They say that if you haven't been to the Alcazaba, you don't know Almería
We eat crumbs when it rains, and so do we **we use the -ico suffix.** In Traveler we want to teach you more about this province that we like so much and, therefore, we have prepared a basic language survival guide so that you know how to handle yourself without being hit regomello . But first, to pave the way, allow us a clarification on the origins of our speech.
WHERE DOES ALMERIAN SPEECH COME FROM?
Leixa it means ' shelf ' in Catalan. In Almería, we call it ' leja ' I remember the first time I had to explain someone what was a "far", because at that very moment I discovered that that boy, from Madrid he had not grown up using the same words as me , despite using the same idiom. He also didn't know what I wanted to say to him when I told him I was waiting for him. in the quiet of the door or when I asked him if he had seen my rascals.
Recently, I also discovered that in Catalan ballad is 'oleander', and that is also how it is called that flower in Vera area. But these are not the only words we Almeria share with the Catalans. Another example comes from the hand of the green peas, which those of Turre refer to as 'pressules' and that in Catalan they are pesols.
But how is it possible all these catalanisms being so far? The answer is two repopulations occurred one after the reconquest and another in the century XVI.
They also played a very important role Aragonese in those migratory movements. As a result of that, we still keep the suffix '-ico' for these lands.
The Almerian lexicon is rich and diverse in its origins, in which other linguistic cultures intersect, such as Murcia, Andalusia and Arabic , of course. Of the latter, one of the innumerable examples that we can find is the name of the traditional ** 'gurullos' dish.
Migrations have made the Almerian travel through Spain
Our way of expressing ourselves supposes, then, a hodgepodge from here and there, a crossroads between you speak them of the peninsular east and the southern lexicon. For this reason, and so that the same thing does not happen to you as to that puzzled boy from Madrid, Here is our Almerian dictionary.
TO DEFEND YOU ON LEGGAOUS TERRAIN
SPOON
Fundamental expression of the daily life of Almeria to which you will finish getting used to and that you will even incorporate into your vocabulary. Trust me, I've seen it before. Although cucha comes from removing the first syllable from the imperative of the verb listen , in reality and inexplicably, the issuer is telling you look at something Practical example: "Cucha, here comes your cousin."
FISO
How difficult it is sometimes for us Almerian people to find the right word to refer to the Scotch tape when we talk to someone outside. For us it is 'fiso', for others 'zeal'. And it's hard to remember.
PILLARS
We have already told you about them before. It is, neither more nor less, our peculiar way of calling the hair pins . That if you think about it, in fact, it makes much more sense that it is called that, since it indicates without any doubt what is your role in this life : catch hair
"Wow, what a landscape!"
REGOMELLO
The word defines very accurately the discomfort, the discomfort, the resentment or restlessness when they have to do with everyday things, for some person or situation. The one who believes that has not been up to of something, that it has failed to another person and it has been bad.
The one who feels regomello almost sees obliged to give some kind of Explanation out of modesty and for having a certain courtesy towards the other person. to retrieve that good weather that has been damaged.
WITHOUT SHAFT
that something or someone is insubstantial , which has no reason to be. It is often used to refer to something dish from which something was expected and, nevertheless, it was not so succulent as we imagined Example: the rice with octopus in that bar is very famous, but, for me, It has no stem nor does it have anything.
PARTNER
Ah, the partners. Is there a way to count how many partners there are in Almería that do not have business together? If Granada has its compaes and Cádiz is full of pishas, we Almeria were not going to be less, and ours is a land of ' partners '.
TENNIS
"But if you call sneakers 'tennis', then what do you call sports?" They once asked a woman from Almería on a plateau land. Believe me, we can survive by calling both the same.
PULL OFF
Apparently, dive headfirst to the water is called 'throwing a spike' only in these parts. Leaving Almeria territory, people begin to 'jump headlong' , no more.
Something more than PARTNERS in the landscapes of Almería
STRIDE
Hear someone say that wait in the doorway takes many of us from Almería directly to our childhood. It is neither more nor less than the threshold of the door. That step or bottom from a door or entrance to a portal where we waited for our friends to come down to go out to play or eat pipes right there, in the quiet.
PA' EAT' AND BABY'
AMERICAN
We have already told you about what an American is for those here. yes it is someone native of america . Yes, he is also a type of coffee. But above all that, it is a pink drink that will only serve you in the Amalia Kiosk , at the Purchena Gate. It consists of a mixture of hot milk, cola nut liqueur, cinnamon and a piece of lemon peel.
