With the resort attracting more foreign tourists each year it is essential to focus attention on the things that the town does well - and cuisine comes high on the list. Many of the Brits coming over are only just discovering tapas, which is probably the thing most associate with Spain after sun, sand and euro pints. It is quite easy to come on holiday here and never sample any Spanish food, especially with so many British pubs in the area serving traditional British fry ups or Sunday roasts... Also with the emergence of so many All Inclusive hotels Spanish food is something that unfortunately many will not discover - one of the hazards of this phenomenon.
The Town Hall and Department of Tourism are passionate about emphasizing the importance of establishing Benidorm as a centre of Gastronomic cuisine - something that in the past has not been atomatically associated with the town. In February they lauched the 2013 Gastronomic food calendar of events taking place in the resort - and the last of these takes place this month - Rice Week, starting on Monday 14th until Sunday 20th October.
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| Example of La Taperia´s menu |
19 restaurants are taking part in this week long extravaganza, with the aim of showcasing a wide range of dishes available - similar to Tapas week back in April. On each day of the week the participating restaurants will offer a different 3 course menu - with the main course obviously being a rice dish, including wine for 20 euros. There are some very exotic creations such as sticky rice with lobster, monkfish, clams & pumpkin or partridge risotto with mushrooms and chickpeas.The restaurants are spread around the resort but you can pick up a booklet from any of the tourist information offices "Jornadas de la Arroces" which will list each restaurant, location and their daily menu.
The event will hopefully endeavour to highlight that Benidorm is, to some, an undiscovered Gastronomic heaven.... if that is a bit too adventurous at least head to Tapas Alley and try something there. Non Spaniards generally group everything as "tapas" - however anything that is served on a slice of bread is technically a "pinchos" - you will see "tapas and pinchos" advertised. Tapas are things served in a bowl or dish, which can be hot or cold but eaten with a fork such as meatballs, potato salad, prawns in garlic.