Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Fiesta of flavours

Images Heidi Fuller-love

February is a month of feasting in Andalucia, as locals prepare for 40 days of fasting during Lent. Grab a fork and follow Heidi Fuller-love on a Carnival-themed culinary tour of Malaga and Seville

Thought to be derived from the Latin carne vale, meaning ‘farewell to meat’, this month’s Carnival envelops Seville and Malaga in a riot of food and music. The fun begins with fireworks on Jueves Lardero (Lard Thursday) and ends with the frenetic feast day of Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and it’s a chance to sample some of the best flavours these cities have to offer. With the 40-day fasting period of Lent looming, it’s easy to understand why food takes centre stage.

Sizzling on spits at street stands, bubbling in the cauldrons of backstreet bodegas or served up in sauces at sophisticated restaurants, pork often tops the menu. Dishes to try include relleno de carnaval, a dish of pork intestines stuffed with cured ham, garlic and saffron cooked over a slow flame, and chicharrón, a deliciously textured dish made with crispy fried pork rind.

Then, during Lent – the penitential period before Easter – the region’s culinary creativity is further put to the test. Meat dishes give way to delicious vegetable and seafood dishes such as garbanzos y pimientos, a nourishing stew made with green peppers and chick peas, and bacalao con puerros, a succulent cod dish served with caramelised leeks. Follow these insider’s tips to ensure that you get to sample the best of both worlds…

Sapid Seville

In the city of lover Don Juan and sexy cigar-roller Carmen, Carnival tumbles from the skirts of the cathedral to the hems of the outlying districts in a riot of flamenco, Sevillanas and fine food.

Feast

Tapas are the perfect eat-on-the-hoof Carnival food, so beat your way through the fray to Bodega Extremeña (17 Calle San Esteban, tel. ). This atmospheric eatery opposite the Puerta de la Carne, where meat was brought into the city in medieval times, is the place to try pinchos morunos – spicy pork kebabs brought straight from the barbecue coals to your plate.

If pork isn’t your thing, make a beeline for bars like Giralda, Modesto, Las Teresas and Casa Robles in the Santa Cruz quarter, where you’ll be served saucers brimming with huevos a la flamenca (eggs baked with chorizo), morcilla frita (fried black pudding) and rabo de toro (bull’s tail in spicy sauce).

For more substantial fare, follow the frock-clad crowds to Bar La Eslava (3-5 Calle Eslava, tel. ), where you can feed on cordero con miel (honey-braised lamb) and solomillo al whisky (steak fillets soaked in a rich whisky sauce).

For finer dining, flee those crowds at the swanky Taberna del Alabardero (20 Calle Zaragoza, tel. ).

In this celebrated eatery, favoured by Spanish royals, Carnival specials include ternera a la Sevillana (veal cooked with olives and white wine) and pringá (a rich blend of veal, bacon, chorizo, blood sausage and ham). End your meal with one of the restaurant’s homemade desserts: choose cortadillos (candied lemon cakes), pestiños (honey-coated pancakes) or yemas (candied egg yolk) – and calories be damned!

Fast

Linger in Andalucia’s lovely capital when the Carnival dust has settled and you’ll discover another culinary world, filled with meat-free delights.

In the fish shops of the Arenal quarter, Lenten feeders gather for light-as-air tortillitas de camarones (shrimp fritters) and gambas pil pil (flash fried prawns). Ideally situated near the Convent of San Lorenzo, Az-Zait (1 Plaza de San Lorenzo, tel. ) is another popular spot for penitents. Dishes to die for include vegetable gazpacho served with a crunchy shrimp carpaccio and melt-in-the-mouth revuelto de bacalao, made with cod and scrambled eggs in a velvet-smooth tomato sauce.

Mouth-watering Malaga

Spilling out from Picasso’s museum near the cathedral and on towards the painter’s birthplace on the Plaza de la Merced, Malaga’s Carnival is full of culinary delights, culminating with the Entierro del Boquerón – a ritual mock funeral of a large model sardine, followed by an alfresco sardine-tasting session.

Feast

Scour the streets of this southern city and you might come across one of the typical street lunches organised by various Carnival factions, where you can sample everything from chorizo sausages to black pudding fritters. But if you don’t luck-out on street food, dive into the Bodega El Pimpi (68 Calle Granada, tel. ). In the dimly lit interior, favoured by visiting celebrities, Carnival-time tapas include riñones al Jerez (kidneys marinated in Jerez sherry) and deliciously crunchy flamenquín (breaded meat balls).

Down the road and owned by the actor Antonio Banderas, La Posada de Antonio (33 Calle Granada, tel. ) specialises in grilled meat and is packed to the rafters during Carnival. Come here for cordero (lamb kebabs), fried cabra (goat) and conejo caldereta (rabbit stew), all washed down with a bottle of Malaga’s famed pedro ximenez wine.

Finally, to really pile on the pounds in Banderas’ hometown, head for Cafeteria Anglada (1-3 Puerta del Mar, tel. ), where traditional home-baked sweets you should give up for Lent include borrachuelos (rum baba), polvorones (crumbly almond cookies), and bienmesabe (a syrupy cinnamon and almond cream cake).

Fast

When the meat-eating crowds have vanished, wend your way to the seafront. In one of the dozen tiny seafood eateries, you can sup on bolas de bacalao (fluffy cod fish balls in batter), sardine espetos (sardines cooked on skewers over hot coals) and boquerones (anchovies) marinated in vinegar.

Back in the centre, El Chinitas (4-6 Calle Moreno Monroy, tel. ) is a local haunt where dishes include gazpachuelo – a creamy seafood version of the city’s signature soup.

