A selection of the Region of Valencia’s most popular recipes

Though perhaps best known for paella and fideuà, the Region of Valencia boasts a diverse culinary tradition. Our destination caresses the shores of the Mediterranean and also reaches high up into the air with the sheer mountains of the inland, providing a wide range of ingredients that have inspired incredible recipes. It’s near impossible to list all the dishes cooked up across the area, but we thought we’d give it our best shot. Get your recipe book at the ready. 

Traditional recipes from the Region of Valencia 

We’re going to start our exploration of the dishes of the Region of Valencia with two classics - arroz al horno (oven-baked rice) and arroz con costra (literally ‘rice with a crust’). Both of these dishes are made with rice and sausages and are typical of La Costera county and the province of Alicante, respectively. A number of municipalities in Horta Nord, like Meliana, eat calderos de arròs amb fesols i naps during their winter festivities. Unlike the aforementioned rice dishes, arròs amb fesols i naps has a tasty broth with beans and turnip, and is always eaten with a spoon. Another rice dish with a broth is arroz con acelgas (rice with Swiss chard), a popular dish throughout the Region of Valencia and traditionally eaten during Lent. 

There are countless local takes on rice dishes. Paella de boquerones y espinacas, for instance, sees anchovies and spinach added to the paella dish in Benidorm. UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Dénia is a seaside town renowned for its quality seafood, which finds its way into all sorts of rice fishes. Arroz a banda, is another seafood rice dish that is typical of Alicante, while in places like Millares you can try arroces caldosos con conejo (a broth with rice and rabbit ) and arroces caldosos con hierbas silvestres (a broth with rice and wild herbs). 

But the Region of Valencia is not just about rice. In the Alcoià area you can enjoy borreta (a mackerel stew) and pericana (a pepper spread) while in La Safor you won’t want to miss coques de dacsa (a tasty wrap). Moving towards the inland, make sure you try gazpacho in Enguera, ollas de blat (a meat and vegetable stew) in the province of Alicante, tombet de cordero (lamb stew) in Les Useres in Alcalatén and, sopa morellana (a soup with dumplings) in Morella.

El Palmar, a small village sitting on the banks of Albufera de València, is the perfect place to try all i pebre de anguilas (a stew whose main ingredient is eel) and Guardamar del Segura is the destination to sample guisos con ñora (stews with ñora peppers). This small selection has just scratched the surface of the many, many more traditional dishes that you can enjoy throughout the region. 

Sweet treats and desserts in the Region of Valencia 

Many of the sweet treats and desserts that you’ll find in the Region of Valencia stem from Moorish times. You’ll find plenty of recipes featuring ground almonds, pumpkin and grated lemon. Across the Region, households regularly cook all sorts of cocas, which are not dissimilar from sponge cakes. In Alcoy, you will find almond cakes (torta de almendra) and for Easter, the pastry shops will be filled with panquemaos (brioche) and monas (sweet pastries).

And the list goes on and on. Come to the Region of Valencia to discover our delicious dishes that speak of tradition. The cuisine you can enjoy will depend on the time of year that you visit when the ingredients come into season and are at their best. Some dishes even become the centre of festivities. So what are you waiting for? Indulge your palate on your next getaway.