ANDALUCÍA - GRANADA - PREMIOS ANDALUCÍA DE GASTRONOMÍA 2022 - DAY 1
We had been invited to attend "The Festival of Andalusian Gastronomy 2020" which, unfortunately, was cancelled in March 2020 due to the start of the covid-19 restrictions. We now fast forward two years and we are here now in March 2022.
After meeting the group at the Hotel Abades Nevada Palace de Granada, we board the coach for our first visit, which is a visit to the Costa Tropical (where there are dozens of beaches and small coves with crystal clear water and 320 days of sunshine per year. It has an average annual temperature of 20 degrees and is within the 73 kilometres of coastline of the province of Granada.
Our first stop is the Experimental garden of Cooperativa La Palma. This is a place where tropical fruits such as mango, cherimoya and avocado are grown. Names that evoke exotic flavours and places and that, however, are typical of one of the most privileged corners of Andalusia, the Costa Tropical.
We had a walk around the vast production plant.
We were then taken into the information arena. After the informative lecture, we were offered many of the Cooperative’s wonderful produce to taste, some of which were stunning.
Extremely sweet tomatoes.
berenjenas delgadas (thin aubergines)
Gazpacho
Mini pepino (mini cucumbers).
LA PALMA COOPERATIVE
N-340, Km 342, 18730 Carchuna, Granada
+34 958 62 39 03
From here we travelled on to the rum cellar at Bodega Ron Montero.
The bodega was founded in 1963 by a family with a great sugar tradition.
The bodega is the only one that can be visited in Europe, where you can taste the rums,
and learn about the production process that has earned Ron Montero worldwide recognition, from the lady owner, who gave us a long insight into the production and history of rum.
We finished with a walk around the bodega.
You can then purchase the various rums at the end of the tour to take home.
We were to taste a few of the rums at our later lunch.
RON MONTERO S.L.
Camino de la Vía, 18613 Motril, Granada
+34 958 60 01 83
The next stop was to the interesting Preindustrial Sugar Cane Museum in Motril.
The museum is unique in its kind due to its location, materials and multimedia didactical methods used.
The culture and landscape of the town have been linked to the processes, exploitation and manufacture of sugar cane for almost a 1000 years.
You will see original scale reproductions of mills and wooden presses as well as cooking and purging rooms during your tour.
Furthermore, it preserves the oldest mill in Europe.
MUSEO DEL AZÚCAR DE MOTRIL INGENIO DE LA PALMA
Calle de Zafra 6, 18600 Motril, Granada
From here we move on to lunch at
RESTAURANTE EL CONJURO Michelin Plate IIO
Menú AACT at El Conjuro
Aperitives in the garden
Fried local fish with almond mayonnaise
My grandmother's seasoned octopus
Once seated inside the restaurant
Amela tomato, infused in espichás water
Torrija dashi (which are slices of stale bread in sweetened milk, flavoured with cinnamon or vanilla and then fried) with Shrimp from Motril and truffle.
Shrimp, pork knuckle and coconut dumplings.
San Pascual pork with roasted leeks and chocolate sesame sauce.
Pickled mango, miso, and cocoa
We finished the meal with an excellent Ron Montero Licor Ron Café (rum infused with coffee).
All in all, a fabulous meal from Chef, Antonio Lorenzo Torres, including some interesting wines from Granada. Certainly one of the best restaurants on the Costa Tropical. Innovative food which is based on outstanding local product and very careful treatment.
RESTAURANTE EL CONJURO
Avenida de los Geranios 6, 18730 Calahonda, Granada
+34 958 623 104
Instagram @elconjurorest
After leaving the restaurant the Mayor of Motril, Luisa García Chamorro, then took us to The Nuestra Señora del Pilar sugar factory.
This factory is situated on the same grounds as the restaurant. It was built in 1881, for the manufacture of sugar and alcohol.
The first instance of grinding the sugar cane took place here in 1883, a time when the boom in sugar manufacturing in Spain was experiencing great difficulties because there was infighting between the local farmers and the manufacturers, to which was added the competition between the peninsular and colonial sugar. This was coupled with bad harvests and lack of money, which caused the factory to experience tough times at the end of the 80s.
Around 1984, the Nuestra Señora del Pilar factory, the last factory in Motril to work the thousand-year-old sugar cycle in the Vega del Guadalfeo that had been introduced by the Arabs way back in the 10th century, was closed to put an end to the production history of sugar cane in the municipality.
From here, we made our way back to Granada and the Hotel Abades Nevada Palace de Granada.
The whole day was very informative, has i had little previous knowledge of the the sugar cane history of Granada. The food and drink were outstanding in their taste, generosity and all served with a smile.
With special thanks to the retiring President Rosa Vaña and the Eva Román Secretaria of Academia Andaluz de Gastronomia.
You can follow us on -
FACEBOOK - Renoir Spanish Guides - Food Drink & Places
TWITTER - @RenoirGuides
INSTAGRAM - @renoirspanishguides
YOUTUBE - Renoir Spanish Guides
MIXCLOUD MUSIC - Mikeyb
