Delicooks

THE ART OF TAPAS
Not even the most hellish heat prevents my annual trip to this beautiful city on the banks the Guadalquivir River. Strolling along the Calle Sierpes, crossing the Triana bridge to the Golden Tower reflected in the water, getting lost in the narrow streets of Barrio Santa Cruz: this is a veritable feast for the senses. Everywhere is bustling with people who live and eat with a contagious joy. But to enjoy Seville's gastronomy, you'll have to learn a little about the art of tapas.

TAPAS
In the morning, jostling crowds of people pack the pastry shops around the cathedral. San Buenaventura bakery serves coffees at breakneck speed with all kinds of cakes from the conventual tradition (yemas, torrijas, cortadillos, pestiños), and sandwiches.
At noon, I go for a montadito – a small snack on a slice of bread – at the Patio San Eloy, a typically Andalusian bodega that serves a wide variety of small hot and cold sandwiches, good ham and the best pork. At this amphitheater-shaped bar people make their order at the bar and then look around for a spot to sit down in the crowded courtyard.
After my first stop I wander aimlessly to find small bars and eateries where tourists mingle with locals. The Santa Cruz bodega is a true taste of Andalusia. The waiters sing at high speed the list of tapas that have just been prepared in the kitchen (kidneys with sherry, meatloaf, tuna with onions, flamenquines, potatoes, cuttlefish, and clams) and your order is jotted down in chalk on the bar top.
There are other off-the-beaten track spots, such as Bodega Alfalfa, where you can savor the best Huelva shrimp and Sanlúcar langostinos in town. Wash them down with a food sherry – fino or manzanilla – or an ice-cold beer.

DINING
Seville is packed with restaurants, inns and traditional bars. My first port of call is usually Casa Modesto,, an exquisite restaurant, next to the Murillo gardens, where they prepare the best Andalusian gazpacho and fresh seafood from the coast of Huelva and Cadiz. It's worth trying out the battered sea anemones, langoustines and oysters, the fried fish platter and rice soup with fish and seafood. The wine cellar is well stocked with some of the best DOs and Jerez-Manzanilla de Sanlúcar for discerning palates.
At the heart of the Triana district is Casa Cuesta, a meeting place for artists and intellectuals since the beginning of the century. The dining room is filled with the fragrance of chickpeas with spinach, a typical Easter dish, and they serve up an oxtail so tender that it melts in your mouth. Their rice pudding is a classic.
Triana also is host to a number of other great eateries, especially at dusk when the bright sunshine gives way to the twinkling lights of the bridge and river. In the bodega La Albariza , check out spectacular clams with ham from Huelva, olives and capers.

POPULAR AND CREATIVE
Seville's gastronomy is faithful to its traditional roots, as can be seen in the many varieties of gazpacho, salmorejos, stews and casseroles. A few kilometers from the capital, in Sanlúcar la Mayor, the Venta Pazos is the meeting place for fans of the world of bullfighting. Here you can sample the breakfast of buttered toast and a comforting soup with chopped mint. Also, in this village of Arab traditions and Baroque churches, is La Hacienda Benazuza, the hotel-restaurant led by Ferran Adrià. This old Moorish farmhouse is the best an end to our journey through the bright and cheerful kitchens of Seville.