Culinary Tours in Andalucía

Culinary Tours in Andalucía

Málaga's getting hot as a food destination. We were just down south (in Málaga, Marbella, Sevilla, Jerez…) and we have added some stunning 5-star hotels–including one in a private home in the country–, new tapas bars and Michelin-star restaurants, amazing markets (with eateries right inside the markets), winery visits, cooking classes (our favorite is with a professional restaurant chef), a private visit to the rooftop of the Sevilla Cathedral, private art tours, and more. And the art in Málaga…to die for. Picasso Museum, Pompidou Center, Thyssen Museum, and a branch of the Russian Museum.

Spanish Ham in Andalucía

Spanish Ham in Andalucía

Cassie and Christopher recently spent a day with us in Aracena near Seville visiting the free-range Iberian pigs and learning about the Spanish ham-making process. It's a day tour we offer from Sevilla which includes pick up with a private guide in Sevilla, a visit to the dehesa where the pigs roam, the ham-making facilities, and (a hamful) lunch, before returning to Sevilla in the late afternoon.

A Case for Using Mediterranean Herbs Dried

A Case for Using Mediterranean Herbs Dried

Savory herbs that tend to grow in hot, relatively dry climates— like oregano, for instance—have flavor compounds that are stable at high temperatures and are well contained within the leaf. They have to be, in order to withstand the high temperatures and lack of humidity in their natural environment. With these dried herbs, as long as you cook them for long enough to soften them, the flavor is just as good as with fresh—and they're a whole lot cheaper and more convenient to use. 

Orange is the New…Orange

Orange is the New…Orange

Orange wines. What they are: A style of wine made from white wine grapes that stay in contact with skins and seeds after pressing. They are frequently fermented with natural yeasts and aged in clay amphoras, and slightly oxidated. They tend to have more tannins and body, like red wines, but retain the minerality of a white. What they are  not: Wine made from or with oranges.

Money For Your Trip Abroad

Money For Your Trip Abroad

Like many people, I pay for most of my store, restaurant, hotel and transportation purchases here in the US with credit and debit cards. When I'm heading to Europe, my money preparations consist of making sure I have packed the correct credit/debit cards, and I'm good to go. No traveler's checks, no buying Euros here in the US, no exchanging dollars abroad.