Eat the best of Christmas in Valencia

Categories: Christmas, Gastronomy.

TOURISTIC AREA: Historical center

What does Christmas in Valencia taste like? It tastes like recipes made with the finest local products found in our Municipal markets and, most of all, it tastes of Mediterranean. But what are the typical Christmas dishes in Valencia?

Well, for starters, traditionally we select products from our waters, like prawn and shrimp, which are combined with ham and cheeses from our land.

For the main dish, our star recipes are made with fish from the Mediterranean. These dishes include suquet de peix, all i pebre and zarzuela, which are made with eels and other fish, such as mullet and monkfish, often combined with shellfish. It is also normal to serve a nice roasted lamb or turkey with dried apricots, raisins, apples and plums. But a must-have dish is the traditional stew made with meat and chickpeas, which in Valencia always includes pilota, a delicious type of meatball.

And for dessert, you can look forward to sweet potato pie, turrón, sugared almonds and on the Epiphany, a large, ring-shaped sweet bread is a staple in any home.

And it’s all washed down with wines and cavas from Valencia.

So the big question then is: at home or in a restaurant? Each family does its own thing, but the list of Valencian restaurants in which to enjoy Christmas is long.

Gastronomic experiences

Details

Event dates
From:
24-11-2023
To:
07-01-2024

Buy unique Valencian products

Try the turrón (nougat) and take a piece home with you. In Trufas Martínez you can find chocolate turrón, or made of egg yolk with orange i the Original CV, the classic made of almonds in Mantequerías Ferrero.

Not to miss the Christmas tradition, enjoy a hot chocolate with churros or buñuelos in each of the Horchata shops of the city, like Daniel on the Mercado de Colón or Bertal, in the Plaza de la Reina.

And to close the year, buy the uvas de la suerte – the grapes that will bring you good luck - at any of the municipal markets. You know that the star in Valencia is the Central Market! There you will also find the special Christmas pinchos (skewers) they prepare at Salazonarte: with octopus, anchovies, salmon, or seafood. The perfect snack to regain strength on your visit to Valencia!

For the Epiphany, January 6, dessert has to be a Roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped bun with a compact dough decorated with bits of candied fruit, symbolizing the rubies and emeralds that adorned the flamboyant capes of the Wise Men. Hidden in the dough is a small prize, and whoever finds it is crowned king of the home. But there’s also a bean, and whoever gets that has to buy the roscón next year (Maybe in Valencia again!). To get yours, be sure to drop by one of the city’s bakeries, small oases of authentic flavors.

Here's to a better 2024

To toast the Valencian style, choose the cava (champagne) with the Requena denomination, of origin or wines from the D.O. Utiel-Requena or D.O. Valencia. If you want to know more about Valencian wines, join the Wine and Tapas Tour that visits the historic centre from Thursday to Saturday, visiting two taverns and tasting some of the best Valencian wines, cava and nougat.

Don't know where to start? Stop by Original CV, there you have the Valencian eno-gastronomic universe concentrated in the same place. You can taste and buy wines, nougats, cavas, artisan beers and many other gourmet products made by local artisans. Ask them for a private tasting to enjoy with your family or friends and learn while enjoying the richness of the most authentic Valencian gastronomy. Or participate in some of the gastronomic workshops that are organized every week to taste all the delicacies of the Valencian territory.

Enjoy your meal!

21 Thu

21º 16º

mostrador de original productos valencianos

Original CV

Trufas Martínez

Salazonarte

Christmas Agenda

plaza ayuntamiento nochevieja fuegos artificiales

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