The food from Cádiz is influenced by many cultures: Phoenician, Arab, Roman and colonial. Romans brought to Spain the wine and olives, Arabians left food like citrus fruits, almonds, spices and sweets. The recipes are of a great diversity and combine many ingredients. The Atlantic Coast gives Cádiz plenty of seafood and fish. The Andalusian cuisine is characterized by the raw materials quality and the different ways of preparation and the variety of dishes the tourist can find in this area from the Costa del Sol, because each province has their own delicious dishes.
The fried fish is probably the best one in this area although it is said that the best one can be found in Granada. Some of the fish you can try in this region is: tuna, dogfish, anglerfish, etc.
Fish is mainly used for different kinds of stews like fish soup with bitter oranges or onions, green pepper and tomatoes as well as fish a la teja, marinated dogfish and shrimp omelette.
Meat also has a special importance in the cuisine of Cádiz: Pork, baby goat, beef with typical recipes like lamb casserole, bull’s tail with a typical recipe from Jerez and famous bullfighter-style partridge. The region also yields an excellent cabbage that is used in special stews.
Olive oil, cheeses, dried meats, sausages and delicious bread are important ingredients of the local cuisine. Turrón from Cádiz (a bar made with almonds and honey) is a very popular dessert like Tocino del Cielo, which is traditionally made with egg yolks left in the process of sherry making.
Jerez Sherry is a delicious drink and is also used to finish off some local dishes. It also brings out the flavours of hams, sausages, fish, shellfish or simple but tasty olives.
Typical dishes from Cádiz include:
Berza (soup), the amazing fried fish, Tortitas de Camerones (Omelettes with prawns), Squids in its ink, noodles with prawns and clams etc., partridge casserole (la perdiz estofada), scrambled eggs with fresh asparragos (revueltos con esparragos trigueros) and marinated olives.
Cadiz also has quality wines like the Sherry, Manzanilla and the white wines.