Gibraltarian cuisine is a mix
of Mediterranean (Spanish, Italian, Maltese) and British
cuisine.
I visited Gibraltar just for one day
after spending ten days in Spain. Everything around looks like British so I
prefered to eat in a pub, on the terrace, in front of The Governor House. Of
course, I enjoyed some fish and chips and a glass of beer.
Fish and
chips is an English dish, consisting
of battered fish, commonly cod or haddock,
and deep-fried chips. It is a common take-away food.
Fish and chips became a stock meal
among the working classes in the United Kingdom during
the second half of the 19th century due to the development of trawl
fishing and of railways which connected the ports of the North Sea to
major industrial cities, which meant that fresh fish could be rapidly
transported to the heavily populated areas.
Deep-fried fish was first introduced
into Britain during the 16th century by Jewish refugees from Portugal and
Spain. Deep-fried chips may have first appeared in Britain in about
the middle of 19th century. Charles Dickens mentioned chips in "A Tale of Two Cities" (published
in 1859): "Husky chips of potatoes, fried with some reluctant drops of
oil". During World War II fish and chips remained one of the few
foods in the United Kingdom not subject to rationing.
The first fish and chip shop was
opened in London in 1860. Early fish-and-chip shops had only basic
facilities. Usually these consisted principally of a
large cauldron of cooking fat, heated by a coal fire.
The modern fish-and-chip shop sell
fish with the particular species named; so "cod and chips" now
appears on menus rather than the more vague "fish and chips".
Unfortunatelly, I had no time to taste
some typical dishes, as I like to do everytime I visit a new place.
Examples of Gibraltarian cuisine:
- Calentita, Gibraltar's national
dish is a baked pancake-like dish made with chickpea flour,
water, olive oil, salt and pepper. The word calentita is the informal diminutive of the
Spanish word caliente, and means "nice and warm (or hot)". Calentita
goes back to the 16th century. The
name may have come from street vendors who would shout
"Calentita" to sell their freshly-cooked wares. It has been suggested
that the origin of the calentita is in the food culture of Sephardi Jews from
the Barbary Coast.
- Rosto,
a pasta dish of Italian origin consisting
of penne in a tomato sauce with beef or pork, mushrooms and
carrots (or other vegetables) and topped with grated "queso bola"
(Edam cheese).
- Fideos al horno (baked
noodles in Spanish), a baked pasta dish consisting of macaroni, bolognese
sauce, and various other ingredients including egg and bacon, usually topped
with a grated cheese or béchamel that melts during the baking process
and aids in binding.
- Panissa,
a bread-like dish similar to the calentita. Sharing its Italian
origins, it is a descendant of the Genoese dish with the same name.
Unlike calentita the ingredients are first cooked in a pan to form a
paste which is then left to set. When the polenta-like dough is set, it is
cut into small strips and fried in olive oil.
- Bollo de hornasso,
a sweet and dry bread similar to the Spanish hornazo. It is made
with self-raising flour, sugar, eggs, butter
or margarine and aniseed. Bollos de hornasso are eaten
around Easter just as in Spain, but in Gibraltar they are also popular during
Christmas. Gibraltarian hornassos can normally be distinguished from
the original Spanish hornazo as they do not tend to be decorated with
hard-boiled eggs (however, Gibraltarian families of Spanish descent may still
decorate them in this manner). It is usually glazed with beaten eggs.
- Japonesa (English:
Japanese lady) is a sweet fried doughnut filled with
a custard-like cream. Japonesas are usually enjoyed
at teatime or as a snack. They are traditionally coated in syrup
or granulated sugar. The origin of its name is unknown but resembles the
Japanese dorayaki.
