Take it home with you
Taking a T-shirt or a model of one the Region of Murcia's monuments home as a souvenir is fine, but taking a taste of our Region is better still. Typical food products are the best way of remembering your visit or sharing the experience with those who couldn't be with you on your journey.
Sweet, savoury, bottled or canned... head to one of the typical local shops, especially the cake shops, and take their advice. Each area is renowned for its own typical products, which people travel from far and wide to try. Check out these souvenirs that will have you licking your fingers even when you are back at home.
Top 10
Bringing back a T-shirt as a souvenir is great, but to actually take a piece of Murcia away with you is so much better. Typical products of the region are the best way to remember your trip, or make those that could not go with you feels as if they were there too. Make space in your suitcase!
WINES OF DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN (PDO)
Because our wines just love dressing up their labels, we not only have three wines with PDO affiliation, but also other awards that praise the quality of each and every one of them. There's a wide range of possibilities to choose from, each one leaving you with a lasting impression. Three main wines are produced in the Bullas municipality: white, rosé and red. Their quality is such that it is said the god Baco is thinking of moving to the area! In Jumilla, a variety of ten wines are produced: four red, two rosé, two light red, one white and another natural sweet wine; if you try to taste them all, you'll be there til' the cows come home! In Yecla, they produce seven wines for seven brothers... or was that the film? Drop everything, try these seven varieties, and take your hat off to them. But don't forget that there is life outside of PDO... and great wines too. A good example of this is the wine of El Campo de Cartagena, wines whose taste, colour and aroma are so wonderful that they have no reason to envy the produce of their neighbours. For us their sweet wine is love at first sight... or, should we say, love at first sip.
SALTING
In the Bronze Age there were no freezers, nor Tupperware, nor vacuum-packaging... Therefore, in order to conserve food, salting was created. Nowadays, and although it is no longer required, this technique remains popular. Why? Well, because salted food is scrumptious. Mullet roe, ling, salted tuna, cod, mako shark, sardines, smoked herring or salted bonito make delicious souvenirs that will keep you licking your lips, even once you get back home, and start to miss us a bit.
PASTRIES AND CAKES... BUT NOT AS YOU'D EXPECT
For those with savoury rather than sweet tooth, don't worry, we have many more temptations that will keep you finger licking right up until you get back home. Pastel de carne (meat cake) is made from puff pastry, meat, chorizo, hard-boiled egg and spices, and is considered to be the typical delicacy of our region. Its lid, which consists of concentric circles of puff pastry, resembles a felled tree trunk revealing its history within; perhaps you will be able to find the recipe by reading between its lines. Okay, we can't deny pasties are commonly known worldwide, not just in our region, but here we add our own special touch - pepper, tomato, hard-boiled egg and tuna: a well-rounded recipe, much like its shape. Pastel de Cierva (a typical pastry from Mar Menor), named after the inventor of the autogiro, is a mix of sweet and savoury flavours, made even more delicious with the addition of chicken. Continuing on with the theme of sweet and savoury, try our Salteadores or Exploradores: puff pastries filled with veal and dipped in sugar. Until you try it, you won't understand just how delicious this flavour combination really is.
FIRST-CLASS RICE
The first rice worldwide to obtain the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) affiliation has been traditionally cultivated for centuries, and irrigated with clean fresh water free from chemical insecticides. The Bomba or Balín varieties, which come in both wholegrain and white forms, are so fantastic to cook with that, before throwing it at the newlyweds, just think what a crime it would be to waste it!
A PRESENT FROM OUR PIGS
Our cold meat comes in a great variety of forms, yet they have one thing in common - once you start you cannot stop. Whether it be sausages, black pudding, fresh or dry sausages, or even Morcón (large blood based sausages), ask for it to be vacuum packed and it will remain delicious throughout even the toughest journeys back home. Above all, the varieties which stand out are those with a base made from Chato. Its name deriving from the shape of its snout, Chato is a type of pig whose local authenticity is evident in its charm and, as many say, its Murcian accent! Imperial from Lorca is equally as famous, and although the name provokes images of Julius Caesar suddenly appearing, we are actually talking about a pork sausage; it is physically similar to Espetec®, but with the distinctive taste of our land. We know that if there is one product you associate Spain, it has to be Jamón Serrano (dry-cured Spanish ham). But here in Murcia, our variety made with haunch of Chato wins over everyone who tries it. Try a little cut and you'll fall to his hoof.
