MAIN INGREDIENTS
Bocadillo de carne de caballo is a traditional sandwich that’s filled with horse meat. Typically, a Spanish-style baguette called barra de pan is sliced in half lengthwise, and it is then stuffed with pieces of roasted, fried, or grilled horse meat.
Other common ingredients added to the sandwich’s filling include young garlic, slices of cheese, crispy-fried bacon, beans, and onions. This variety of the Spanish bocadillo sandwich is typically served with accompaniments such as a glass of cold beer or red wine, a cup of coffee, olives, and peanuts on the side.
MOST ICONIC Bocadillo de carne de caballo
Esgarrat is a traditional dish originating from Valencia. It's made with red peppers, cod, garlic, olive oil, and salt. This simple appetizer is prepared by roasting the peppers and the cod on a grill. The skin is then peeled off the peppers and ripped into irregular strips by hand.
The cod is also ripped into strips, and it's then placed on top of the peppers. The dish is seasoned with garlic, salt, and lots of olive oil. The name of the dish refers to the method of preparation, meaning that the ingredients must be ripped or torn.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Tapas
Arroz al forn is a traditional Valencian dish of oven-baked rice. The dish has humble origins – in the past, it was prepared by the poor people that used leftovers from the stews. The ingredients used in this dish include pork ribs, chickpeas, rice, stock, tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes, morcilla sausages, paprika, saffron, and olive oil.
The combination of these ingredients is baked in the oven, traditionally in cazuela de barro, which is a terracotta pot. In Xativa, a city near Valencia, there is an annual festival in honor of arroz al forn. There are also versions with added green beans, artichokes, duck, rabbit, chicken, and even pumpkin in some places.
All i pebre is a traditional signature dish of Valencia and the surrounding area, although its origin is in the Albufera wetlands near the city. The name of the dish means garlic and pepper, referring to the sauce, a key component of the dish. Other ingredients include eel and potatoes, but the eel can be replaced with other types of fish, while the potatoes are often replaced with bread.
However, the spicy sauce consisting of olive oil, garlic, and paprika is essential. The dish is often prepared in an earthenware bowl, and once done, it's served with bread on the side, which is used for dipping.
Arròs a banda is a Spanish rice dish originating from Alicante in Valencia. The dish was invented by fishermen who reserved the leftover fish from the markets and cooked it with potatoes and onions. The rice was cooked in the leftover fish broth, and it was used as a side dish that accompanies the fish, hence the name arròs a banda which means rice on the side.
The broth is usually cooked with cheap and common fish such as rock fish, monkfish, and fish heads, with the occasional addition of saffron, paprika, bay leaves, garlic, or puréed tomatoes. The broth is always served apart from the rice. This humble rice dish is traditionally accompanied by allioli.
Fartons are traditional Valencian sweet bar-shaped sponge cakes that are glazed with sugar. Especially popular in Alboraya, they are made with a combination of flour, sugar, water or milk, oil, yeast, and eggs. These elongated treats are typically dipped in orxata (Spanish horchata), but they can also be consumed with other beverages such as coffee or hot chocolate.
Arroz con conejo y caracoles is a traditional rice dish originating from Alicante. The dish is usually made with a combination of rabbit pieces, bomba rice, snails, stock, saffron, chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, bell peppers, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, and seasonings.
The ingredients are browned, then cooked in stock which is brought to a boil, and the heat is then reduced in order for the dish to simmer until everything is fully cooked and the stock is fully absorbed. A crispy layer called socarrat should form at the bottom if the dish is properly prepared.
MOST ICONIC Arroz con conejo y caracoles
Pastissets are Spanish powdered sugar pastry. They're made with a combination of lard, butter, sugar, egg yolks, flour, cinnamon, and grated lemon peel. The dough is rolled and cut into desired shapes, and it is then baked until golden. When the pastries have cooled down, they're sprinkled with a hefty dose of icing sugar.
There are also some versions of pastissets prepared with olive oil or anisette. It's recommended to serve these pastissets in the afternoon with a cup of tea on the side.
Coca de llanda is a traditional coca variety that's especially popular in Valencia. The coca is made with eggs, milk, olive oil, sugar, flour, walnuts, lemon zest, and baking powder. Once combined, the creamy mass is poured into a tray, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, then baked until golden brown.
The name of this coca comes from the llanda, a rectangular container in which the coca is baked. The pastry is usually eaten as an afternoon snack.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Coca
Botifarra de ceba or morcilla de cebolla is a Spanish sausage originating from Alicante. In Valencian, the word ceba means onion. The sausage consists of blood, fat, and onions that are seasoned and flavored with salt, pepper, pimentón, oregano, and cloves before the concoction is stuffed into casings.
It can be consumed fresh, fried, grilled, or boiled.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “11 Worst Rated Valencian Foods” list until April 20, 2025, 1,103 ratings were recorded, of which 890 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.