A delicious Seville food tour with Devour

I discovered so much more than I expected when I joined a Seville food tour with Devour that took us to the most amazing food spots steeped in history, tradition and Andalusian culture. I love the company’s ethos when it comes to their choice of places to visit. They have a strict policy of supporting small businesses and artisanal producers, many of whom have been around for generations and what they sell has changed very little over the years. Why change to something trendy when food is already packed with flavour, often simple and incredibly delicious?

The Tastes, Tapas and Traditions tour starts at controversial “Mushroom Bridge” or the Metropol Parasol (Las setas). It is a wooden structure which claims to be the largest in the world and was completed in 2011 at a cost of 86 million euros. You can access the roof at a cost of 3 Euros and enjoy breathtaking views across the city or have a drink as you watch the sunset, but I didn’t have the time to come back although I am reliably informed that the views are stunning.

Our guide for the tour was Shane, a witty Irishman who found his way to Spain a few years ago and fell in love with the food and the country. He had many interesting stories to tell, as well as great recommendations for other foodie treats to try after the tour.

First stop on the Seville Food tour

We started the tour in the market, that was housed under the mushroom bridge. The Spanish love coffee so it seemed like a fitting way to start the tour with a lesson on how to order coffee in Spain. There are numerous options, cortado (short and black cut with a splash of milk), espresso ( much stronger than the Italian style), con leche ( with milk) but served in a small glass rather than a large cup like they would do in France and leche manchada and that’s just the beginning! There are loads of others as well.

Iberico Ham

Next up was a visit to an Iberico Ham stall. When I was in Barcelona on my last visit I discovered just how good it was and enjoyed it at every opportunity. This is one of the quintessential food items that come to mind when I think of Spain. You may be wondering what the fuss is about, but once you have had a taste it soon becomes clear that it is delicious with nutty and creamy taste while being slightly chewy at the same time and a gastronomic treat.

The Spanish take their ham VERY seriously and there are numerous grades and price points.

The pigs are unique, sport a black hoof and spend much of their time roaming in the forests eating acorns. We were given a demonstration on how to slice the jamon. I should point out that a top-quality leg can cost hundreds of euros so it is essential that every last scrap is utilized and there is no waste. It is undoubtedly a skill learnt over many years.

We ventured outside and into the midday heat. I regretted not having brought a hat with which is so unlike me. Even though I am used to the heat at 38 degrees I needed a hat, so please make a mental note to take one with you. Sunscreen is not a bad idea either.

Stunning architecture

As we made our way to the next place we passed Roman ruins and many buildings that reflected intricate Moorish details. Later we stopped briefly at the impressive cathedral and the  Real Alcázar. Unfortunately, my time in Seville was brief so I did not have the time to go back and explore, but I would recommend allowing time for a visit when you are planning your stay.

Churros

No visit to Spain would be complete without eating churros ( a type of doughnut) at least once and the next stop was one of the most famous places in Seville. I was expecting the short sticks and a thick chocolate dipping sauce as I had in Barcelona, but this was a different version with no chocolate in sight. The batter is poured into the hot oil to form a coil. When it is ready it is removed, drained, randomly cut into long strips and covered with powdered sugar, making it a deliciously light treat.

We moved on, munching our churros. Under the shade of a tree, Shane shared a bit of the history of Seville. I found myself looking around for the next restaurant but there was nothing to see except for a long white wall.

Heavenly Sweet Treats

A few minutes later we crossed the road and went through a wooden door in the wall to find that we were entering a convent. What a strange thing to do on the Seville food tour I thought. Then the penny dropped. I had read about places like this but I had no idea that visiting one was a part of the tour.

We had some incredibly yummy biscuits that were baked by the nuns and sold at a tiny kiosk. Shane placed his order with one of the nuns through a small barred window. The recipes used have been handed down over the years, but the selection available always varies. The nuns are given ingredients as donations so you can never be certain of what will be available.

We tried Bocaditos Arabes, thick crunchy biscuits with an exotic blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and a taste of the mark the Moors left on the city. In some ways, it reminded me of Speculoos, the spicy biscuits that you find in Belgium. What a rare and unusual experience and one of my favourite discoveries on the Seville food tour.

Learning about the importance of tradition

Next up was a visit to a tiny bar that if you didn’t know any better you would happily have looked at and carried on walking. The walls were covered in religious memorabilia and a religious procession was being shown on the television. I found it a bit odd until Shane explained the significance of religion and Holy Week in Spain.

Holy Week or Semana Santa de Sevilla, as it is locally known, is a huge celebration with a fair, processions and floats that move through the streets and end at the Cathedral. It’s origins go back hundreds of years.

It was here that I tried what had now become a favourite drink, tinto de verano, or roughly translated, summer wine. Its made with about 50% red wine and 50% fruity lemon Fanta or similar. There are no rules about what soda you add. It’s light and refreshing and I can see what it is such a hit in Seville especially when the temperature soars.

Gelato

What better way to end the tour than with a gelato. Not a copycat version but the real McCoy. The owner, Joaquin, studied the art of making gelato in Bologna. There was a huge range to choose from but I choose one that to me represented Seville, flavoured with orange blossoms from the streets of city and chunky bits of candied orange.

Rick Stein, a chef from the UK, who has a number of wonderful restaurants in Padstow England that focus on fish, also visited here on his travels and featured this gelato in his book that went with the TV series about Spanish cuisine.

There was so much to enjoy on the tour that I could wax lyrically for another thousand words at least, but I would rather not disclose all the details. I will, however, add that some of the other things we tried were dogfish (shark to some), manzanilla sherry,  salmorejo (a chilled tomato soup) spinach and chickpeas and pork cheek stew.

A three and a half hour tour might sound long, but the time flew by. My thanks and gratitude to our wonderful tour guide Shane and Devour Seville for hosting me and showing me some of the best Seville food places the city has to offer and giving me a much better understanding of Andalusian food. It was an experience that will remain foremost in my memory for many years to come.

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