The cuisine of Almeria shares two basic common ingredients used in the rest of Andalucia - olive oil and spices.
Vegetables, fruit proper of subtropical latitudes, small game hare, partridge, quail, sea fishes and seafood, oranges, grapes and bakery products specific of each town, such as 'pan de mosto' in Fipana, 'bilbaos' in Vilez Rubio, are the essence of a gastronomic elaboration with Arab origins.
In a sober cuisine like that of Almeria we must mention the dishes known as ‘gurullos’ -potaje de garbanzos (chickpeas and vegetables), 'pasta de harina' (wheat paste), spices and meats, ranging from young calf to partridge or chicken-, 'ajo colorao', garlic, paprika and potatoes with fishwith corn cakes, and the typical 'trigo' -wheat and fennel, red pepper and chickpeas-.
The seaside cuisine contrasts sharply with the former and offers, among other dishes, marinade sardines, clams, shrimp or Norway lobster, or especially the sopa de mariscos (seafood soup), typical in these latitudes..
The blue mirror that the sky and sea make of Almeria brings together in the space of a very pleasant walk its monumental, commercial and entertainment areas. The outer points are the Puerta de Puchena, in the north, the Parque de Nicol?s Salmer?n and the harbour, in the south, La Chanca, neighbourhood of cave-homes, in the west, and the Avenue of Federico Garcia Lorca, in the east.
In the commercial area of Almeria, limited by the Paseo de Almeria and the Rambla Obispo Orber?, near where these two streets meet stands the Renaissance church of Santiago el Viejo, with a Romanesque tower 55 metres high.
At a short distance, after crossing the Plaza de las Flores, one can see the church of San Pedro, erected over an ancient mosque, with interesting fresco paintings on the dome of the main altar.
After crossing the Plaza de la Constituci?n, where the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) is located, one reaches the hill of San Crist?bal, from the top of which there is a peculiar view of the city and of the old Muslim walls of Hair?n, which lead to the monumental collection of La Alcazaba.
The Alcazaba is a structure with three different enclosures, and over the centuries it has served as a military fortress, besides being the headquarters of the Muslim kings and Christian Governors. Its erection goes back to the year 955, considered the year of the foundation of the city.
From the Baluarte del Saliente, at one extreme of the Alcazaba, to the Torre de la P?lvora, at the other one, the traveller can contemplate several centuries of monuments in the history of Almeria and enjoy excellent miradors over the harbour, La Chanca and La Hoya, where a centre dedicated to the recovery of Saharian fauna is located.
On the way down to the Cathedral of Almeria, walking through the streets of what was the Jewish quarter, one must visit one of the few examples of 12th century Muslim art in Spain, the Mirhab of the church of San Juan. It was part of a mosque over which the church was built, and was probably the main mirhab.
A fortified church is the most precise definition of the Cathedral of Almeria. Its construction began in 1524 and was finished in the 18th century when the cloister was completed, and it brings together functionalism and two styles, baroque and neoclassical, where the aesthetic gives way to the defensive purposes.
Art galleries, museums, exhibition rooms, libraries and newspaper libraries, together with shops selling pottery, wood and wool handicrafts, etc., and areas for relaxation such as the beaches and bars give visitors a variety of entertainment possibilities in Almeria..
