Food in Alicante

Wine tip: Spanish wines are graded by the length of time they have been aged, the best wines carry Gran Reserva labels; these have been aged both in oak and in the bottle
Food tip: When buying food in supermarkets and local stores, look out for D enominación de Orígen on speciality goods, this certifies their authenticity and is a good indication of quality.

One of the best things about living in Alicante is dining out. There are hundreds of restaurants to choose from... slide into slick modern eatery and dine on haute cuisine, take a table at a traditional Spanish restaurant and taste the finest seafood or simply stop for a gourmet bocadillo at the port.

Main Dishes

If Alicante is known for one dish, it has to be arroz a la alicantina, a rice dish peppered with meat, fish and shellfish. Savour it once and you'll have trouble choosing any of Alicante's other 300 rice dishes in the future - yes, it is that good.

Other notable rice specialties include olleta (rice with fresh vegetables and sausage), arroz a banda (rice cooked in a fish stew) and caldero (rice stew - served with fish).

Appetizers

Like much of Spain, tapas are king in Alicante. The most loved are bonito, marrajo and mojama and all varieties of salazones (salted fish). Mondaditos (a slice of bread laden with your choice of toppings) are also always popular. The coca boba is worth a try - it's a rare sweet tapas, much like sponge cake.

Desserts

Turrón. Turrón. Turrón. Alicante is famous for it! Give in and you'll love it like the locals. Made from honey, sugar and egg white (and let's not forget all those almonds!), Alicante's Turrón is much harder than the traditional Jijona (soft) variety. It's best accompanied with Fondillón, a local dessert wine.