Valencian cuisine
Gastrtonomy is of great cultural importance to the Valencians. Rice is the dominant ingredient in dishes of the region, grown locally in paddy fields still irrigated by the Moorish canal system. The genuine Pealla Valenciana does not mix fish and meat. It typically contains chicken, rabbit, green beans, snails, artichokes and saffron. Shellfish are eaten as a starter.
Rice dishes vary around the region: arroz negro is rice cooked with squid complete with ink which gives the dish its colour, and served with all i oli, a powerful garlic mayonnaise.
Arroz al horno is drier, baked with chickpeas. Fideua is sesfood and noodles cooked paella-style. You'll find arroz a banda further south on the coast around Denia.
Around Alicante you can try arroz con costra, which is a meat-bases paella topped with a baked egg crust. Apart from rice, vegetables are always fresh and plentiful.
Don't hesitate to stay in a hotel in la Costa de Azahar, in order to enjoy the region!