Traditional food & drink in Región de Murcia
Región de Murcia has 6 regional specialities worth seeking out in its heritage towns. Many carry a DOP or IGP protected-origin mark, which ties the product to a defined area and production method.
- Caldero del Mar Menor
- An intense rice dish from the Mar Menor lagoon, cooked with rock fish and dried ñora peppers — Murcia's signature dish.
- Arroz de Calasparra
- Spain's only DOP rice, grown in the cold mountain waters of Calasparra and prized for paella and caldero.
- Zarangollo
- A simple sauté of courgette, onion and egg — a staple of the Murcian huerta.
- Pimentón de Murcia
- Sweet smoked paprika (DOP) milled from sun-dried ñora peppers, the backbone of Murcian cooking.
- Vino de Jumilla
- Robust Monastrell reds from the Jumilla DO, grown on high, arid plateaus.
- Paparajotes
- Lemon leaves coated in sweet batter and fried, dusted with cinnamon sugar — you eat the batter, not the leaf.
Where to try it
8 heritage towns across Región de Murcia: