Gastronomy in the Vega Media del Segura region is distinguished by an exquisite culinary offer amidst the eye-catching scenes of the most attractive landscapes in Southeast Spain, which await every visitor who comes to this Murcian space located between the Huerta Murcia and the Ricote Valley.
With five municipalities, including its capital, Molina de Segura, the one with the largest population, the Vega Media del Segura region constitutes a model of development and sustained economic drive based on irrigated agricultural work, which is its fundamental pillar, as well as the canning industry derived from it, which has been an important example of productive activity and the promotion of gastronomy in the Vega Media del Segura region.
Its crops are mainly dryland Mediterranean such as almond, cereals such as barley, and olive or vine. Among the vegetables are artichoke, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach, while among the tubers are the potato.
All these fresh products constitute the ingredients for succulent and varied Murcian salads that accompany the meats and that serve as special components of the rich stews of pork, lamb, and rabbit.
Its rich sausages, such as chorizo and blood sausages, accompanied by roasted potatoes and Murcian salads, constitute a dish with a particular flavour of the traditional cuisine of this region.
Countless recipes
Likewise are the unmissable “Gachasmigas” (with flour crumbs), the “Migras Ruleras”, the fried rabbit with vegetables, the Baked Kid's Leg, the “Zarangollo”, the broad beans, the young garlic and asparagus omelette, and the Baked Lamb.
If you fancy rice, there is a rich diversity of ready meals. Among them are rice with rabbit, chicken rice with ribs, and the “Empedrao” (rice with beans and bacon). Be sure to try these delicious dishes if rice is one of your favourite foods.
For a meeting with friends, olives with anchovies, “piquillo” peppers with tuna, almonds with fish roe and “mojama”, and snails in sauce with a Murcian salad, accompanied by local wines, are good options.
If you are visiting the region at Christmas, a traditional dish that is worth trying is the roasted head of lamb and the stew of “pelotas”. It is customary to eat this last dish on December 16, the first day of Christmas according to tradition.
If boiled foods, soups, and broths are among your favourites, you will find that the gastronomy in the Vega Media del Segura region has a wide variety: “gazpacho” with hare and partridge, lentil stew with chorizo, beans with bacon, etc.
The gastronomy of the Vega Media del Segura region is distinguished by its boiled foods, soups, and broths, so you will also find boiled vegetables; “Mondongo viudo” (tripe with vegetables and bacon); “Michirones” (beans); “gypsy pot” (potatoes, chickpeas, pumpkins, and aubergines); stew with noodles; garlic, bread, and egg soup; and “Rin Ran” (boiled shell pepper with cod), the latter native to the capital of the region.
Rich fruit production
The gastronomy of the Vega Media del Segura region, thanks to its production of fruit trees, is rich in fruit sweets, jams, and fruit preserves, in addition to cakes and special Christmas desserts.
Among the fruits of the region are lemon, orange, peach, apricot, and plum, with which fruits are produced in syrup and homemade jams, sweet fruits with honey, and peculiar “Paparajotes” (prepared from flour with lemon leaf) and “Arrope” (prepared with different types of fruit).
You will not be able to stop trying the Cabell d'àngel, the “buñuelos”, the anise rolls, the Easter cakes with egg (typical of Easter), and the rice pudding. In general, cakes have almond, orange juice, sugar, and honey, as well as different spices.
You will also find typical Christmas sweets and desserts such as “suspiros”, Conde's cakes, “cordiales”, “mantecados”, and Easter cakes. They are indigenous to Molina de Segura and have centuries of tradition.
