Spain — Mijas Sweet Shop, Costa del Sol Beach, Barbecue (Day 2, Part 2)

Date: 2018-10-07

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Polvorón: An Andalusian Sweet

On the way back through Mijas, a confectionery shop stopped us. On display: toffee made by boiling honey in copper pots with various nuts pressed in; and polvorón — a classic Andalusian sweet, essential at Christmas, made from lard, flour, and ground almonds, dusted in icing sugar. The texture is distinctive: it crumbles instantly in the mouth. The name comes from polvo (dust) — the crumble is the point. In this region, honey is used in place of sugar throughout many traditional recipes, and the range of honey-based products in this shop reflected that.

We bought some to take home — to eat in England while remembering the Costa del Sol.

The drive back to the hotel took a different mountain route. The scenery through Andalusian hills is dramatic in a way that England never provides — living in a flat country, you forget what proper mountains look like.

Aldi Spain

Stopped at Aldi near the hotel to stock up for the remaining days.

Aldi's origin is German; it operates more than 9,000 stores worldwide and is the world's largest discount grocery chain. Around 95% of products are own-brand. The comparison prices against regular supermarkets: roughly one-third to one-half the price.

What caught my eye in the Spanish store:

• Baguettes baked in-store: A plain baguette for 19 cents (approximately 25 pence). A German-style pretzel for 39 cents. And they tasted genuinely good — not just cheap.
• Wholemeal sesame baguette: Excellent. I wished this was stocked in UK Aldi stores.
• Seafood paella mix (squid, prawns, mussels, clams), frozen
• Octopus in water — cook with olive oil and garlic for a ready tapas dish
• Fresh tuna: sold in thick fillets at a price that would be impossible in London (Spain has significant tuna fishing off its coast)
• Prawns in multiple sizes: large lobster, small peeled (for ajillo), whole head-on (for paella and grilling)
• Frozen octopus — also unavailable in UK stores
• Olive oil: an entire dedicated section, including 5-litre bottles. Mediterranean households use almost nothing else; the range and variety available reflects it.
• Iberian ham, various sausages — excellent quality at discount prices

We also found frozen sushi in the freezer section — thaw and eat.

The shopping was thorough. We were set for the rest of the trip.

Evening: Beach and Barbecue

Still warm enough in the late afternoon for the beach — the sea breeze was comfortable rather than hot. The sky over the strait to Africa was clear.

For dinner: used the resort's barbecue area. Menu we grilled ourselves: beef burgers, Iberian pork, corn on the cob, peppers. The grills were powerful and the food cooked quickly with good charred marks.

A good end to Day 2.

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