Gibraltarian cuisine is the result of a long relationship between the people of Spanish

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...

and those of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, as well as the many foreigners who have made Gibraltar their home over the past three centuries. These influences include those of the culinary traditions of

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of t ...

, and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

. This marriage of tastes has produced in Gibraltar an eclectic mix of

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

and

British cuisine British cuisine is the specific set of cooking traditions and practices associated with the United Kingdom. Historically, British cuisine meant "unfussy dishes made with quality local ingredients, matched with simple sauces to accentuate flavou ...

s. Below are some examples of typical Gibraltarian dishes.

Pasta

Rosto

A popular local pasta dish of Italian origin consisting of

penne Penne () is an extruded type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces, their ends cut at an angle. ''Penne'' is the plural form of the Italian ''penna'' (meaning ''feather'' but ''pen'' as well), deriving from Latin ''penna'' (meaning " feather" or ...

in a

tomato sauce Tomato sauce (also known as '' salsa roja'' in Spanish or ''salsa di pomodoro'' in Italian) can refer to many different sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish, rather than as a condiment. Tomato sauces are ...

with beef or occasionally pork, mushrooms and carrots (among other vegetables depending on family tradition) and topped with grated "'' queso bola''". The origin of its name is probably from the English word "roast".

Fideos al horno

A baked pasta dish very similar to the Spanish ''fideos al horno'',

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

'' imqarrun'' or

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

pastitsio which consists of macaroni,

bolognese sauce Bolognese sauce (, ; known in Italian as ''ragù alla bolognese'', , ''ragù bolognese'', or simply '' ragù'') is a meat-based sauce in Italian cuisine, typical of the city of Bologna. It is customarily used to dress '' tagliatelle al ragù'' ...

, and various other ingredients including egg and bacon that vary according to family tradition. The macaroni is usually topped with a layer of grated cheese or béchamel that melts during the baking process and aids in binding. Even though the dish's main ingredient is macaroni, the name ''fideos al horno'' is actually Spanish for 'baked noodles'.

Bread

Savoury

Calentita

This is a baked pancake-like dish, the Italian ''

farinata Farinata (), socca (), torta di ceci (), or cecina () is a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour. It originated in Italy and later became a typical food of the Ligurian Sea coast, from Nice to Sardinia and Elba isla ...

'', also known in Genoa as ''fainâ'' and in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

as ''fainá'', and in the

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

region of France as ''Socca''. It is made with chickpea flour, water,

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...

, salt and pepper. The word ''calentita'' is the Spanish informal diminutive of the word ''caliente'', and means "nice and warm (or hot)". A very similar dish is widely consumed in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

, where it is known as Calentica, Galentita or Karantita. The dish has the same Spanish etymology (the diminutive -ica rather than -ita being typical of eastern Spain). According to local sources, calentita was introduced into Algeria by the Spaniards garrisoned at the port of Santa Cruz during the 16th century. Soon after 1704 well-documented connections were established between the Barbary Coast and Gibraltar to victual the garrison, after Gibraltar lost her agricultural land. The

Sephardi Jew Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...

s from the Barbary Coast may have reintroduced this dish into Gibraltar, where it was maintained after the recipe was lost or fell out of favor in Spain. Another widely suggested theory is that the origin of calentita is in Genoese migrations to Gibraltar and Iberia which started before the Anglo-Dutch action of 1704, although its name makes this unlikely. The

s from the Barbary Coast became major food providers for the British in Gibraltar, bringing their customs, languages and food culture. It is widely believed in Gibraltar that name may have come from

street vendor A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with costermonger or peddler. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells inexpensive goods, handicrafts, or food items. Whether station ...

s who would shout "''Calentita''" to sell their freshly cooked wares, a word which was transferred from the temperature to the foodstuff. Indeed, the last calentita street vendor, Paloma, is still remembered locally by older people. Since the name can be traced to the 16th century during the Spanish presence in Oran, this is a false etymology.

Panissa

A bread-like dish similar to calentita. Sharing its Italian origins, it is a descendant of the Genoese dish with the same name. Unlike calentita, the ingredients are first simmered in a saucepan for over an hour, stirring constantly, to form a paste which is then left to set. When the

polenta Polenta (, ) is a dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. The dish comes from Italy. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. ...