Filled with matadors during the bullfight season, Refectorium (8 Calle Cervantes, tel. ), located just behind the bullring, is another insider’s address. After enjoying the local speciality, ajo blanco con uvas (cold almond soup flavoured with garlic and garnished with muscatel grapes), you’ll need to whisper a few mea culpas before tucking into the feather-light sponge cake brazo de gitano, egg yolk and liquor ponche de yema, and other sinfully sweet delights.

When to go

Catch the Carnival fun in 2010

Carnival in Seville and Malaga takes place during the three weeks before Lent, which begins on 17 February in 2010 (Ash Wednesday).

Did you know?

During General Franco’s 40-year dictatorship, Carnival was prohibited in Spain.

Carnival in Seville and Malaga takes place during the three weeks before Lent, which begins on 17 February in 2010 (Ash Wednesday).

Did you know?

During General Franco’s 40-year dictatorship, Carnival was prohibited in Spain.

FR Saveurs de “Fiesta”

Février est un mois festif en Andalousie, en préambule au jeûne de 40 jours auquel les locaux se préparent pour le printemps. Suivez Heidi Fuller-love à Malaga et à Séville dans un parcours culinaire sur le thème du Carnaval.

La fameuse méditation de Shakespeare selon laquelle la ‘musique est la nourriture de l’amour’ se prête étonnamment bien à Séville et à Malaga durant le mois de février – le mois de l’amour – au moment où ces deux villes débordent de nourriture et de musique, tous deux synonymes du Carnaval. Le Carnaval à Séville et à Malaga se déroule durant les trois semaines qui précédent le printemps, cette année, à partir du 17 février (Mercredi des Cendres).

Exquise Séville

Festin Les tapas sont de petits délices parfaits pour le Carnaval, car ils se mangent sur le pouce. Rassasiez-vous avec ces bouchées carnavalesques comme les pinchos morunos (brochettes de porc épicé) à la Bodega Extremeña (17 Calle San Esteban). Pour un repas plus substantiel, suivez la foule jusqu’au Bar La Eslava (3-5 Calle Eslava), où vous pourrez vous nourrir d’agneau braisé au miel et de filets de steak marinés dans une sauce riche au whisky.

Carême Pour quelques délices sans viande, promenez-vous dans Séville après le Carnaval et dirigez-vous vers les étals de poisson dans le quartier de l’Arenal. Les consommateurs printaniers s’y rassemblent pour dîner de fritures de gambas légères comme l’air et de crevettes minutes saisies à la poêle.

Appétissante Malaga

Festin Faites un saut à la Bodega El Pimpi (68 Calle Granada), où l’on trouve à cette époque du carnaval des tapas comme les riñones al Jerez (rognons marinés au Jerez sherry) et les délicieuses flamenquín croustillantes (boulettes de viande panées). Non loin de là, La Posada de Antonio (33 Calle Granada) dont l’acteur Antonio Banderas est propriétaire, se spécialise en viandes grillées.

Carême Dès que les carnivores ne sont plus de la partie, place au poisson dans les nombreuses tavernes alignées en bord de mer. Dînez de boulettes de poisson veloutées et de brochettes de sardines cuites sur les braises. De retour dans le centre, El Chinitas (4-6 Calle Moreno Monroy) est un petit restaurant local qui offre des plats de poissons et notamment le gazpachuelo – une crème de soupe de poisson.

NL Feest van smaken

Februari is een feestmaand in Andalusië, waarin de Andalusiërs zich voorbereiden op de 40 dagen durende vastenperiode. We volgen Heidi Fuller-love op een culinaire tocht door Malaga en Sevilla met als thema carnaval

Het beroemde mijmeren van Shakespeare over ‘muziek als het voedsel van de liefde’ lijkt vreemd genoeg van toepassing in Sevilla en Malaga tijdens de maand februari – de liefdesmaand – wanneer de steden een voedselgevecht ondergaan en wanneer ze baden in de muziek die typisch is voor carnaval. Carnaval in Sevilla en Malaga vindt plaats in de drie weken die voorafgaan aan de vasten, die in 2010 begint op 17 februari (Aswoensdag).

Smakelijk Sevilla

Feestmaal Tapas zijn de perfecte geïmproviseerde carnavalkost, dus overlaadt men bij Bodega Extremeña (17 Calle San Esteban) carnavalhapjes met gerechten als pinchos morunos (kruidige varkensspiesjes). Voor een steviger maal moet je de massa volgen naar Bar La Eslava (3-5 Calle Eslava), waar je kan genieten van in honing gebraden lamsvlees en rundsfilet in een rijke whiskysaus.

Vasten Voor vleesvrij genot moet je in Sevilla blijven hangen na carnaval en gaan wandelen langs de viswinkels in het stadsdeel rond de Arena. Mensen die vasten komen er de luchtige garnaalbeignets en kort gefrituurde scampi nuttigen.

Laat het water in uw mond komen in Malaga

Feestmaal Duik in de Bodega El Pimpi (68 Calle Granada), waar men in de carnavalperiode tapas als riñones al Jerez (in Jerez-sherry gemarineerde niertjes) en heerlijk knapperige flamenquín (gebraden vleesballetjes) serveert. Verder in de straat vind je La Posada de Antonio (33 Calle Granada), eigendom van de acteur Antonio Banderas, dat gespecialiseerd is in gegrild vlees.

Vasten Wanneer de vleesetende massa verdwenen is, zet je koers richting de visrestaurantjes die langs de kustlijn liggen. Geniet er van zachte kabeljauwballetjes en sardines die gebraden worden op spiesen die boven hete kolen gehangen worden. Terug in het centrum is El Chinitas (4-6 Calle Moreno Monroy) de plaatselijke hotspot waar je onder de belangrijkste visgerechten ook gazpachuelo – een roomsoep met zeevruchten – terugvindt.

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