Murcian Cordiales
Last year we baked the Murcian Christmas specialty of Cordiales. These are the delicious little almond cakes, with angels’ hair filling. They are very simple to make, fun and sticky, taste scrummy and don’t hang around for long in our house. When you see these in the shops you know it’s Christmas, but I think they’re just too good to only have once a year (unlike Cadbury’s Cream Eggs – yuck!) and so I suggest you make some yourself. …
After four more years of research, investigating, enjoying and eating (!) here in Murcia we’ve eventually finished the third edition of our popular book, Going Native In Murcia. This one is a whopper, with 3 times as much information plus town maps. I can’t believe how thick it is, and we made the size of the book larger. It now weighs in at 286 pages.
If you’ve bought either of the two previous editions you’ll be shocked at how much more information we’ve packed into this new one. All the golf courses, horse riding centres, spas and balnearios… more restaurant reviews, location reports, the opera, jazz festivals, Roman remains, cinemas, shopping centres, museums and galleries… market days, fiesta dates, maps of some of the main towns, walking routes… I could go on! Here’s the Marketing Blurb below!
EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MURCIA REGION! Full of useful tips straight from a British couple who now call this region their home. Let Debbie and Marcus be your guides as they share their love for Murcia, its people and its surrounds with intimate details, personal stories and hot tips for visitors, home buyers and new natives alike. This third edition has been carefully revised and is packed full of 300% more information including all town guides and selected maps. Going Native in Murcia – the most comprehensive guide in print – is now even better.
This third edition has been carefully revised and is packed full of extra information. Going Native in Murcia – the most comprehensive guide in print – is now even better.
This book has taken 9 years to research and has been a real pleasure, taking us around the whole region that we now like to call our home. The first edition came out in May 2005, when we had to force ourselves to stop adding information and get the book out there! This third edition for 2012 has been fully revised and updated and includes maps, 300% more information, data on every town in the region, a list of the golf courses, the new airport details, what’s happening at Paramount, plus loads more…
The book was born out of the frustration of none of the major guides covering the region, or at best only dedicating 4 or 5 pages to it. When they did mention Murcia they focused entirely on the golf complexes and housing estates. In fact, the only guides we could find that covered the Murcia region in any detail were in Spanish, interspersing flowery language with inaccurate information. So we felt it was time for someone to put this major region firmly on the map.
Murcia is a beauty, with warm and welcoming people, a strong property market, wonderful food and fantastic weather. Our goal for you as you read this book is that you’ll be able to enjoy visiting this region in all its glory – with us as your equally wide-eyed guides. If you’re thinking of investing here or even making this region your new home then the sections on buying and visiting will tell you all you need to know.
Click here for buying options for Going Native In Murcia
If you’re thinking of getting yourself an early Christmas present, then go and buy it now from Amazon (all the links are on the book page: nativespain.com/the-books/
Let me know what you think!
Debs Jenkins
PS: If Amazon say it’s out of stock don’t believe them, this is a print on demand title which means they can have as many books as they need within 24 hours, so order and they’ll tell you as soon as they’re shipping it (usually less than 2 days from your order date)
PPS: For you techies out there the e-versions are available too – either in Kindle format from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk or any other format you could think of from Smashwords.com.
PPPPPPS: Gosh, that’s a lot of Ps – let me know what you think, I really do want your feedback!
Zarangollo is a common dish in the Murcian countryside in Spain. It is frequently served in tapas bars in the area. The dish is a scrambled eggs with courgettes, onion, and occasionally potatoes. All ingredients are sliced very finely, fried in olive oil and then mixed with the beaten eggs.
Sierra Espuna - Copyright David & Desiree - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/desanddave/SierraEspunaNationalPark#
In May, we had elderly relatives on holiday with us and decided to try a day out to the Sierra Espuña National Park in Murcia.
The Sierra Espuña is a vast mountain range and National Park, with many walking trails, view points and places of interest to look at.
Our relatives were not up to too much walking, so we decided to have a drive around one particular area to soak up the environment we were in – fresh air, forests and view points.
First of all, after travelling along the A7 motorway past Murcia going towards Almeria / Granada, take exit 631 signposted to Alháma de Murcia & Pliego. …
Here’s a handy food and drink cheat sheet, print it out and take it with you when eating out in Spain.
