Fantastic piece. The way geopolitical forces affect a nation's cuisine is always fascinating, particularly on at borders/fringes and I find especially in the Med - Cyprus, Malta, etc.
Forget the food, I've always wanted to know more about Gibraltar and its culture. Great piece.
I once met a deeply threatening British hotel developer who holidayed exclusively in Gib and Malta, trusting nothing but familiar ready meals from the Morrisons mentioned in the article and from the Valletta M&S. His set-piece boast was that he could menace the staff of nearby pubs into microwaving his chicken kievs. ('They give me the chips free – when you know me, you know me.') He stank of violence and I didn't doubt his word for a moment.
For him, Malta was both 'ours' and a massive, government-enabled money laundering opportunity. Gibraltar, he said, was less attractive: 'You can't kill journalists there. But you can watch the rugby.'
What a perfect description of food in Gibraltar. Long live those little shops with their huge bunches of fresh coriander. There are more Moroccan cake shops and stalls opening up all over Gibraltar. It's been a long time coming.
I visited Gibraltar from Tangier in the winter of 78 or 79 for a few days. The restaurant I remember most was called I think, 3 Steps Down. The menu was what I thought of as Spanish, certainly not British although there were a few dishes on the menu for those with no sense of adventure. I ate a chickpea stew, possibly a cocido which was perfect for the cold rainy weather.
Great stuff about a part of the world that seems to never get attention!
Now I'm hungry. It rather reminds me of the occasional hybrid foods I have had from West African and Brazilian friends.
Loved this article as I know very little about Gibraltar. It made me want to visit and learn more about it.
Fantastic piece. The way geopolitical forces affect a nation's cuisine is always fascinating, particularly on at borders/fringes and I find especially in the Med - Cyprus, Malta, etc.
Such a great article. We are unique in culture and food. It’s lovely and about time we embraced it fully. Thank you Stephano.
Forget the food, I've always wanted to know more about Gibraltar and its culture. Great piece.
I once met a deeply threatening British hotel developer who holidayed exclusively in Gib and Malta, trusting nothing but familiar ready meals from the Morrisons mentioned in the article and from the Valletta M&S. His set-piece boast was that he could menace the staff of nearby pubs into microwaving his chicken kievs. ('They give me the chips free – when you know me, you know me.') He stank of violence and I didn't doubt his word for a moment.
For him, Malta was both 'ours' and a massive, government-enabled money laundering opportunity. Gibraltar, he said, was less attractive: 'You can't kill journalists there. But you can watch the rugby.'
What a perfect description of food in Gibraltar. Long live those little shops with their huge bunches of fresh coriander. There are more Moroccan cake shops and stalls opening up all over Gibraltar. It's been a long time coming.
I visited Gibraltar from Tangier in the winter of 78 or 79 for a few days. The restaurant I remember most was called I think, 3 Steps Down. The menu was what I thought of as Spanish, certainly not British although there were a few dishes on the menu for those with no sense of adventure. I ate a chickpea stew, possibly a cocido which was perfect for the cold rainy weather.