Denia has been and is a port. When walking you can see the very old district and by the port you can find the fish market. It is being a fishing port that has clearly influenced the delicious dishes of the area and from where the gastronomy has evolved. The main undisputable ingredient is rice in many different and elaborate forms but the most famous is without doubt paella. The most typical dishes of this country can vary from shell fish and fresh fish, to vegetables and dried fruit .

The dish most frequently served in an Alicantan kitchen is rice, cooked in many different ways (more than 300 ways are recorded):

Paella (fish, meat, vegetables or a mixture)
A banda (cooked in a clear fish soup and strained)
A caldero (moist, served before fish))
La olleta (with vegetables, pulses and stuffed)





The fish and shellfish of the bay with the fruit and vegetables from the markets, accompanied by the home produced wines make the food both natural and healthy.

Also there are excellent beef dishes, lamb chops, rabbit in garlic and tomato and leg of lamb with various stuffings from the region.

-