-like dough is set, it is cut into small strips and fried in olive oil.

Torta de Acelgas

A spinach pie very similar to the Greek ''

spanakopita Spanakopita (; el, σπανακόπιτα, from ''spanáki'' 'spinach', and πίτα ''píta'' 'pie') is a Greek savory spinach pie. It often also contains cheese, typically feta, and may then be called spanakotiropita ( el, σπανακοτ ...

'', which is usually made at Easter Time.

Sweet

Bollo de hornasso

A sweet and dry bread similar to the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

hornazo Hornazo () is a Spanish meat pie eaten in the provinces of Salamanca and Ávila. It is made with flour and yeast and stuffed with pork loin, spicy chorizo, and hard-boiled eggs. In Salamanca, it is traditionally eaten in the field during th ...

''. It is made with

self-raising flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultur ...

, sugar, eggs, butter or

margarine Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...

and

aniseed Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and ta ...

. ''Bollos de hornasso'' are eaten around Easter just as in Spain, but in Gibraltar they are also popular during Christmas. Gibraltarian ''hornassos'' can normally be distinguished from the original Spanish ''hornazo'' as they do not tend to be decorated with hard-boiled eggs (however, Gibraltarian families of Spanish descent may still decorate them in this manner). It usually glazed with beaten egg and sometimes decorated with hundreds and thousands.

Pan dulce

A sweet fruit and nut bread eaten at Christmas time. The term ''pan dulce'' means "sweet bread" in Spanish, but its origins may lie in Italy with the Genoese '' pandolce'' or

Portuguese sweet bread Portuguese sweet bread (Portuguese: ''pão doce'' "sweet bread" or ''massa sovada'' "kneaded dough") is a bread made with milk, sugar, eggs, yeast, flour and sometimes lemon peel to produce a subtly sweet lightly textured loaf or rolls. A slight ...

. Its main ingredients can include

lard Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig.Lard
entry in the ...

, margarine, sugar, self-raising flour, blanched almonds,

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the d ...

s, sultanas,

pine nut Pine nuts, also called piñón (), pinoli (), pignoli or chilgoza (), are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus''). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are trade ...

s, candied peel, eggs, aniseed and

anisette Anisette, or Anis, is an anise-flavored liqueur that is consumed in most Mediterranean countries. It is colorless, and because it contains sugar, is sweeter than dry anise flavoured spirits (e.g. absinthe). The most traditional style of anisette ...

among others. It is sometimes decorated with hundreds and thousands just like the ''bollo de hornasso''.

Milhojas

Meat

Rolitos

A thin slice of beef surrounding

breadcrumbs Bread crumbs or breadcrumbs (regional variants including breading and crispies) consist of crumbled bread of various dryness, sometimes with seasonings added, used for breading or crumbing foods, topping casseroles, stuffing poultry, thick ...

, bacon, eggs, olives, vegetables and herbs. These can be baked, fried or cooked in wine. ''Rolitos'' is another dish of Maltese origin, similar to '' braġjoli''. It is also known as ''beef olives'' in English, even though some families prefer making them with pork or even chicken. The word ''rolito'' comes from the Spanish word ''rollo'' meaning 'roll', as the meat is rolled to hold the other ingredients inside.

Confectionery

Japonesa

The ''japonesa'' ( en, Japanese lady) is a sweet fried

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of food made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and fran ...

filled with a

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency f ...

-like cream. Japonesas are usually enjoyed at teatime or as a

snack A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home. Traditionally, snacks are ...

. They are traditionally coated in syrup or granulated sugar.The Jewish Traveler - Gibraltar
/ref> The name is a reference to Japanese dorayaki cakes which are similarly shaped and also have a sweet filling.

References

External links

Gibraltar Recipes
www.mamalotties.com
alentita Recipe
www.mamalotties.com/calentita/
Pudin de Pan - http://www.mamalotties.com/pudin-de-pan/ Borrachuelos - http://www.mamalotties.com/borrachuelos-de-mama/ Minestra / Menestra - http://www.mamalotties.com/menestra/ Rosto - http://www.mamalotties.com/rosto/ {{Mediterranean cuisine European cuisine Mediterranean cuisine British cuisine Gibraltarian culture