No need to worry about starving to death here. The whole town is full of bars, cafes and restaurants. Here you will find breakfast restaurants, lunch restaurants, tapas restaurants and exclusive dinner restaurants.
DESAYUNO
A typical Spanish breakfast consists of a café con leche (coffee with milk) or a leche caliente con chocolate, Cola Cao (hot cocoa) and a tostada (a toast (a lot of olive oil and top crushed tomato)). As well as, in the past, a cigarette. But now it’s different!
STOP SMOKING
has Europe’s most powerful smoking ban in public places, that is, smoking ban in all restaurants, cafes, bars and public places. Now it is comfortable to sit in a cafe. You started with a smoother variant of smoking bans already in 2005 but it did not work, so now it is strict, and high fines if you smoke.
SANGRIA
New tourists usually have lunch in the middle of the day. Maybe also a glass of Sangria (which has become a protected brand and may only be found in Spain and Portugal). Experienced tourists order a glass of wine or beer or the refreshing Tinto del Verano. Then you get something called tapa. A plate with something on. It is good, but it is not always easy to know what it is, but everything that is served can be eaten. Can be exciting. “What does not kill, it strengthens!” (Quote from Erik).
TAPAS
A glass of wine can cost between 1.50 € to 2.50 € and then you get a tap. 2 glasses, you get 2 tapas. And then lunch is ready!
This is unique. The province of Granada is the only province in all of Spain that has free tapa when ordering a glass of beer or wine. Sometimes something warm, sometimes something cold. Everything can be eaten. If you go across the provincial border to the neighboring city of Nerja, for example, you have to pay for your tapa. This is just one of the reasons why you should choose Almuñécar. Food is half the food after all.
Siestan falls at 2 pm and then all the Spaniards eat their lunch. In addition, you rest until 17:00. Then almost everything stands still. You do not like to change your traditions.
We Norwegians are accustomed to eating lunch at 12 o’clock and dinner at 18 o’clock. Here, restaurants usually open at 7.30 pm. Many people wonder why the restaurants have closed between 17.00 and 19.30. The kitchen staff must also have their break. When we tourists have finished eating at 21, then the Spaniards come with their children and parents. You sleep longer in the mornings, have your rest in the middle of the day and can stay up longer in the evenings. Eating is a great way to socialize.
If you want to eat a lunch or dinner, you can choose either from the menu / menu or today’s dish / menu del dia. Before ordering, you get the question: Pray? Which means drink. What you want to drink. Water is not just called Agua. You have to say “Agua con gas” or “Agua its gas”. Water with or without carbonic acid. It’s the same with coffee. You can’t just order coffee. Choose at Café solo, large cup (americano), café con leche (skimmed milk), café cortado (a little, plain milk), cappuchino (café créma).
Virtually all bars and restaurants have at least one TV running (preferably 2, with different programs), preferably with football and / or news. It doesn’t get quiet and quiet when you eat, but it is in Spain. Here you do not have a favorite restaurant, you have many! In addition, more and more people are meeting in a restaurant instead of inviting home acquaintances. The Spaniards usually have their children’s or family gatherings in restaurants. It becomes so much easier, you don’t have to wash dishes and other things. We also support the restaurants.
HEALTH
Spain is a healthy country to live in. Of 19 European countries, Spain is ranked first because of its lifestyle with healthy food, a rich social life and outdoor living with, among other things, walking. You measure the age of life before you get sick, and then the Spaniards have the highest figure of 70.9 years. Even the highest age of life wins the Spaniards by 81.4 years. It is important to rest on the food so after lunch at 2 o’clock it is usually siesta with a moment’s rest and sleep. 15-20 minutes is enough.
Living in winter in southern Spain means a comfortable life without frost, snow and cold. We make new friends, spend time together, are active, eat and drink well. The Mediterranean food is known for its olive oil, olives, garlic, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat from animals that go out all year, beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds, whole grains, goat and sheep cheese, yogurt and preferably a glass of red wine per day . A garlic clove a day prevents colds.
