You will notice that the village has several “ventas”, the roadside bars-cum-restaurants where during the week the locals meet in the evenings to have drinks, watch big football matches on TV, discuss village issues (i.e. the water shortage) and have meals. At lunchtime, workers and the occasional office party from Malaga eat in the ventas. The ventas are generally open from about 10.30 a.m. for coffee. At weekends, except in high summer when everyone goes to the beach, the ventas are packed at lunchtimes with people from the city; large family groups, wedding, birthday and christening parties, so it is advisable to book or arrive early, i.e. before 2 p.m. Mealtimes in Spain are normally much later than in northern Europe. Lunch is served from about 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner from about 9 p.m., though on the coast outside Malaga, restaurants are more flexible to accommodate the tourist trade. Items on a typical local menu include the following:

aceitunas, (local olives you may be given as a free “tapa”) berenjenas, (fried aubergine slices, sometimes served with honey) morcilla, (the English “black pudding”, a blood sausage) chorizo, (pork sausage with paprika and spices) lomo, (loin of pork, occasionally served cold as a tapa) migas, (fried breadcrumbs) jamon serrano, (air-dried ham - “jamon iberico” is the deluxe version) queso manchego, (the classic Spanish cheese, “queso curado” if you like it sharp) sopa de picadillo, (a thin soup containing small pieces of ham, hard-boiled egg, fried bread and mint) arroz, (“rice”, the standard weekend lunch item. Similar to paella but much less dry.) “Plato de los Montes” is the local speciality which, depending on the venta, will include all or most of the following: Fried egg, migas, chorizo, fried peppers, morcilla, lomo and French fries. Just what the doctor ordered!