Costa Blanca Magazin

Olive oil & Embutidos - Tradition from Marina Alta & Baixa

Handwerk aus Tradition: Öl und Embutidos

Discover olive oil and embutidos from Marina Alta & Baixa - artisan specialities that combine tradition, enjoyment and regional identity.

Anyone who gets to know the Marina Alta and Marina Baixa through their products will sooner or later come across two constants: Olive oil and embutidos. They don't appear on the big posters like chocolate or wine, but have been part of everyday life for generations - and that is precisely where their strength lies. In the current series on the typical specialities of the marinas, their place is therefore a must.

The gold of olives
Olive groves have been part of the landscape in the Marina Alta for generations. In places like Xàbia, Pedreguer and Benissa, high-quality oils are produced - some organically, others with a focus on old varieties.

Brands such as Oli de Xàbia or Tossut dels Pouets stand for a mixture of tradition and experimentation. Anyone who visits an oil mill here immediately realises how closely craftsmanship and landscape are linked.

The Marina Baixa also plays its part: In Benimantell or Orxeta, small almazaras press olives into oils that bear the character of the Sierra de Aitana - strong, flavoursome, with a hint of wild herbs.

Embutidos with history
Sausages are more than just food, especially in the Marina Alta. In Vall de Laguar, Xaló and Orba, family businesses keep old recipes alive.

Ca Rabosa, Seguí or Fernando Pastor are names that stand for artisan production - for longanizas, sobrasadas and figatells that have a firm place in markets and festivals.

Pleasure with manual labour
Oil and embutidos tell stories of patience, of traditional knowledge and of people who hold on to their way of producing. They are not mass-produced goods, but an expression of a region that does not proclaim its identity loudly, but rather lets you taste it silently.