Rice dishes have become part of the indispensable in Spain and also in Murcia: not only the Valencian paella, but also the Murcian paella and the caldero, not to forget rabbit rice and rice with the Murcian serranas (big escargots). Remember than in Spain the main meal is lunch. It tends to be copious and followed by a relaxing siesta. Effects of eating lunch-time food (as listed above and below) for dinner are unpredictable and discouraged by Spanish grandmothers.

Caldero
Caldero means cauldron and refers to the type of pan in which it was traditionally cooked. In this dish, rice is the main course, and not the side. It is made with small rock fish and sea bream or grey mullet, Murcian dried red peppers (ñoras) and normally served with a garlic mayonnaise sauce bowl and the big fishes on the side.

Murcian Paella
Murcian paella is a vegetarian paella with the aforementioned ñoras (Murcian peppers), green peppers, red peppers, artichokes, fresh garlic and fresh small beans. Other typical paellas include the mixed , with pork, chicken, peppers and seafood (usually squid and large prawns).

Migas
Migas is the Spanish word for crumbs, as this is the shape and general ingredient of this dish. But do not let its name fool you: migas can be a delicious summer lunch dish, especially if you get someone to prepare it for you! They are proverbially long to prepare, but definitely worth it. A dough consisting of wheat flour, salt and water can be prepared for the gachas migas version. Another way of preparing them is with old bread, previously soaked in water. They are fried in a pan with some garlic cloves, as a general rule. Then the imagination of the cook and the taste of the consumers comes to power: they can be eaten with Spanish embutidos (Spanish fresh or dried sausages, fried or not), chocolate, fruits such as grapes, figs, prickly pears, melon… all fresh in nature and in temperature!

Guiso de Pavo
Traditional Christmas celebrations take place in Nochebuena, Christmas Eve. Before going to Midnight Mass (Misa del Gallo) the tradition-observing Murcians will have a large Christmas meal with Guiso de Pava, a turkey hen stew with pork meatballs, chickpeas, vegetables and potatoes. Remember than in Spain presents will be given by the Three Kings in the night between 5th and 6th of January, when children will leave their shoes by the door or window for the Kings to leave their presents beside them. But Christmas gastronomy would need an article of its own! Let’s just say, by now, that next day a Roscón de Reyes will be eaten: it is a ring-shaped cake studded with frosted fruits. Traditionally inside there was a coin and a very hard bean: if you got the coin, it was for you, and if you got the bean, next year you should pay the cake! Be careful when biting!

Michirones
Here you have a clever way of not wasting those last hard parts of your delicious Serrano ham: michirones. This hot tapa can be prepared well in advance of the meal (served warm is fine), and consists of cold cuts and hard dried beans left to soften in water and then cooked with spices (beware, as these include chilli!). This tapa is a common element to traditional barbecues, usually self-served in spoonfuls on top of bread.

Zarangollo
Do not let anybody fool you with "Zarangollo is just some scrambled eggs with potatoes, courgettes and onions”- Zarangollo is much more than that: is a dish that sums up most of the Mediterranean gastronomic tradition. It can be eaten warm or cold, and is one of the most delicious and healthy ways of eating vegetables with olive oil - especially when accompanied with a delicious fresh tomato salad in the middle of a hot summer day.