FROM PEPPER TO PAPRIKA
Pimiento de bola is a round pepper originating from America, but which has been cultivated 'Murcia-style'. If left to dry out, it becomes ñora, an essential ingredient in our dishes such as the fish and rice based Caldero. And, once the ñora is milled the pepper is much sweeter than its American cousin. Boasting the PDO affiliation, it adds colour and flavour to any dish, giving it that special Murcian touch.
FLEUR DE SEL
Originating from the sea, and collected using traditional techniques and under special weather conditions, our fleur de sel is a form of pure salt extracted in the protected salt mines of San Pedro del Pinatar. The salt does not get lumpy and dissolves easily in the mouth, giving it a distinctive flavour. And if you just can't get enough, try one or more of our flavoured varieties; as well as the more traditional flavours such as herbal, try the more original spicy, sweet, tuna roe, tomato, or olive varieties. Prepared to be amazed!
SWEET TREATS
If you're on a diet or are planning to start one, it might be better to skip this section .Some people brand our sweet snacks as sinful or a naughty habit because they truly are a temptation. Typical of the entire region, our most famous desserts are Borrachos de Ojós, sponge cakes soaked in syrup and local wine. Literally translating as 'tipsy', don't worry, you won't need to hold back in moderation. When we speak of horns, there are those of the Vikings and those made from meringue. While we aren't sure how the first ones would taste, we do know that the second ones would make even the god Thor shiver with pleasure. Libricos, typical desserts from Yecla, are wafer sheets stuck together with honey as if they were books, a real bestseller. In Totana, Santiaguitos have become the hallmark of this town. Made with sliced almonds, butter, sugar and candied orange, even the box they are presented in looks good enough to eat! If you visit Jumilla, get your hands on Sequillos: sweets made with flour, egg and oil, decorated with meringue and hardened sugar. Naturally, simply reading a description like this doesn't do justice to their taste, so you'd better stop reading and take a bite. Yemas, from Caravaca de la Cruz, both covered with caramel or chocolate, have a monastic origin. These desserts, made from a base of sugar and egg yolk, delight children and adults alike; the truth is that there have always been amazing bakers living in the convents. If you visit Murcia at Easter to see our religious processions, you will pleasantly surprised to find that the members of the procession distribute typical sweets with biblical verses written on the packaging. You can also find these in sweet shops throughout the year; it is a gastronomic and reading souvenir, all in one!
JAMS
Jams and chutneys, besides being extremely practical, are delicious. Disagree? You have obviously not yet tried these cravings in a jar. Delight yourself with classic preserves or branch out with others such as courgette, pepper, onion, tomato, or even orange blossom or jasmine petals. Created naturally using the best produce from our region, they contain no added preservatives or colourings.
CHRISTMAS
Although most of these delicacies can be found throughout the whole year, the Christmas season is without a doubt the perfect excuse to indulge yourself, especially when you know how glorious it all tastes. Tortas de Pascua and Tortas de Recao are made in a similar manner primarily using a base of egg, flour and star anise. The Pascua variety has a surprising orange flavour, while the Recao variety comes with a hole in the centre ready to fill with honey. How do you fancy buying one of each and trying to guess all 7 different flavours? Cordiales are desserts for every taste: stuffed with sweet pumpkin filling in Murcia, with sweet potato cake or with yam in the Cartagena countryside, yet with nothing extra added in the Andean mountain ranges (here they are called cristóbalas), they are made from eggs and almonds. Forget the calories and enjoy! Moratalla's marzipan is a bar filled with egg yolk that will delight even the sweetest tooth. Cut it into slices and let the yellowish sweet treat take over your palate. Alfajores from Murcia have little or no reason to envy the Argentinian version: distributed between wafers you will find dough made from rosemary honey, almonds and hazelnuts among other ingredients.
