Gibraltarian cuisine
Gibraltarian cuisine is the result of a long relationship between the people of Spanish Andalusia and those of Great Britain, as well as the many foreigners who have made Gibraltar their home over the past three centuries. These influences include those of the culinary traditions of Malta, Genoa, and Portugal. This marriage of tastes has produced in Gibraltar an eclectic mix of Mediterranean and British cuisines.
Below are some examples of typical Gibraltarian dishes.
Pasta
Rosto
A popular local pasta dish of Italian origin consisting of penne in a tomato sauce with beef or occasionally pork, mushrooms and carrots and topped with grated "queso bola". The origin of its name is probably from the Italian word "arrosto".Fideos al horno
A baked pasta dish very similar to the Spanish fideos al horno, Maltese imqarrun or Greek pastitsio which consists of macaroni, bolognese sauce, and various other ingredients including egg and bacon that vary according to family tradition. The macaroni is usually topped with a layer of grated cheese or béchamel that melts during the baking process and aids in binding. Even though the dish's main ingredient is macaroni, the name fideos al horno is actually Spanish for 'baked noodles'.Bread
Savoury
Calentita
This is a baked pancake-like dish, similar to the Italian farinata, also known in Genoa as fainâ and in Uruguay and Argentina as fainá, and in the Nice region of France as socca. It is made with chickpea flour, water, olive oil, salt and pepper.The word calentita is the Spanish informal diminutive of the word caliente, and means "nice and warm ".
A very similar dish is widely consumed in Algeria, where it is known as calentica, galentita or karantika. The dish has the same Spanish etymology. According to local sources, calentita was introduced into Algeria by the Spaniards garrisoned at the port of Santa Cruz during the 16th century.
Soon after 1704, well-documented connections were established between the Barbary Coast and Gibraltar to victual the garrison, after Gibraltar lost her agricultural land. The Sephardi Jews from the Barbary Coast may have reintroduced this dish into Gibraltar, where it was maintained after the recipe was lost or fell out of favour in Spain. Another widely suggested theory is that the origin of calentita is in Genoese migrations to Gibraltar and Iberia which started before the Anglo-Dutch action of 1704, although its name makes this unlikely.
The Sephardi Jews from the Barbary Coast became major food providers for the British in Gibraltar, bringing their customs, languages and food culture. It is widely believed in Gibraltar that name may have come from street vendors who would shout "Calentita" to sell their freshly cooked wares, a word which was transferred from the temperature to the foodstuff. Indeed, the last calentita street vendor, Paloma, is still remembered locally by older people. Since the name can be traced to the 16th century during the Spanish presence in Oran, this is a false etymology.