Semana Santa, like any other festival, has it’s own special flavours and this is especially during this week because traditionally Catholics are not supposed to eat meat.
The exact dishes will vary to some degree depending on where you are celebrating in Andalucia. However, you can expect local “Menus of the Day” to feature fish and vegetables. The Andalucian Garbanzos con Bacalao (Chickpeas with Cod) stew a favourite in many areas as well as a totally vegetarian dish called Garbanzos with Spinach (which usually has a lot of garlic and is a wonderfully tasty way to eat spinach).
A favourite dessert during Holy Week in Andalucia is rice pudding, arroz con leche, and you can expect most local bakeries to be offering Torrijas. These are slices of bread dipped in egg then soaked in wine or milk, fried and sweetened with sugar and sprinkled with cinnamon. Another typical sweet at this time of year is the Pestiña.
It’s worth asking locals of any village you visit to point out their favourite Holy Week specials on any menu or at the bakery. You may have the once in a year chance to try things most tourists miss out on. It’s also a great way to practice your Spanish and mix with the locals as food is one of the Spaniard’s most loved topics of conversation!
