Ranking as some of the best in the world, Spanish preserves include fish, vegetables, meat and fruit – all grown, prepped, and packaged in time-honoured tradition. Here are some of the most prized gourmet products and the reason each is so special. Why not take a trip to Spain to enjoy these PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) store cupboard superheroes at source…
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Artichokes from Tudela
Often nicknamed "the garden of Spain”, Tudela in Navarre was founded by the Romans and governed by the Moors for centuries.
Vegetable growers still supply precious crops of alcachofa or artichoke to
world-famous chefs, including Albert and Ferrán Adria (who put Spain on the culinary map).
Artichokes are cultivated on the lower terraces of the Rivers Ebro, Ega and Aragón (with its tributary the Arga), and the well-drained soil of the alluvial plains is rich in calcium. The artichoke’s flavour – found at its tender heart – is revealed by peeling away its layers of petal-like bracts (leaves). Artichokes are the harbinger of summer, but the beauty of artichoke preservation means they can be available all year round. Those with PGI Alcachofa de Tudela certified status are considered a delicacy.
Plump Spanish molluscs are excellent; think tender and flavour-packed baby clams, cockles and razor clams and just-off-the-boat octopus canned in olive oil, and squid in its own ink. Oysters and scallops are typically preserved in brine.
Packed fresh from the ocean, these canned beauties need little more than a sprinkling of salt or a squeeze of lemon and to be paired with a cold beer. Usually classified by size, the label must stipulate the number of pieces per can. The fewer the pieces, the greater the size and, therefore, the value.
Spanish molluscs – clams, cockles, razor clams, oysters and squid – from Cadiz and the Atlantic coast
One of the country’s favourite preserved fish dishes is bacalao (dried salt cod), although the cod itself doesn’t come from Spanish waters. Centuries ago, Basque fishermen caught it in the freezing seas of the north Atlantic and the salted fish was transported to the rest of Spain. The cod found on Spanish markets is called gadus morhua or Atlantic cod. This flaky, flavourful and versatile fish is found in myriad dishes, and occupies a place of honour in the history of Spanish gastronomy. It is a great favourite in regional cooking.
Bacalao (salt cod) from the Basque Country and Catalonia
Murcia, in southeastern Spain, is known for some of the best traditional Spanish salt fish, made from Atlantic bonito (sarda sarda), bluefin tuna (thunnus thynnus), porbeagle (lamna nasus) and mackerel (scomber scombrus). Greek geographer and historian Strabo referred to bluefin tuna as “the pig of the sea” because none of it is wasted. After salting and drying under the rays of the warm Spanish sun, the fish develops a briny flavour. Dried sardines are a classic salt fish favourite.
Sun-dried salt fish
from Murcia
Following centuries of fishing in the Basque country, it’s not surprising that Spain is the world’s second largest producer of top-notch canned and salted tuna products.
The tradition began with exceptional albacore tuna, fished from the Bay of Biscay. Yellowfin and skipjack tuna are also prized catches.
Traditionally made with red tuna (thunnus thynnus) – caught by ancient almadraba nets as it swims along the Strait of Gibraltar – mojama has an intense savoury flavour and, when preserved, a higher nutrient concentration than its fresh counterpart.
The canned and salted tuna products with PGI Melva and Caballa de Andalucia status are salted and air dried for ten to 15 days, the belly and trunk preserved in olive oil. Delicious with a chilled glass of dry white fino.
Tuna from the Bay of Biscay, Cadiz and Andalusia
Thanks to their deep umami flavour, anchovies (boquerones), also known as “the bacon of the sea” are a cook’s best friend.
The cold waters of the Cantabrian Sea produce the best deep-blue fish with firm flesh. Once caught, the anchovies are tended by hand, carefully laid out, skilfully snipped, trimmed, covered in mild olive oil, and encased in ornate tins at traditional Basque canneries.
Once just typically salted, today's prized anchovies are semi-preserved using refrigeration, like those from L’Escala on Catalonia’s Mediterranean coast.
Delicious in salads, dressings, sauces and stews, cured and pickled anchovies are also a mainstay of tapas bars in Spain.
