Früchte
Fresh produce is still a seasonal proposition, though modern transportation
and storage have made more out-of-season fruits available to a wider market.
Most produce sold in the markets is graded for size and quality, from
extra to primera, first, to segunda, second. Prices will
vary by grade, as well as from one town to the next. Out-of-season fruits
are obviously more expensive than the seasonal ones, which are often grown
locally.
|
Apple
manzana |
Quite a few
varieties, available year-round. New crop starts coming in midsummer
through early fall. |
|
Apricot
albaricoque |
Apricots must
be tree-ripened and then consumed or conserved promptly, because they
neither keep well nor travel well. Available early summer through July. |
|
Avocado
aguacate |
Though a
native of the New World, the avocado has become naturalized in southern
Spain, where great plantations of this fruit are grown. Most varieties
mature through the winter months, but there are usually avocados
available all year round. |
|
Banana
plátano |
The bulk of
the banana crop comes from the tropical Canary Islands, where it grows
very sweet, though some are grown in southern Spain. Domestic crop is
called plátano, imported fruit are referred to as banana. |
|
Cherimoya
chirimoya |
Green,
pear-shaped and faceted, this fruit looks a little like an oversize hand
grenade. Inside the flesh is white with shiny black seeds randomly
distributed throughout. It tastes like a creamy, lemon-pineapple
pudding. Buy it underripe and firm, eat when it's soft to the touch. It
is available in late fall, early winter. |
|
Cherry
cereza |
Different
varieties carry different names, like cereza, guinda and
picota. They vary from deep red, almost black cherries to those
that are yellow-orange, and in taste from very sweet to very sharp.
Their season is early summer. |
|
Date
dátil |
Fruit of the
date palm, this super-sweet fruit is grown in Spain and also imported. |
|
Fig
higo |
The fig tree
is as much part of the Spanish landscapes as the olive. The first figs
appear in early summer. These are the brevas, plump black figs
which are sold at fancy prices. By late summer the ordinary variety
ripens. |
|
Grapefruit
pomelo |
Available
fall through spring. |
|
Grape
uva |
Many
varieties of grapes are grown, some specially for the making of wines.
Of the eating grapes, possibly the most famous is the muscatel, the
Málaga grape. Grapes come into the markets in late summer and last until
New Year's Eve, when they are consumed, one at each of the chimes of
midnight, to assure twelve months of good fortune in the coming year. |
|
Guava
guayaba |
A tropical
fruit grown in the Canary Islands, it is found in some supermarkets. |
|
Lemon
limón |
Lemons are
available year-round and some varieties bear fruit and flowers at the
same time. There are thick-skinned and thin-skinned types and some
varieties come to market quite green. These are usually quite juicy and
flavourful in spite of their colour. |
|
Lime
lima |
Not widely
available, a substitution for lemons. |
|
Loquat
níspero |
A
pear-shaped, plum-sized fruit of a deep yellow colour. The flesh is very
sweet, slightly grainy. Season is late spring, early summer. |
|
Melon
melón |
Many
varieties of superb melon are grown in Spain, from those with pale green
flesh to deep orange flesh. To be sweet, melon must be vine-ripened. To
store melons for eating during the winter, try suspending them by string
from the ceiling in a cool pantry. Watermelon is called sandía.
In many places you can buy a half or quarter of a large watermelon. |
|
Nut
nuez |
First and
foremost in the region is the almond, almendra, widely grown.
Spain is the world's second largest almond producer. They are available
in the shell, shelled, blanched, toasted, salted. The other best-loved
nut is not actually a nut, but an underground legume: the peanut or
cacahuete. Cashews are anacardos, Brazil nuts are nueces
de Brazil, walnuts are nueces de nogal, pecans are nueces
americanas, hazelnuts are avellanas, pistachios are
pistachos. Chestnuts are castañas and they come into the
markets in the fall when vendors sell them roasted in the streets. |
|
Orange
naranja |
The Spanish
name for this fruit comes from the Sanskrit, naranga, which the
Moors brought to Spain with the fruit. Their oranges where bitter ones,
appreciated for their ornamental value and the aroma of the peel and
blossoms. Portuguese travellers in the 15th century brought sweet
oranges from China and today, most eating oranges are called chinas
in Spain. Oranges are in season from fall through spring. Skin colour is
affected by night-time temperatures and very warm nights can keep fully
ripe oranges green. |
|
Peach
melocotón |
Peaches are a
fruit of full summer. Their colour ranges from almost crimson to pale
orange-ish to almost yellow. They must be tree-ripened. Nectarines are a
smooth-skinned variety of peach, usually available before peaches come
in. |
|
Pear
pera |
A summer to
early winter fruit which seems to be available all year round. Pears
come in an enormous range of colours and sizes, some as big as
grapefruit. Pears are usually picked when not quite ripe. |
|
Persimmon
caqui |
Looks like a
small tomato when fully ripe. This fruit comes into the markets in the
fall. It must be allowed to mature. |
|
Pineapple
piña |
Grown in the
Canary Islands, pineapples are available in shops particularly at
holiday times such as Christmas. A ripe pineapple should have a full,
musky aroma. Inside, the flesh should be pale yellow. |
|
Plum
ciruela |
Plums last
through the summer in the markets. Ciruelas pasas are dried
plums, or prunes. |
|
Pomegranate
granada |
Pomegranates,
which ripen in early fall, are not always available in the markets,
though they grow widely in southern Spain. The look like a hard-skinned
apple, blushed with red, and tufted. Inside the fruit is filled with
jewel-like red kernels, the edible seeds. |
|
Prickly Pear
higo chumbo |
This prickly
cactus was once planted around isolated farms as a fencing. The fruit is
pear-shaped, a rosy-yellow colour, and covered with a spiny skin. It is
often sold by street vendors who will peel the fruit for you. They can
also be harvested in the wild, but never handle them with bare hands
until peeled. |
|
Quince
membrillo |
The quince
looks like an oversized, somewhat knobbly, yellow apple. It is harder
and grainier than an apple and, though it can be eaten fresh, is most
often cooked. Quince comes into season in the fall. |
|
Tangerine
mandarina |
This dainty
member of the citrus family is the first to appear in the markets in the
fall and the last to finish the season, with the seedless clementinas
in the spring. They seem to spoil more readily than oranges, so buy them
fresh and use promptly. |
|
Am Markt
Früchte
Gemüse
Hülsenfrüchte
Fisch
Schalentiere
Geflügel
Rindfleisch
Schweinefleisch
Lamm
Schinken
Käse
Gewürze
Speiseöl
|