Asparagus casserole in Chikito (Granada)
A George Ruiz likes to travel (who doesn't) . But on his travels, he spends a lot of time researching, tasting the flavors of each land, discover the best local products . "I'm always trying things," explains the man from Granada. A few months ago he turned that hobby into his profession.
At the beginning of the year he decided to open Pomegranate Passion , a flirt shop located in the stables of a 17th-century palace , with exposed brick walls and a marble column from Sierra Elvira . There he offers a wonderful collection of products that have two points in common: they are of great quality and they are all made and/or produced in the province of Granada.
Natural wines, organic oils, Granada-Murciano goat cheese, craft beers with Sierra Nevada water and custard apple, gin , vegetables from the local fertile plain, Pitres chocolate, Segureño lamb ham, La Contraviesa cider, Designation of Origin honey, rose petal jam or dehydrated mango are just some of the many offerings lovingly stocked on their shelves. " The Granada pantry is huge ", underlines Jorge who, sometimes, also organize tastings so your customers can try whatever they fancy before they make it their new favorite.
Jorge Ruiz of Granada Passion
"This space is the place perfect to understand the importance of geography and seasonality in local gastronomy," says Molly Sears Piccavey , which acts as the perfect host for tourists looking for that Granada that goes beyond the San Nicolás viewpoint and the tapas where quantity exerts its tyranny over quality.
This British woman has been living in Spain for 20 years , the last 11 in Granada. She is a blogger she with a lot of pull and knows every corner of the city, especially if it is related to gastronomy. Therefore, she is also the city manager of Spain Food Sherpas .
Granada Passion in Puente Castañeda, 4
Following in her footsteps is synonymous with learning , but also to begin to understand the passion that she exudes for her adopted land . "This province has the Sierra Nevada area and the almost 3,500 meters of height of the Mulhacen , but also the Costa Tropical at sea level. Then the fertile plains of Granada and Huétor-Tajar, the Lecrin Valley ... They are very different climates that make the great variety of local products enormous", he adds as he says goodbye to Jorge and heads down Calle San Antón towards Recogidas and the Puerta Real de España, where a beautiful pomegranate tree gets lost in the traffic .
Then she enters the central pedestrian street of Granada through places like the beautiful Bib-Rambla square , always looking for the next gastronomic stop while she says that avocados are also in season. The tour passes by a street fruit stall located on the corner of the Pescadería square with Capuchinas street become the perfect example of what the British says about diversity in local production: there is walnuts, mangoes, custard apples, starfruit, winter medlars, chestnuts, almonds, field fennel, papayas ... all products made in Granada.
A street fruit stall in Granada
So are some of the hams that he cares for the most Ivan Diaz , professional cutter who, during the weekends, you can find at weddings, inaugurations or celebrations in some **cave of Sacromonte**.
His fame as a cutter came to him in the restaurant The Madrasa , in the Zaidin neighborhood , until a little over a year ago he decided to have his own business. His name is Iberian , is narrow and small, but it is a paradise for the senses thanks to its wonderful collection of gourmet products. Among them, cheeses, wines, preserves, migas del pastor or a wonderful Stilton cheese to which Iván gives a touch of Pedro Ximénez.
But if this establishment is defined by something, it is fundamentally by the wonderful knife-cut hams with special care . Some come from Jabugo, but many come directly from La Alpujarra, among which are those cured for 24 months in Pórtugos or those that, in Trevélez, they have up to 36 months of healing at almost 1,500 meters of altitude . A label next to the hoof makes it clear that they have a Protected Geographical Indication.
"Its flavor is very special. Above all because of its quality, but also because of the proximity to the place of production. In addition, I am one of those who thinks that the time or place where you take it also influences the experience of savoring it" explains Ivan, who accompany the fine flakes with a chamomile from Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Ivan Diaz de Iberica
A stone's throw from the cathedral, next to old pensions and bread kiosks, a corner of Plaza de la Trinidad houses a piece of history in the form of an establishment. Is named Oliver . The few square meters it occupies live with an intense hustle and bustle, a constant coming and going of people who know that they will find what they are looking for there. Is about a former grocer born in 1850 in which, for example, those who arrived with ration cards in times of the Civil War and the long post-war years were served.