Anchovies from the Cantabrian coast and Catalonia
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Even fish roe is salted in Spain, a process that gives it an exquisite, delicate flavour. In a leafy valley west of Granada, some 70,000 of Spain’s native species of sturgeon thrive in the pools of Riofrío. The caviar, which is produced in strict eco-friendly conditions, regularly wins international accolades and is enjoyed by foodies around the world.
Caviar from Granada
The wild, windy corner of Galicia is premium mussel territory. It’s also where 60 of the country’s 145 canneries are located around the rias and deep estuaries on Spain’s northwest Atlantic coast.
The unique conditions of Las Rias Baixas give the mussels their special flavour and texture. Deep, cold ocean water – rich in oxygen and nutrients from the seabed – fertilises the mussels, which are caught from wooden bateas (cultivation platforms). The taste “is like a fine wine”, says Jesús Lorenzo Crespo, owner of Galician canned seafood artisan producer Los Peperetes.
Leading brand La Riviere harvests plump specimens from lines off the shores of Arosa island. Mussels are often packed in seawater to enhance the flavour, which actually reduces salt content and preserves them for longer.
Mussels from Galicia
The flavour-packed peppers from Navarre taste better preserved because after roasting, peeling and canning, they’re silky, sweet and fragrant, with just a touch
of heat.
Canned whole, in strips or chunks, roast peppers (categories Extra and Primera, from the species Capsicum Annuum L, of indigenous Piquillo varieties) are cultivated and prepared exclusively in Navarre.
The intense, scarlet-hued peppers, curving in a triangular shape, are picked when perfectly ripe. After roasting, peppers are prepped by hand, peeled one by one, cored and the skin, stalk and seeds removed. Classified by size and colour to guarantee uniformity, they’re canned or bottled in glass jars.
Pimientos del Piquillo de Lodosa peppers from Navarre
The Spanish love their fat, white asparagus. The most tender stalks are grown and plucked in regions like Murcia, Valencia, the Ebro valley, Aragón, La Rioja and Navarre. There’s a long history of producing vegetable preserves in Navarre, and asparagus with PGI Espárrago de Navarra status is a hero product.
The fertile land produces fat, white spears, the colour and shape achieved by “forcing" so they grow in the dark. This process involves covering any new foliage that appears above soil level with more compost. Spain’s favourite white asparagus is a great tapas dish or starter for a dinner party, served with crispy strips of jamón ibérico.
Asparagus from La Rioja, Aragón and PGI Espárrago de Navarra in Navarre
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Spanish delight:
cook up a storm with asparagus from Navarra, artichokes from Tudela and piquillo peppers from Lodosa
PHOTOGRAPHY: ANFACO. Pimientos de Lodosa: © D.O.P. PIMIENTO DEL PIQUILLO DE LODOSA.Espárragos de Navarra: © I.G.P. ESPÁRRAGO DE NAVARRA. Artichokes from Tudela: © I.G.P ALCACHOFA DE TUDELA
One of the most coveted Spanish canned fish products is grey mullet roe. The egg pouches are extracted from the fish and cured by immersing them in salt for varying amounts of time. They are then washed, pressed and dried under optimal conditions before being sold.
Grey mullet roe from Murcia and Andalusia
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Ranking as some of the best in the world, Spanish preserves include fish, vegetables, meat and fruit – all grown, prepped, and packaged in time-honoured tradition. Here are some of the most prized gourmet products and the reason each is so special. Why not take a trip to Spain to enjoy these PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) store cupboard superheroes at source…
For more on Spain’s PGI preserved food, from fantastic tinned and canned fish, fruit
and vegetables to inspiration on where it grows, and where you can pick your own and meet passionate producers, visit foodswinesfromspain.com/spainfoodnation
store cupboarD heroes
Terroir to table
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For more on Spain’s PGI preserved food, from fantastic tinned and canned fish, fruit
and vegetables to inspiration on where it grows, and where you can pick your own and meet passionate producers, visit foodswinesfromspain.com/
spainfoodnation
DISCOVER MORE