The BEST Food in SEVILLA Spain (Food Tour With a Local)

Sevilla Food Tour Highlights

This is a tasting tour rather than a cooking demonstration. No recipes, exact ingredient quantities, or home-cooking instructions are given.

Foods and Drinks

• Iberian ham (jamón ibérico de bellota): The guide contrasts it with jamón serrano, which she says comes from white pigs. Bellota ham comes from Iberian pigs raised in Spain and Portugal and fed acorns for the final four months of their lives. The guide explains that the acorns affect the flavor of the fat. The group tries the top “negro” grade, described as the most expensive. It was quoted at about €100 per kilogram, with a 5-kilogram minimum purchase. A skilled cutter slices it extremely thin. The suggested way to enjoy it is by itself, or with a small piece of bread or a picos cracker, so other flavors don’t overpower it.
• Churros with chocolate: The dough is shaped and fried fresh at the bar, then served with very thick, melted chocolate for dipping. Churros are described as a breakfast food in Sevilla. The narration says dipping them in chocolate became popular from the 16th century; powdered sugar is also mentioned as an older topping.
• Arabic-style sweets (bocados árabes): Small pastries generously dusted with powdered sugar and flavored with cinnamon. The guide connects their recipe tradition to Jewish, Catholic, and Arabic influences, preserved by nuns at a former convent in Barrio Santa Cruz.
• Vermouth: A local-style fortified, aromatized white wine, sweetened with caramel, fortified with grape spirit, and infused with as many as 100 botanical spices and herbs. Each bar has its own recipe. The group tries it over ice with a little gin. Fresh orange juice is also served.
• Montaditos: Small sandwiches that can be eaten as a snack, appetizer, or accompaniment to drinks. Two varieties are tried:
  • Montadito de pringá: Filled with a variable meat stew; the filling depends on what is available or chosen.
  • Montadito de melva con tomate: A small sandwich with a type of tuna and tomato.
• Tapas:
  • Espinacas con garbanzos: Spinach and chickpeas with extra-virgin olive oil and cumin, described as a local Sevilla dish.
  • Croquettes: Filled with stew and béchamel, served with garlic aioli. The interior is soft and creamy.
  • Pork cheek: Slow-cooked until very tender and falling apart. The presenter says it would also work well in a sandwich, though it is served as a tapa.
• Ice cream: The tour ends with a flavor called Sevilla Antigua, inspired by a local Christmas pastry. It includes orange, cinnamon, and almond. A berry flavor is also tried.

Context and Serving Notes

Tapas are presented as small dishes often enjoyed with drinks and friends. The group describes tapear as going out for tapas, and the guide explains that tapas vary by city.

The presenters mention a theory that tapas originated in Sevilla: a 17th-century restriction on serving alcohol with food may have led bars to serve simple bread and salt, with patrons later bringing foods such as chorizo and cheese.

The tour visits family-run businesses, including a ham shop and a well-known churro bar. The presenters recommend taking a food tour early in a visit to learn about local dishes and the city.

Presenter and Tour

• Presenters/channel: Eric and Sarah, Eric and Sarah
• Tour company: Devour Tours
• Local guide: Cina/Kina, as rendered in the subtitles