If you follow the Mediterranean diet, you choose fish and bird instead of red meat. Avoids pork for the benefit of sheep and lambs. Rather grilled food than fried. Takes olive oil instead of margarine, replaces sugar with honey, patata pobre instead of french fries eg. Rather the small manual shop before the big department store. Strive for as genuine goods as possible. The closer the grower, the better. Fresh fish instead of frozen and thus favor the fishing fleet in Motril.
It is also important to read the contents declaration on the back of the package if you buy prepackaged food. Food manufacturers do not always take full responsibility for meeting the need for healthy and healthy food. There is a lot of literature warning of all artificial ingredients that should not be found in food. You should avoid all products with E-numbers for example.
There are many cookbooks and recipes. The Spaniards cook the food from the ground up with fresh ingredients and make very spicy pots and they don’t like semi-finished products. The national dish is Paella with rice, saffron and chicken, meat, shrimp, mussels, octopus and vegetables. Very common is a mixture of fresh vegetables that are mixed into a soup called Gazpacho. Both inexpensive and enormously useful. Eat cold or hot.
At parties and other festive occasions, family and friends meet at a restaurant. The social community is important and is often met. Then everyone is with, the eldest down to the youngest child. Here you do not leave the children to any babysitter. Everyone is dressed up, and proud. You live a traditional family life.
Almuñécar has 320 days of sunshine a year and we get the important vitamin D every day. And the pleasant light that we pensioners so well need is free. Here we do not buy vitamin preparations and do not need any sun therapy.
The Spanish walk a lot, preferably together in small groups. Then you combine exercise and social community. Gym equipment is available in several places along the promenade. You can sit on a park bench and read a book or newspaper, or just sit and take it easy. The most important thing is to not sit still indoors. Boule is very popular with retirees.
We have access to fresh and fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. The harvest time varies, so we have fresh products of some kind throughout the year. Transport is not that long and most of it is locally grown. When it comes to bananas, we prefer Platanos from the Canary Islands instead of Bananas from South America. There are many exciting fruits. Chirimoyan is grown only in this part of Europe, from La Herradura via Almuñécar, Salobreña to Motril. There are also nisbola, guayaba, almuñécarbanan, mango de Almuñécar which is so good, several kinds of oranges, fresh apricots, paraguayos and figs among many others.
A glass of red wine a day is recommended by health professionals. Usually you order a Vino Tinto or a Rioja. Most people know red and white, but there is also Rosé / Rosado. A local variant that is not available for purchase in a store is called Vino del Terreno, which is made from the Moscow grape. Vino de Malaga is probably the sweetest wine.
New tourists usually order Sangria with fruit in pieces and which is now a protected brand. It can only be ordered in Spain and Portugal. A soothing wine is called Vino Tinto del Verano (summer wine).
The nearest wine booth is located at Plaza de Higuitos / Fig Square where you can taste your wine. Affordable prices.
About 7 km north of Almuñécar lies Jete where there is one of Spain’s finest wine producers and named Calvente. www.bodegashcalvente.com.
Another bodega that won the award for best rosé wine is called Señorio de Nevada, www.senoriodenevada.es and is located about 40 minutes north towards Granada. There you can pick grapes in September and there is a hotel and restaurant.
The Wine Wine Association in Granada is available at www.dovinosdegranada.es
alcohol-free
You can think that there is only alcohol to drink, but there is so much else besides water. But keep in mind that you have to order with or without carbonic acid: Agua its gas or Agua con gas.
There is also beer, Cerveza SIN alcohol, which is becoming more common.
Zumo de Naranja fresca, freshly squeezed orange juice. Musto, apple juice, and all the sweet bottled drinks, Coca cola and the like. Nestea. You do not have to drink alcohol.
If you want ice in the glass it is called: hielo.