Sweet Memories
Each of these tasty souvenirs has a rich history that often goes back for centuries. They might be Greek or Roman, Phoenician or Carthaginian, Christian or Arabic in origin, but they all have one thing in common: they are sure to delight all those who try them. Make some space in your case, because there are plenty to choose from.
WHAT CAN I TAKE HOME?
01 Alfajores. Ours have little or nothing in common with the Argentinean version. Amongst other ingredients, Murcian alfajores have a blend of rosemary honey, almonds and hazelnuts sandwiched between wafers.
02 Borrachos. Sponge cakes soaked in syrup and local wine. Typical throughout the Region, the most famous come from Ojós. Don't be put off by the fact they are called "drunkards", you can eat them to your heart's content.
03 Caramelos de Semana Santa. If you come to Murcia over Easter to see the processions, you are in for a nice surprise as the penitents distribute sweets. Eating and reading all in one, because there are traditional verses on the wrappers.
04 Cordiales. These typical Christmas sweets are made with egg and almonds and are filled with candied pumpkin in Murcia, sweet potato paste in the Cartagena area or nothing at all in the highland districts, where they are known as cristóbalas.
05 Cuernos de merengue. There are Viking horns and then there are meringue horns. We don't know what the first taste like, but the latter would be sure to make even thunder god Thor tremble with delight.
06 Empanada murciana. OK, empanadas or pasties are global, not just from our Region, but here we give them our own special touch with pepper, tomato, hard-boiled egg and tuna. A nicely rounded recipe, just like their shape.
07 Libricos from Yecla. Typical sweets from the town of Yecla, with leaves of wafer sandwiched together with honey as if they were a book. A real "best seller".
08 Mazapán from Moratalla. A marzipan log filled with egg-yolk that sweet-tooths will love. Cut it into slices and let this yellow-centred sweetmeat cast its spell on your taste buds.
09 Pastel de carne. A typical meat pie from this area made with puff pastry, meat, chorizo, hard-boiled egg and spices. The top, with its concentric circles of pastry is rather like the rings of a tree trunk that tell us its story. Who knows, maybe you can read the recipe in the rings of pastry.
10 Pastel de Cierva. Recipe given to a local pastry cook by the chef on a Russian ship and named in honour of the inventor of the autogyro. A mixture of sweet and savoury, the addition of chicken to the recipe makes for a tasty surprise.
11 Picardías from Lorca and Abarán. These bite-sized morsels of great tradition are sweet simplicity itself. A caramel-covered hazelnut that you can eat as it is or with ice cream or use to sweeten a cup of hot milk.
12 Salteadores. Continuing with our sweet and savoury combos are these beef pasties dusted with sugar. You can't imagine how well both flavours combine until you try them.
13 Santiaguitos from Totana. These cakes from Totana are the talk of the town. Made with flaked almonds, butter, sugar and candied orange, even the box they come in is appetising.
14 Sequillos from Jumilla. Sweet biscuits made with flour, eggs and oil, decorated with meringue and hardened sugar. The description doesn't do them justice; better stop reading and tuck in instead.
15 Torrijas. Yes, OK, your grandma makes the best French toast in the whole wide world... But the next best thing is our take on the recipe, and especially if it's from Bullas. What's more you can take some home, which also has its advantages.
16 Tortas de pascua and tortas de "recao". Made with egg, flour and anisette, both these cakes are made in a similar way. The former will surprise you with their orange flavour while the latter have an indent for honey. Why not buy some of each and play "taste the difference".
17 Yemas from Caravaca. Covered with caramel or with chocolate, these sweetmeats made with egg yolks and sugar will delight children and adults alike. Convents have always been renowned for their confectionary.