Today the place has specialized in the sale of high-quality nuts and dehydrated fruits, although there are also vegetables from the land, wines or delicatessen jelly beans . Its flagship product is peanuts, which come from Brazil to the liking of Granadans, who are very used to this product to accompany beers and glasses of wine. There are also macadamia nuts from Australia, cashews from Brazil, dates from Israel…” there are almost a hundred varieties ", explains Rafael Rodríguez, whose family took over the premises a little over two decades ago.
Nuts in Oliver
A couple of minutes from there, in the Alhondiga square , the very young cook Nicholas S. Girl -just 25 years old- is the main asset of ** La Milagrosa e Irreverente **, a place that is two restaurants in one. La Milagrosa is accessed through a door. Wooden floor, colorful tables and chairs , stone pillars, large windows and electronic music make up an informal space that seeks to update traditional Granada dishes, which are served here with a lot of mother's love.
The menu can start with a good cocktail and continue with marinated artichokes, some oxtail croquettes with kimchi, a low-temperature pork rib, some scrambled eggs with oxtail or a homemade tomato fritta . Pure flavor.
Tables at La Milagrosa and Irreverente
Irreverente is accessed through another door, where the chef born in Fuentevaqueros lets himself be carried away by his creativity, always using zero kilometer products. Lacquered lamb with Iberian crumbs, grapes and smoked cream cheese or a ingot of pork trotters with garlic and cuttlefish These are two of his proposals, although you can try more if you dare (which you must) with the tasting menu.
It is essential to taste the tapa called Granada Legacy 2.0 : a taco of wantú stuffed with lojeño lamb lacquered in its own juice, crumbs of EVOO from Sacromonte , goat cheese, black garlic and dry tomato from Zafarraya . A delicious bite that at the beginning of this year won the first prize in the IX edition of the gastronomic contest "Granada de Tapas". When you take a bite, you'll know why.
Granada Legacy 2.0
But not everything in the gastronomic tour is going to be eating. Along with La Milagrosa and Irreverente there is one of those businesses worth traveling for, the Espartería Cordelería San José . everything they sell there it will reach your soul and, for example, they have an incredible variety of spoons for various uses, such as those that help move the crumbs in a large pan and are made of boxwood. And a little further up is the cutlery Núñez Ruiz in which, it is said, the great chefs of Granada and surroundings sharpen their knives.
Cordelería Espartería San José in Granada
The Spain Food Sherpas route ends in a mythical place of Granada gastronomy. It is called ** Chikito ** and was founded by Luis Oruezabal, Argentine soccer player who after playing at Vélez-Sarfield signed for Granada CF in the 1970s . It is located in the same facilities as Café Alameda years before, the one that was frequented by Federico García Lorca and Manuel de Falla when they were part of the literary gathering 'El Rinconcillo'.
Precisely in a corner of the dining room is a statue of Lorca , which shares space with diners and walls full of photos of celebrities. "This is a place that is a bit of everyone and a lot of Granada," he says. Daniel Oruezabal , who now runs the business.
Its dishes are based on traditional food, such as the exquisite Granada remojón, based on cod, black olives, spring onion and orange, which are accompanied with some pomegranate seeds. also highlights the asparagus casserole, served with sliced almonds and local ham , in addition to other proposals such as the bull's tail or the Nasrid sirloin.
To finish, nothing better than a homemade pionono, which Chikito impregnates with anise to give a unique flavor to this sweet snack created at the end of the 19th century and that undoubtedly sinks its roots in Al Andalus.
Fluffy homemade pionono in Chikito
A past that, after this binge on gastronomy, is always worth feeling by letting yourself go along the Acera del Darro and the Paseo de los Tristes towards the Albaicín , getting lost again and again through the narrow streets of the neighborhood and observing from its many viewpoints how the sun changes the reddish tones of The Alhambra in every minute.
And to dream of its palaces, nothing better than entering the Alhambra Palace hotel, either to enjoy its cuisine on the panoramic terrace or to spend the night after a day marked by the gastronomic tour. With his fifth newly released star , tranquility, luxury and design mark an accommodation that will allow you to regain strength to get lost again in the gastronomy, culture and history of Granada: there are still a thousand secrets to discover.
Alhambra Palace Hotel