With the smell of oranges fragrantly hanging in the air, Valencia is known for having a sweet tooth and the city itself is synonymous with horchata de chufa, a milky sweet drink made using tiger nuts that dates back to the Moorish period. With so much culinary history and being in such a fortuitous agricultural position, Valencia has plenty to keep sugar-seeking foodies entertained.
Horchata and Fartons
Horchata de chufa, more often just called horchata in Valencia, is the city in a cool, tall glass. Its sweet, different and unpretentious. Its sweet nutty taste is rather unlike anything else I’ve had before and is the perfect antidote for a hot and heavy day of walking in the Old Town. It’s also used as an ingredient in the regional lactose-free dessert crema Valenciana (don’t confuse with crema Catalana, which is more like a crème brûlée). Fartons – the Robin to the Batman of horchata – are sweet elongated spongey fingers that are typically dunked into horchata, but they’re often served alongside chocolate and coffees too. You can buy them at most supermarkets in the area, but for a traditional Valencian horchatería, head to Horchatería de Santa Catalina, a beautiful tiled establishment that sells all manner of regional sweets at quality prices. Bear in mind that they don’t take card.
Churros and Chocolate
Arguably Spain’s most well known sweet export to the world is churros (although some argue that the Spanish got the recipe via Portuguese trade with China, inspired by the youtiao), best served alongside a good cup of hot, thick chocolate – introduced to Europeans by the Spanish. The word chocolate comes from the Nahuatl for hot water as Spanish traders didn’t want to call it its actual name cacaoatl (chocolate water) because caca is the Spanish word for poop. This is similar to how the Japanese drink Calpis is marketed in the English-speaking world as Calpico because it sounds worryingly close to ‘cow piss’ when said. For an excellent churros experience in Valencia, head for La Churrería del Barrio. Great churros and chocolate at great prices. Again, bring cash.
Turrón
The Valencian towns of Alicante and Jijona are famous for their varieties of turrón, which are often associated with Christmas and create two different varieties (Alicante is hard and Jijona is soft). If you’re in Valencia in the winter, you should be able to come by it pretty easily. The Jijona variety is a personal favourite, where instead of using whole almonds in a hard mass, they’re ground into a paste. Bars of turrón can be combined with everything from dried fruits to chocolate.
Oranges and Agua de Valencia
No self-respecting Valencian dessert listicle would be complete without mentioning the city’s oranges, which are dotted not only across the countryside but within the city itself. For some of the best oranges, head off to the Mercado Central where they’ll also freshly juice them for you. ‘Yes,’ I hear you wondering, ‘But how can I get drunk off this?’ Enter Agua de Valencia, a potent and dangerously delicious mix of orange juice, cava, gin and vodka, which is served at bars and restaurants throughout the city.
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