Yecla – Gastronomy

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Parent Category: Travel Over There

Category: 2014 - Gap Year

Created: Tuesday, 10 June 2014 15:02

Click Here for Spanish Language Version

One of the best experiences a traveller can have when visiting a new culture is exploring their food. Spain is renowned across the world for its dishes and it is a joy to discover them. Personally, I think one of the greater joys comes in discovering the regional variations of these dishes.

Yecla had numerous variations and a few unique dishes that really enhanced our appreciation for the region.

To start with, it’s a wine producing area with the primary variety being Monastrell (Mourvèdre), a red wine, and the results are highly variable. We tried over a dozen of Monastrell’s while in the region and while no two were alike aside from being red and having an earthy flavour to them, some were highly enjoyable whilst others tasted terrible, and a few fell into the ‘drinkable’ category. The most interesting thing about this range is that they were all in the €3-7 price range in the supermarket. Check out http://www.yeclavino.com/ for more information on the areas wines.

If you are going to drink the wine you should probably eat a few dishes along the way and Yecla has some great variations.

One such dish is Yeclano Gazpachos. Traditionally Gazpacho is a cold tomato soup served in Andalusia, in Yecla however it was stewed meat (rabbit & quail or chicken) and vegetables served over a fried tortilla. First you eat the stew then eat the tortilla with either honey or anchovies. It was delicious.

Another is Gachasmigas. Migas is a highly variable dish and it all depends on where you are as to what you get, although for the most part the primary ingredient is bread. In Yecla it is a pancake made from oil, flour, water and garlic cooked over an open fire. It takes more than an hour to make and the final product is a grey doughy mass that you eat by scooping it out of the pan with bread! A very interesting meal.

And then comes the world famous dish Paella. According to http://dictionary.reference.com/ Paella is ‘a Spanish dish prepared by simmering together chicken, seafood, rice, vegetables, and saffron and other seasonings.’ Paella originated in Valencia and is usually eaten at lunch. We have been told that to get the true Paella, you have to go a Valencian home and have it made by a local, everything else is rice with meat and vegetables. We tried three paellas when we were in Yecla – a vegetable, a chicken and rabbit, and a squid ink. For the vegetable paella, some of the ingredients were par cooked separately, then the rice was cooked with cold stock and the vegetables added later. The chicken and rabbit was again multi staged with the vegetables cooked first then set aside, followed by browning the meat before putting the vegetables back in. Then water is added to the combined ingredients and once boiling, rice was added until the meal was ready. The squid ink we only saw the finish of when they added the ink once everything had been combined. Each of these dishes was wonderful to eat and cannot be compared with the other as the flavours were quite different and highlighted the regional variations.

A unique food we found in Yecla was Libricos. Libricos are a wafer biscuit with either a honey or chocolate filling made to a secret family recipe that is passed to the first born male of each generation. They are a delightful snack that are much better than the ingredients imply. If you find yourself in Yecla these are a must have. Visit http://www.libricosyecla.es/ for more information.

Yecla is a wonderful gastronomic destination, with a passion for food and life. Whether having Tortas Fritas for breakfast, Paella for lunch, or Gazpachos for Dinner followed by Libricos, there are some wonderful ways to eat your way through a day.

Other stories from Spain:

Granada

Vaughan Town

Yecla - Our Month Living in Spain

Yecla - Nuestro Mes de la vida en España

Yecla - Working without a Common Language

 Yecla -Voluntariado

Madrid