Food & Drink Cheat Sheet |
|
| Comedor | Dining room |
| Carta | Menu |
| Menú del día | Fixed price menu |
| Comida or Almuerzo | Lunch |
| La cuenta | The bill |
| Platos combinados | Mixed plate |
| Cucharra | Spoon |
| Cuchillo | Knife |
| Tenedor | Fork |
| Vaso/Copa | Glass |
| Taza | Cup |
| Camerero/Camerera | Waiter/Waitress |
| Cena | Dinner |
| Desayuno | Breakfast |
| Frío | Cold |
| Caliente | Hot |
| Hielo | Ice |
| Entradas | Starters |
| Sopa | Soup |
| Sopa de cocido | Meat soup |
| Sopa de gallina | Chicken soup |
| Ensalada | Salad |
| Ensalada Mixta | Mixed salad |
| Aceitunas or Olivas | Olives |
| Primeros Platos | Main Courses |
| A la plancha | Grilled |
| A la brasa | Grilled |
| A la parilla | Grilled |
| Al horno | Baked/Roasted |
| Crudo | Raw |
| Asado | Roasted |
| Frito | Fried |
| Cocido/caldereta | Stew |
| Arroz | Rice |
| Paella | Famous rice dish |
| Verduras | Vegetables |
| Patatas | Potatoes |
| Patatas Fritas | Chips |
| Judias | Green beans |
| Zanahorias | Carrots |
| Guisantes | Peas |
| Ajo (al ajillo) | Garlic (in garlic) |
| Tomates | Tomatoes |
| Pimientos rojos | Red Peppers |
| Pimientos verdes | Green Peppers |
| Pollo | Poultry / chicken |
| Pato | Duck |
| Pavo | Turkey |
| Pechuga | Breast of chicken |
| Perdiz | Partridge |
| Carne | Meat |
| Cabra/chivo | Goat/baby goat |
| Caza | Game |
| Cerdo | Pork |
| Cochinillo | Suckling pig |
| Conejo | Rabbit |
| Cordero | Lamb |
| Solomillo | Fillet Steak |
| Entrecot | Sirloin Steak |
| Lomo | Pork loin |
| Ternera | Beef, veal |
| Pescado | Fish |
| Dorada | Sea Bream |
| Atún | Tuna |
| Anchoa/boquerones | Anchovy |
| Bacalao | Salted cod |
| Lenguado | Sole |
| Emperador | Swordfish |
| Mojama | Cured tuna |
| Mariscos | Shellfish |
| Gambas | Prawns |
| Mejillones | Mussels |
| Almejas | Clams |
| Langostinos | Crayfish |
| Langostas/Bogavante | Lobster |
| Postres | Desserts |
| Helado de Chocolate | Chocolate ice cream |
| Helado de Vainilla | Vanilla ice cream |
| Tarta | Flan / Cake |
| Flan | Crème Caramel |
| Frutas | Fruit |
| Manzanas | Apples |
| Naranjas | Oranges |
| Uvas | Grapes |
| Ciruelas | Plums |
| Melocotones | Peaches |
| Cerezas | Cherries |
| Fresas | Strawberries |
| Piña | Pineapple |
| Plátanos | Bananas |
| Bebidas | Drinks |
| Vino Tinto | Red Wine |
| Vino Blanco | White Wine |
| Cerveza | Beer |
| Zumo de naranja | Orange juice |
| Agua | Water |
| Zumo de Manzana | Apple juice |
| Sangria | Red wine spritzer with fruit juice |
| Tinto de verano | Red wine spritzer |
| Alimento General | General Food |
| Aceite | Oil |
| Ajo | Garlic |
| Arroz | Rice |
| Azúcar | Sugar |
| Huevos | Eggs |
| Mantequilla | Butter |
| Miel | Honey |
| Pan | Bread |
| Pimienta | Pepper |
| Sal | Salt |
| Vinagre | Vinegar |
| Salsa | Sauce |
If you love Spanish cooking then get yourself a copy of our Spanish Cooking Uncovered: Farmhouse Favourites cookery book.
Pastel de Carne – Murcian Pastry
The Levante (South East corner of Spain) is famous for its astonishing variety of sweet and savoury pastries made daily (recien hecho) in the local bakeries (panadería or pastelería). Pastries are a staple of the Levante daily diet since the Moorish times when flour mills sprung up all over the region due to the Moors’ ingenious water management systems.
The spectrum of what’s on offer ranges from the more exotic fare (frequently tied to a religious festival) like a boiled egg on a doughnut to the everyday Pastel de Carne Murciano with their filling of calf meat, garlic sausage and egg and beautiful concentric circles of pastry.
If you’ve been a little nervous in the past about what you might get, here’s a short menu of some of the more popular ones: …
You may have noticed that Spanish restaurants seem awfully quiet – when you go in. This is probably because you haven’t worked out how to eat like a Spaniard yet. Read on to find out how to go native and eat like a Spaniard and understand how military-precision in timing can be all-important (doesn’t sound like Spain, does it?)
Breakfast
First Breakfast: in Spain, most people actually have two breakfasts. The first breakfast is to get yourself started. Since most Spaniards start the day early, the constitution is only ready to receive something light at this stage – around 7:30. So first breakfast usually comprises any of the following: …
