The Alicante coast gets all the attention, but the interior of the province, where Alfafara and the whole Sierra de Mariola area lie, has a cuisine of its own: hearty stews, mountain cooking and seasonal produce, very different from the seafood everyone associates with Alicante. If you’re staying at Masía El Pinet, this is your guide to eating well during your stay.
Inland rice dishes, different from the coast
Forget seafood paella for a moment: inland, it’s all about oven-baked rice, arroz con costra (rice with an egg crust) and gazpacho manchego, a game dish (which, despite the name, has nothing to do with Andalusian gazpacho: it’s game cooked with thin unleavened bread). These are hearty dishes, made for cold winters in the sierra and perfect for sharing after a day’s hiking.
Cured meats and traditional pork products
The area has a strong tradition of the matanza, the traditional pig slaughter, with products such as onion morcilla (black pudding), blanquet and home-cured sausages that you can still find in butchers and local markets in the nearby villages. If you get the chance, ask in the village about local producers: many still sell directly rather than through supermarkets.
Traditional sweets of the area
When it comes to baking, this part of the province shares its traditions with inland Valencia in general: pastissets (pastries filled with sweet potato or pumpkin jam, typical at Christmas and Easter), aniseed rolls and almendrados (almond biscuits), thanks to the almond trees that dot the farmland.
If you visit at Easter or Christmas, it’s the best time to find these sweets freshly made in the traditional bakeries of the nearby villages.
Where to eat near Alfafara
The surrounding villages, Cocentaina, Muro de Alcoy, Agres and Bocairent, have restaurants serving traditional food where you can try these dishes made with local produce. If you message us during your stay, we’ll happily recommend somewhere depending on what you fancy that day, from a relaxed set menu to something more special.
Cooking at the masía
One of the advantages of staying in a rural house like Masía El Pinet is that you can buy local produce at the markets and cook it yourselves, without the rush of a restaurant. The kitchen is designed for groups, so if you’d rather have a home-cooked dinner with friends using produce from the area, you have everything you need.