They say that he was one of those actors who, back in the 70's, they were staying in town when the westerns were being filmed, the one he first asked to be made such concoction . Since then and, although that American left, his curious recipe stayed and They named it after him.
CRUMBS
Summit of the almeria gastronomy . Its origin is popular and, unlike the migas that are cooked in the rest of Spain, its base is wheat semolina flour and not the breadcrumbs. And yes, the saying is true. “if it rains, crumbs”.
A dictionary so you understand everything on your next getaway to Cabo de Gata
It is an old custom that may seem weird to those from outside and whose origin we have been asked countless times. In fact, we take it so seriously that, the day it rains, they sell out right away semolina flour packets in supermarkets. But don't worry, if you feel like it a lot and it turns out that Is not raining -what will it be most likely -, almost all tapas bars and chiringuitos they include them in your letter.
CHERIGAN
Typical tapas from Almería consisting of toasted bread cut on the bias and spread, normally, with Aioli on which the most diverse ingredients are placed: tuna, york ham, serrano ham... It was invented between 50's and 60's by a guy named the sheriff in the Colon Coffee from Almeria . The name is a distortion of sheriff-gun ('Sheriff's pistol') due to the shape of the appetizer itself.
HALF TOAST
Here comes the mess. When you ask for HALF toast of anything in a bar, they will serve you a slice of toast. If you order ONE piece of toast, it will be two slices that will come on the plate. It makes sense, if you think about it.
INNKEEPER
Other typical recipe Almeria and that you will find in almost every bar . It's something like a pisto or vegetable fritaílla, but that, in addition, carries meat.
LIDS
Go included in the price of the drink and can be chosen. Always. Rare is the bar that, on Almeria soil, does not comply with this local tradition.
The caps are chosen. And the red, with white
SUMMER RED WITH WHITE
It is a very local way of referring to that summer red that is prepared with soda , instead of with lemon.
MIXED TOAST
Speaking of toast. In Almería, a mixed is one that It has butter and jam.
WHEAT
It's about a traditional stew which is hardly made at home anymore due to what laborious of its preparation, but in bars, as always, this delicious and hearty dish , especially in the towns indoor.
The name comes because one of the key ingredients is wheat in seed form, very rare in Spanish cuisine.
TO KNOW OUR IDIOSYNCRASY AND TRADITION
ALCAZABA
They say that Almeria is not known truly until he goes up to his Alcazaba. Until you don't see the sea, the Almedina, the Patio de los Naranjos, the pine of the Cathedral from a bird's eye view. From up there, one is always amazed how bright, intense and blinding the light is of the city at any time of the year.
The Alcazaba of Almería has been there since the year 955 seeing how, around him, the city began to rise. Less known than its neighbor Malaga , that of Almería has been the scene of several films and series: from Cleopatra in 1963 until the sixth season of Game of Thrones .
You have to go up to the Alcazaba
INDALO
You're welcome, look at how is this written : it is a word trowel , the accent is on the letter 'a'. don't call him 'Indalo ', because it hurts us in the soul.
That said, you've probably seen it represented more than once and you may have wondered why you found it in so many occasions during your stay in Almeria. It is a cave painting representing an anthropomorphic figure with outstretched arms and holding a bow, although there are those who see a rainbow in the.
It was found in the Cave of Signboards (Vélez Blanco) in 1868 by the archaeologist from Almeria Manuel de Gongora y Martinez . Symbol of good luck , in some areas of the province, such as Mojacar , is considered a totem that protected houses from the evil eye and, therefore, an indalo was painted on their facades.
RHEUMY
The people of Almería are still fighting for get rid of of the derogatory nickname of 'rheumy', which has a lot to do with an illness and nothing with the fame of taciturn and lazy . The nickname comes from the ancestral r esparto harvest that produced trachoma, a contagious disease of the eyes whose symptoms were, among others, the tearing and the secretion of legañas. It is an infection that, if not treated correctly, could even cause blindness.
The pitas, pure Almerian essence
PITA
Although its scientific name is american agave , here it is known as pita. It has become one of the most associated and recognizable images of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. So much so that the mere fact of seeing them takes us to this corner Of the peninsula.
However, pitas are not native plants, but their origin is Mexican and is currently considered Invasive species . His arrival in Almería dates back to the 40s or 50s of the last century for the production of fiber such as raffia and the production of ropes or sacks . However, the plantations ended up being abandoned due to its low productivity and the appearance of synthetic fiber.
Today, this vegetable and its characteristic pitacos have become an evocative and precious sign of identity of our southern province that, if you have come this far, you already know a little more and better.