Food Glossary

This is the muscular belly of fish that covers the intestines. The meat in this area is particularly delicate and tasty, especially in species such as albacore and tuna. It is normally the most expensive part of the fish. If bought fresh, the belly is generally joined to the ijada (the bones that support the jaw), as both pieces come from the front underbelly of the fish. It is usually roasted over coals or in the oven. However, preserved ventresca (in oil or escabeche) is frequently used in salads.

A popular, open-air festival celebrated in the evening.

This variety of olive is called verdial (which comes from 'verde', meaning 'green') because it never completely blackens on ripening. It produces very fragrant and fruity oils. It is widely cultivated in Huelva and Seville.

The juice of unripened grapes (agraz - sour grape juice) which was formerly used as a condiment.  The word verjus is not accepted by the dictionary of the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy) of the Spanish language. However, it appears in early proverbs and is mentioned in documents from the Middle Ages in Navarre. Ruperto de Nola, in his Libro de Cocina (1520) used the terms 'agràs' and 'berjús'. This condiment disappeared from the Spanish culinary scene until 1996, when the Sociedad Navarra de Estudios Gastronómicos (Society of Gastronomic Studies of Navarre) and the Estación de Viticultura y Enología de Navarra (Navarre Viticulture and Oenology Station) - EVENA - decided to bring it back under the name agraz-verjus, made from the red Garnacha grape.