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GASTRONOMY

The banquet of the eight regions

Traditional cooking in Castellón features contrasts typical of Valencia and the Mediterranean. On the coast there is the sea cooking and a little bit inland, although the air still smells to salt residues, there is inland cooking.

There is virtually no transition between fish ("suquet de peix") and cooked baby goat ("tombet de cabrito"), or between the most varied fish rice and a stew with pulses and cold meat. Pork products are a common ingredient of Castellón’s eight regions.

The fruits of the sea

The three coastal regions (el Baix Maestrat, la Plana Alta y la Plana Baixa) are well known for their fish. The king prawns in the north are the most famous, but there are also other shellfish which are rare elsewhere and worth trying: date shells, "caixetes", "espardenyes"...

Though it does not abound, in some points of the Costa Azahar there is authorized the apprehension of the elver, another typical product of the land that we can taste. Not everything is fish or seafood.

Benicarló’s artichoke is the sole artichoke with its origin and quality guaranteed. Rice dishes, fish "suquets", baked fish, artichokes and stuffed aubergines are all the time becoming more sought after.

Dairy products

The cheeses of Ares, Benassal and Albocàsser in the northern regions are very tasty.

Morella curd is also famous. Further south, Almassora and Alto Palancia are famous for their fine tender cheeses and in Les Alqueries there is a cheese factory that makes the best Valencian specialties: "brull", "collà", "tronchón" cheese, "servilleta", "cassoleta", etc.

The wine

In times gone past, Carlón wine was among the world’s favourites. Like Oporto wine, it was named after the port from which it was exported (Benicarló) and not the land where it was produced. Today, a brandy from Xert is a real gem for the initiated.

A promising wine from Les Useres reminds us of its glorious past and takes us back inland, to Els Ports, Alt Maestrat, Alcalatén, Alto Mijares and Alto Palancia.

The black diamond

Flaons

In Morella and surroundings there are many singular specialties, such as soups, croquettes and sweet "flaons", but its typical cuisine has a black diamond: the truffle. For the Romans, truffles were exotic and an aphrodisiac. Today, the Italians and the French worship this ingredient and have adapted it to many of their dishes.

The home of the lamb

Lamb is king throughout this region. It is called "ternasco", like in the neighbouring Aragón. The north of Castellón is influenced by Catalonia’s cooking and the south by Valencia’s vegetable garden. Other farmyard animals of importance with regard to cooking are pigs and cattle, the latter being essential for a multitude of dishes.

People from Geldo and L’Alcora are crazy about snails. In Benassal, snails are an essential ingredient for making "tombet".

The oil produced in the Espadán mountain range is liquid gold.

In the regions of Mijares and Palancia (land of casseroles and cherries) there is something very relevant and extraordinary in towns such as Benassal or Bejís: the water.

And finally, the dessert

Everywhere, from Montanejos to Catí, there are extremely popular cakes, ideal for putting an end to our banquet. Many dishes in Castellón have remained traditional, but this applies even more so to its desserts and cakes. The most typical ones are: "arrops" which come in infinite varieties, fruits preserved in syrup and jams, "mongetes", custard, "ous de neu", crème caramel, rice pudding, baked sweet potato or pumpkin, fruit ice creams, nougats, "neules", fritters, "flaons", the traditional Christmas "mantecados", "pinyonades", "rollets", etc.

Besides the succulent traditional cooking, there are also good contemporary cuisine restaurants in Vinaròs, Vila-real, Viver and Castellón de la Plana.