Due to the many different cultures that have passed through Malaga, the region has a long and varied history when it comes to cuisine. From Phoenicians, Romans and Greeks to Moors, all have contributed to Malaga’s recipe book not only with ingredients, but with cooking styles too.

Typical food in many costal towns, one of Malaga's specialties is fish in all varieties: red mullet, whiting, fresh anchovies are just some of the kinds you'll find in abundance at the markets. Other seafood such as lobster and baby squid is also popular. Fish here tastes so good because it’s always freshly caught. A great dish to try is sardines grilled on bamboo spits over charcoal.

Your visit to Malaga will not be complete if you do not try the all-famous gazpacho, a traditional dish of the Andalusian region. This typical cold vegetable soup is prepared in countless different ways. A very popular type of gazpacho from Malaga is the “ajo blanco” variety, made with garlic, almonds and grapes, belying a certain Arab influence. There are many other goodies to try here, delicious sweetmeats, ham sausages, game dishes and vegetable stews. Enjoy Southern Spain's local cuisine while here on a Spanish Language Course in Malaga.

With over 12,000 hectares of vineyards, only 1000 are used for wine grapes, as the costal area isn't really ideally suited for these grapes. But even so, Malaga also has some of the best vineyards on the coast and every year produces some fine bottles of wine. A typical wine to try is the sweet wine (Falstaff's "sack"), made from muscatel grapes and dispensed from huge wooden barrels – it goes well with a host of regional dishes. The two main producers in the Malaga region are Larios, who produce gin and Lopez Hermanos.

Eating out in Malaga Malaga has plenty of interesting and traditional places to go out and try some of the many local dishes. When on the beach, remember that a chirirnguitos is a place specializing in seafood.

Some of the restaurants to go to in Malaga:

• Aceite y Pan , Cervantes street #5
• Bar Los Pueblos , Ataranzas street
• Cañadu, Plaza de la Merced 21.
• Mesón de Jamón, Plaza María Guerrero 5
• El Tintero II, El Palo.
• Al-Yamal, Blasco de Garay street #3.
• Some especially good tapas bars include:
• Gorki, Strachan street
• Orellana, Moreno Monroy street #5
• La Manchega, Marín García street #4
• Antigua Reja, Plaza de Uncibay

The Malagan Hotel Industry Association (AEHMA) organized the restaurants and chiringuitos into 3 routes or tapas trails:

• Anchovy route (in El Palo).
• Sardine route (in Pedregalejo).
• Squid route (in the west zone).