Flavours of Andalusia: At the table in Malaga, between sea, mountains and memories

In Andalusia, you never eat alone. Hospitality is a way of life: offering a dish is like opening your heart. In Malaga, tapas are often served with drinks in neighbourhood bars – a tradition that is less common in other regions. An old custom dictates that the first dish shared in a home should be a ‘plato de los pobres’ (poor man's dish): usually a vegetable or chickpea stew, in memory of times of famine when people shared what little they had.

Meals here go on forever: between each bite, people talk about the sea, the grape harvest, the neighbourhood's patron saint, and above all... what they will eat tomorrow.

Under the sun of Al-Andalus: the enchanting origins of Malaga cuisine

There are places where cuisine is not born of whim or chance, but of a slow alchemy between people, the land, the sky... and time. The region of Malaga, suspended between the cliffs of the Sierra and the warm arms of the Mediterranean, is one such place. Here, each dish tells a story of conquest, exile, and hard work. And in each aroma, the echoes of vanished civilisations still linger.

The sea, our primary source of nourishment

Long before the Romans, the Phoenicians were already casting their nets in the Bay of Malaga. They fished for sardines, anchovies and mullet, and prepared garum, a fermented fish sauce that was poured over almost everything. This tradition, softened over time, survives today in mojama (salted and sun-dried tuna) and the famous sardinas al espeto, fish skewered and grilled facing the sea, whose smoky flavour resonates in the collective memory.

The Moors and the Andalusian garden

But it was in the 8th century, with the arrival of the Moors, that Andalusian cuisine took on its most enchanting form. Under their rule, the land was transformed into a fragrant orchard: valleys were irrigated, orange, lemon, fig, pomegranate and almond trees were planted, and aubergines, spinach, carrots, rice and saffron were acclimatised.

The word ‘azúcar’ (sugar) comes from the Arabic as-sukkar. Like so many others: aceite (oil), alcachofa (artichoke), almendra (almond), albóndiga (meatball)... all linguistic evidence of the Arabic roots of the local cuisine.

The Moors also left behind a taste for sweet and savoury combinations, dishes served in sauce, and desserts made with dried fruit and honey. They were responsible for creating dishes such as ajoblanco, a white almond soup, and pastries such as roscos de vino and tortas de aceite, which have a delicate texture and aniseed flavour.

The cuisine of the monastery and the people

With the Reconquista in the 15th century, Malaga came under Christian rule. The monks in the convents developed a penitential cuisine: humble, but tasty. Lentils, chickpeas, desalted cod, olive oil. The cocina conventual gave rise to dishes such as potajes, slow-cooked, nourishing stews, and Holy Week desserts, where sugar and faith intertwine.

At the same time, rural communities invented a solar-powered subsistence cuisine: tomatoes, peppers, stale bread, garlic, oil and vinegar became the basis for cold soups such as gazpachuelo (fish soup with oil and lemon) and porra antequerana, a thick gazpacho originating in Antequera, a town in the heart of the province.

The grape harvest and liquid gold

In the hills of Axarquía, east of Malaga, the steep terraces are covered with Muscat vines. The grapes are spread out on mats to dry in the sun: this is the traditional method known as asoleo. This is where the sweet wines of Malaga are produced, once exported to Saint Petersburg and London and served at royal banquets.

It is said that an 18th-century Russian ambassador declared: ‘Malaga wine tastes like the Andalusian sunset.’

It is also in these lands that the region's other treasure is cultivated: extra virgin olive oil. In every village, the elders still press the olives as their ancestors did, in almazaras with the scent of grass, wood and black fruit.

An edible memory

Malaga's cuisine is an edible memory: a legacy of exchanges, conquests and migrations. From the Sephardic Jews, certain cooking habits and Passover dishes have been preserved. From the Genoese, who settled in the port, a love of fine fried foods. From the Andalusian gypsies, a passion for fire and dishes shared in the street.

And to this day, the traditions live on. At every feria, ajoblanco is served in plastic cups. At weddings, grandmothers bring their hand-stuffed empanadillas. On the beaches of El Palo, fishermen still cook their sardines the way their great-grandfathers did.

Dishes with deep roots

Espetos de sardinas – the icon of the coast

It's hard to talk about Malaga without mentioning its famous espetos de sardinas: freshly caught sardines skewered on olive wood sticks and grilled in the sand on a boat converted into a barbecue.

Fun fact: This tradition dates back to the late 19th century. A man named Miguel Martínez Soler, nicknamed ‘El Gran Miguel’, ran a beach tavern in El Palo. One particularly hot day, he decided to grill the sardines outside, stuck in the sand. It was such a success that this method became a symbol of the city.

Ajoblanco – the white soup of the mountains

This cold soup made with almonds, garlic, breadcrumbs, olive oil and vinegar, often served with fresh grapes, is the ancestor of gazpacho. It has its roots in Roman and Moorish culture, who brought the almond tree with them.

In Málaga, it is enjoyed in summer during the ‘Fiesta del Ajoblanco’ in Almáchar, a white mountain village where it is served free of charge to visitors in a festive atmosphere accompanied by flamenco music.

Porra antequerana – the heart of Andalusia

A thicker cousin of gazpacho, this soup made with tomatoes, bread and olive oil originates from Antequera, a town in the interior of the province of Málaga. It is garnished with Iberian ham or hard-boiled eggs. Unlike gazpacho, it is eaten with a spoon, served very cold.

Its name comes from the word ‘porra’, which refers to a wooden pestle used to crush ingredients in a mortar.

A sweet treat with character: Algarrobo tortas

In the small village of Algarrobo, a pastry made with honey, olive oil, cinnamon, aniseed and almonds has been made for centuries: tortas de aceite. They are both crunchy and melt-in-the-mouth, and keep for a long time – a legacy of the Moorish trade caravans.

These cakes were often part of the dowry that young girls brought to their weddings.

The taste of the past in the present

In Malaga, people don't cook to feed themselves, they cook to remember. Bread, oil, wine, the sea, spices... all these ingredients come together to create a cuisine of memory, where each recipe is an ancient prayer recited to the rhythm of the pestle and the fire.

It is not enough to taste a Malaga dish. You have to listen to it, breathe it, dream it. Because beneath every bite lies a thousand years of history.