Spain is highly privileged in terms of gastronomy. In addition to the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, they rely on a wealth of superb local products. If you already knew all of that and fancy taking some gastronomic tours, today we give you several options that you can discover from the comfort of your car.
Gastronomic tours in Spain in your rental car
The characteristics of tourism are changing. Until just a few years ago, an ideal vacation consisted of basking in the sun on a paradisiacal beach or enjoying a hotel pool away from everyday worries.
Nowadays, more and more people are opting for other types of leisure options. For example, gastronomic tours. In addition to being a delight for all the senses, they are also a way to experience the customs and culture of each region in depth, as well as a way to invest in local products from the land.
However, Spain is quite a large country. So, if you don't want to miss anything and want to be able to reach any corner where you can find the best places and products, rent a car in Spain with Ok Mobility and explore without limits. To whet your appetite, here are some suggestions of gastronomic tours around the country.
Paella in the Valencian Community
Paella is a dish of international renown, since its flavor has conquered the palates of travelers from all over the world. The first of our gastronomic tours will take you through the provinces of this Autonomous Community, with a multitude of options to try these fantastic rice dishes.
In Castellón, we recommend you try the black rice, rice with espardeñas (sea cucumbers), ximo and tomato and vegetable coca. Head to Valencia to enjoy the famous Valencian paella, with a variety of ingredients that you can choose to your liking, including meat, fish or vegetarian options. As well as paella, in Valencia you can also try fideuá, olla valenciana, esgarraet and aspencat. Local desserts include fartons, pumpkin fritters and the classic horchata de chufa.
Finally, in Alicante, a province you will reach via the A-7 after a drive of approximately two hours, you can explore specialties such as pastel de carne (meat pie), gazpacho, arroz con costra (lit. ”rice with crust”) and fogaseta. As for where to eat, in 2023 the Cullera de Fusta awards were given out, which are given to restaurants who maintain tradition when it comes to cooking paellas, which must be cooked above a wood fire.
Palomita in Plasencia
Extremadura is one of the least popular Autonomous Communities among tourists in Spain. For this reason, we want to include them in our gastronomic tours. In addition, due to its proximity to Portugal you can cross the border and take the opportunity to combine Spanish and Portuguese gastronomy.
Here, we recommend you to go to Plasencia; a town with medieval walls. Typical dishes are palomita, which is a Russian salad with a wheat crust, and morcilla de kiko, which has onioned liver. Among the meat options you have the cochifrito, with suckling pig, and if you prefer something lighter, go for the zorongollo; an Extremaduran salad made with red peppers, spring onions and tomatoes.
Pintxos in the Basque Country
The gastronomic tour through the Basque Country begins in Bilbao, where after visiting places like the Guggenheim Museum and the Puppy floral statue, you can head to the old town. Known for its pintxos, there aren’t enough hours in the day to try all the options. Some of the most popular dishes are rabas (calamari), pil pil cod, rice cake, porrusalda, scrambled eggs with mushroom, pisto a la bilbaína, callos a la vizcaína or pintxos morunos (skewers) and truffles.
From here, you can head to Indautxu, in the center of the province of Bilbao, where pintxos, foie bonbon and yemas con patata (egg yolks with potato) are also served. To change up the taste sensations and delight in seafood, take the AP-8 to San Sebastian, where fresh fish and seafood delicacies, marmitako, cod and the classic cod omelette await. For dessert, you can enjoy Basque cake, goxua and pantxineta, accompanied by local wines such as Txakoli or cider. And while you're here, take the opportunity to discover the tourist spots to visit in San Sebastian.
These are just some of the gastronomic tours on offer in this great country. If you want to know more, all you have to do is take your rental car with Ok Mobility and let Spain be your guide.
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