Rice “a banda” or “senyoret”

Popularly known as “senyoret”paella , it´s a rice cooked in a paella dish, but with a completely clean fish base, known as “fumet”. The advantage of this dish is you won´t need a knife to clean the shrimps, since the rice is ready to be eaten. It is very typical in all the province but especially in the fishing and coastal municipalities.

Oven cooked rice

This dish is elaborated in a clay pot and as its name indicates, it is cooked in the oven. Similar to the broth rice, there are many variants depending on the area, the season or the customs, but the basic ingredients are potato, Spanish black pudding, chickpeas, pork ribs and tomato, seasoned with a head of garlic in the center.

Cauldron

This is a seafood dish, typical of the Murcia region, but due to it´s influence and proximity, it has also become part of Alicante’s gastronomy. If the rice is baked in a casserole in the oven, the cauldron is cooked in a pot, a container that gives the dish its name and that fishermen used to use. Rice and fish are served separately. The fish served alongside the rice is typically grey mullet or seabream.

From the sea to the Plate

The Costa Blanca has the privilege of having more than 200 kilometers of literal length and the Mediterranean Sea offers us a wide range of products of the most prestigious products.

International Cuisine

Thanks to the cultural diversity that Benidorm has created, we can find countless gastronomical cuisines on offer such as the British, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, North American, French, Cuban, Venezuelan…and we can go on with more. You can never say you are bored eating the same dish.