The Valley's Cuisine

Flavors from the Garden with an Arab Heritage

The cuisine of the Ricote Valley has Andalusian roots and is influenced by the region of Murcia. It is a cuisine that puts the ingredients front and center: peaches, apricots, lemons, oranges, tomatoes, and seasonal vegetables that come straight from the garden to the table with minimal processing.

Rice, in its many forms, is the common thread running through the local cuisine. Vegetable and legume stews, hearty homemade broths that many locals still prepare for themselves, and pork from the annual slaughter. It’s an honest, seasonal cuisine.

Artisanal sweets and preserves are another part of the valley’s heritage. The “bizcochos borrachos” from Ojós—made with eggs, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon—are an edible souvenir of the trip. Local fruit jams, arrope (concentrated fruit syrup), and almond pastes—creations invented to preserve the abundance of the harvest—remain hallmarks of the region’s identity.

In Villanueva del Río Segura, La Joya del Valle organizes the Citrus Tour: an agritourism experience where visitors learn firsthand about the processes of growing and harvesting organic citrus fruits.

And for those who want to go beyond the dining table, every Thursday from June through October in Ojós, tastings of Murcian products take place by the river, accompanied by live music.