I eat dessert today
Warning: If you're on a diet or thinking of starting one, it might be better if you skip this section. Don't say we didn't warn you!
Some call them a sin, others pure vice... the fact is that the Region of Murcia's desserts and confectionary are a real temptation for those with a sweet tooth. Honey, flour, eggs, milk or sugar; fried, fresh or baked; you will find thousands of sweet combinations that will have you licking your lips and your fingers with pleasure.
Each season and each festival has its own particular sweet, so there's no chance of monotony.
Forget about calories and enjoy!
Top 10
If you are on a diet or are considering starting one, it would be better to skip this section. You have been warned! We give you ten temptations that put the sweet note at the end of a meal or can be enjoyed whenever. Any time is a good time to give into your cravings, especially when it tastes as heavenly as these. So forget the calories and enjoy!
ASIÁTICO
Dessert or coffee? Now there's no need to choose as you can have both, thanks to this two-in-one original and delicious coffee with condensed milk and brandy, accompanied by a few drops of Liquor 43, cinnamon, lemon zest and coffee beans. Typical of Cartagena and the surrounding region, they say that the Filipinos who came to the port in merchants' ships introduced the recipe. It is served in a unique glass: the Asian Cup, so original that it has become one of the most popular souvenirs of Cartagena.
LECHE FRITA
Ok, so we already know it's a dessert that exists everywhere in Spain, but what if we add liquor flambé and a bowl of nougat ice cream to the recipe? Or, if you prefer, arrope y calabazate, made from a mixture of grape juice, figs, melon, quince jelly or sweet potato. This is a universal recipe with a regional touch.
PAN DE CALATRAVA
This delicious dessert was born out of the Muslim influence in the region, involving humble ingredients and simple preparation but with spectacular results. It only uses crème caramel, caramel and day-old bread or cakes but this mixture of textures and flavours work really well together, giving it a place in the top 10 ranking of desserts.
PAPARAJOTE
For foreigners this is a sweet surprise. It is a lemon tree leaf battered in dough of flour, egg, milk and shavings of lemon, which is fried and then dusted in cinnamon and sugar. Accompanied by a small glass of sweet wine it is a typical Murcian pleasure. However, don't be deceived, the leaf CANNOT be eaten. If you visit us during the Spring Festival don't forget to ask for it in any of the stalls scattered throughout the city, typical places in which to enjoy Murcian gastronomy in its purest form.
TORTADAS
A dessert very popular in the surrounding areas of the Segura River, this is the typical dessert for big celebrations. With sponge, almonds, pastry cream or angel hair and meringue, this cake is 'constructed' in layers, making a most appetising 'building'.
FRUITS
The sun, earth and water of our region help make our fruits an authentic gastronomic treasure. The Jumilla pear freshly picked from the tree and marinated in wine or chutney will make your mouth water. The Torre Pacheco melon that comes in four varieties and different shapes, colours and flavours is both the freshest and healthiest melon that you've ever tried, while you may think that you're tasting a piece of earth-born sunlight with the round and yellow Cieza peach. Alcuza pears, a sweet and juicy apple of Arabic origin, apricots, Jumilla cherries, table grapes and oranges are other great examples of our fruit production. They are as sweet as our pastries but much less caloric.
BIENMESABE
A mixture of Arab, Roman and Christian knowledge, sponge, syrup, sweet pumpkin filling and almond are among the main ingredients of this dish. It serves as a practical demonstration of how delicious a combination of cultures can be.
TOCINO DE CIELO
This melt-in-the-mouth delicacy is perfect even for those with the greatest sweet-tooth, and uniquely in this region we add lemon and cinnamon to the syrup. Although it is a delight by itself, it is usually accompanied by fruit, whipped cream or ice cream.
ALMOJÁBANAS
Sweets made from flour, sugar, eggs and oil that, once cooked, get their special touch by being soaked in mead. This is one of the ways that the Vega Baja de Segura likes to leave visitors with a good taste in their mouth.
MANTELLINA
Alone, or to accompany any dessert, this is a typical drink in Totana and is made with water, honey, lemon juice, sweet wine (or muscatel) and star anise. Its sweetness and the ease with which it is drunk helps put that final 'dot' to the end of a meal.
Top 10 Desserts to ruin your diet
Welcome All Sweet-Tooths
Finish your meal with a sweet touch or enjoy them in between time. Any time is good for a treat, especially one that tastes divine. Discover each of the delicious titbits that this area offers; you can start your diet next Monday!
WHAT CAN I HAVE FOR PUDDING?
01 Almojábenas. Cakes made with flour, sugar, eggs and oil, soaked in mead once they are cooked, which gives them their special touch. The perfect way people in the Vega Baja area have of leaving diners with a pleasant taste in their mouths.
02 Arrope y calabazate. Sephardic in origin, it is made by mixing grape must with fruit such as figs, melon or quince and sweet potatoes. Although you can find it all year round, it is a typical All Saints Day dessert.
03 Asiático. Dessert or coffee? Or both in one, with this coffee served with condensed milk, cognac and cinnamon. Typical in Cartagena and the local area, it is served in its own characteristic glass: an Asiático glass... Elementary, my dear Watson.
04 Bienmesabe. With a name that means "tastes good to me", what more can be said about this dessert? Sponge cake, syrup, candied pumpkin strands and almonds are the main ingredients of this dessert; a mixture of Arab, Roman and Christian flavours.
05 Flores de novia. A sweet that used to be a must at weddings in Cartagena, made from flour and eggs fried in plenty of oil and then drenched in mead, preferably with rosemary. What better way to celebrate a marriage?
06 Huevos a la nieve. There's not much snow in our Region, unless we're talking about these sponge fingers with meringue cooked in milk and bathed in custard. The Eskimos will be envious!
07 Leche frita. Yes, you can find these sweet béchamel fritters anywhere in Spain, but what if we add flambéing with some liqueur and a scoop of nougat ice cream? A local touch to a universal recipe.
08 Macedonia de frutas. Direct from the field to your bowl; the colour, fragrance and flavour of the local produce in this fruit salad is sure to surprise you. As sweet as cakes and a lot less calories.
09 Mantellina. On its own or as an accompaniment to a dessert, this drink is made from water, honey, lemon juice, dessert wine (or muscatel) and dry anisette. Sweet and easy to drink, it adds that special something to the end of a meal.
10 Pan de Calatrava. Caramel custard and day-old bread. A blend of superimposed textures and flavours in a combination that scores 10 out of 10.
11 Paparajotes. A dessert that is sure to surprise "outsiders". A lemon leaf coated in a batter made of flour, egg and lemon zest and then fried and dusted in sugar and cinnamon. Served with a glass of sweet wine this is a real Murcian pleasure. But don't let them trick you; the leaf is NOT for eating.
12 Peras al vino tinto. We like pears and we like wine. Now a combination of the two, that's irresistible. Served warm, the juice is just heavenly.
13 Tocino de cielo. A melt-in-the-mouth, sweet-tooth's dessert par excellence. What's unusual in our Region is that we add lemon and cinnamon to the syrup.
14 Tortada. With sponge, almonds, confectioner's custard or candied pumpkin and meringue, this cake is built up in different layers. A very sweet edifice.
