Gastronomy
Castalla is a good place to taste a good Gaspatxo, a traditional dish that has made La Foia famous throughout the province of Alicante.
Several bars and restaurants in the town make this exquisite dish. The ingredients are unleavened cakes (without yeast) crumbled into small pieces, abundant and varied meat, mushrooms, snails, as well as fried tomato and onion. And finally, an aromatic herb called pebrella (piperela) is added to give this dish its special flavor.
Tasting some good Gaspatxos is a ritual and a pleasure for the palates: first they are poured over a cake made of yeast cooked over the embers of an oven, served with a good red wine and all i oli. And to finish, a piece of cake with honey and a glass of wild thyme.
In addition to Gaspatxo, other typical dishes are la borreta de bacallar, el arròs amb conill, el putxero de fassedures or el arròs de la muntanya.
There are also excellent artisan sausages and meats, as well as a great variety of typical homemade tapas that can be tasted in any bar or restaurant.
Another specialty of Castalla’s gastronomy is pastry, very varied and unique. Sweets such as sequillos, sweet potato pastissets, tonyes or madalenes d’ametla can be bought in the town bakeries, most of them with a wood-fired oven in the back.
In Castalla you can also taste delicious artisan ice creams, made with the same recipe for many years. Mantecao is one of the most asked flavors.
Castalla produces great olive oil and excellent wine, called Castillo de Castalla. Both can be purchased at the Local Cooperative.