[jose] what . [jose] our Family Road Trip through spain continues in andalucia. Oh okay, people youre not gonna make it. Uhoh. Dad, why did you think it was a good idea to go through this narrow street . [jose] a warm, sunny land, rich in culture. Look at the mosque. [jose]. History and tradition. Hey, this is a horse race. Oh, no stop it [jose] well be exploring andalucias most iconic foods. [clapping] [carlota] this is what we came for. [jose] from gazpacho, the famous cold tomato soup. [ines] this is so good. [jose]. To succulent bluefin tuna. Ines, this to me is the butter of the ocean. This is the butter of the ocean. [jose]. And crispy Shrimp Fritters. [carlota] oh, my god. [jose] oh, my god. Well also discover amazing dishes, full of african flavors that echo this regions past. Oh, wow. That smells delicious. [jose] and at the end of the week, its party time. The girls and i will put on our finest and get totally immersed in a timehonored local tradition. Lounge your arms like if you were trees. All proving that andalucia is the best melting pot of cultures, customs, and tastes. I love to come here. [carlota] this part of spain, weve been coming to our whole entire life. [ines] our mom is from here. We come here every summer. This is home. [jose] we are driving to cordoba, the Perfect Place to begin a visit to andalucia. Well start to explore the regions Unique Culture and see firsthand the kind of influence north africa had on the cooking of presentday spain. [ines] its incredible how close we are to africa. [jose] it is incredible. [jose] take a look at the map. Here is andalucia at the southwestern end of spain, where europe and africa almost touch. In fact, morocco is less than ten miles away. In the eighth century, the moors crossed these waters to conquer presentday spain. They called this region alandalus. This beautiful city was their capital for almost 500 years. Im so excited to be in cordoba. Are you excited . [ines] im excited were in andalucia. [jose] take a look at this entry. Take a look at this door, at these walls. Yes, outside the walls, there were wars, but inside the city, good things were happening. Thats why alandalus during 800 years was one of the most fascinating places anywhere in the world. Still kind of is. Yeah. You feel it, right . [both] i feel it. [jose] the moors were muslims, a mix of arabs from The Middle East and the Indigenous People of northwest africa. In the old town, you can really feel their influences. Narrow streets, shaded courtyards with majestic doorway arches. And, of course, this. Look at the mosque. [jose] this is probably one of my favorite monuments in the whole world. The famous mezquitacatedral, the mosquecathedral, a stunning monument to two world religions. Remember that many of these monuments in the spain, theyve been built one over the other over the other. An islamic mosque was built here in the late 700s by the moors. But centuries later, when christians recaptured cordoba, this Place Of Worship was converted into a cathedral. This is the puerta del perdon, the door of forgiveness. Im going to be asking forgiveness because im going to be eating so much. [laughing] i need to ask for that, too. [jose] thats because the best way to understand the Moorish Influence on spain is, of course, through food. Come on. [speaking other language] [in english] this is a tapas bar. [carlota] its eclectic. [jose] this is a great place. And to think like you can go from bar to bar to bar to bar to bar to bar, its my favorite way, you know it. I know. [speaking other language] [in english] so, weve come to this busy place, casa pepe, a traditional tapas bar where the legacy of the moors lives on. Many of the dishes youll find here that are now part of Spanish Culture are based on ingredients the moors brought with them from africa. Weve walked around so much today. I am so hungry. I really, really, really, really, really want to eat. [jose] first up, a real treat. Wow, wow [speaking other language] [in english] ham and fried eggs and something unusual. Artichokes. In spanish, its called [speaking other language] okay, so ham and eggs are certainly not moorish, and sure, you may prefer bacon and eggs, but the moors definitely brought artichokes with them to spain. [carlota] i love artichokes. [jose] take a look at this, take a look. Where did artichokes come from . [speaking other language] al. [speaking other language] in spain, every name that starts with al arabic origin. [jose speaking other language] artichoke. [speaking other language] thats thistle in arabic, people. Take a look at that thistle. Its like a flower. It is like a flower. Thank you, arabs, for bringing these artichokes. [speaking other language] [jose] next, a delectable dish that is both sweet and savory. Crunchy Fried Eggplant with sugarcane syrup, known as [speaking other language] isnt this great . And this is what i love that these. This is not honey. [speaking other language] honey made out of the sugarcane. I love Fried Eggplants. Because honey was always very expensive. Mmm arabs introduced sugarcane to andalucia in the eighth century and gave the world this sugary syrup. This is incredible. [speaking other language] [in english] and this is andalucia. Andalucia is known as the land of cold soups. Its a Tradition Dating Back Thousands of years when hot, sweaty workers needed to refuel and quench their thirst at the same time. Everyones heard of gazpacho, a mix of fresh vegetables and it is amazing. But here in cordoba, there are two other soups that are super traditional and super popular. Salmorejo and mazamorra. Mazamorra is cold almond soup, brought to spain by the moors more than 1,000 years ago. Salmorejo, a blend of tomatoes and bread, was created in the 16th century, when tomatoes were first brought to spain from the new world. White. Red. These are the ingredients somehow the arabs brought with them, almonds. Tomatoes are here. Garlic. So, this means its post 1492. Post the discovery of the americas. This one is something you enjoy more. With a spoon. With a spoon. Because its thicker . Because its thicker. [jose] this thick almond soup was once considered a moorish comfort food and was regularly eaten by hardworking, everyday people in muslim spain. The crushed almonds are combined with a stale bread, garlic, olive oil and vinegar and all blended together to create this smooth, creamy mixture. You know what this reminds me of . Marzipan. Marzipan. Marzipan because its almonds. Marza. Marza. Okay, now, the one thing. Put a spoon in the mouth and try to say mazamorra. Youll see what i mean. Mathamora. I mean, weve grown up eating these traditional spanish dishes, which are spanish. But i think today we learn that theres a lot to be owed to the arab influences. And whether its not spanish at all, its spanish arab. [jose] finally, a dish that smells and tastes of north africa. [speaking other language] [in english] always with lamb, always grilled and with the spices. Smell it, smell it, smell it, smell it. [jose] these grilled lamb skewers are Pinchos Morunos known as kebabs around the world, tender cuts of lamb marinated in an insane blend of spices that were brought to andalucia from north africa. [ines] this is so good. Im beginning to understand all of the influences that the arab world had in spain through the ingredients. The spices. But with ingredients, weve never actually asked ourselves what the origins of these ingredients are. Evolution, baby, evolution. You got it. Mindblowing. [jose] when you consider all the different cultures have influenced andalucian cooking, it is mindblowing. You got influences from east and west, everything that came from The Middle East, everything that came from africa, everything that came from asia. All the foods that the spanish brought from latin america. Oh, my god. Andalucia is the place of creation more than any other place, not only in spain, but anywhere around the world. [speaking other language] [all cheering] [jose in english] its day two of our andalucia adventure, and it seems like there is a wonderful Surprise Waiting for us around every corner. [speaking other language] [in english] you see here in andalucia, in these streets, every person becomes like almost the traffic police. They are the ones telling you, right, left, right, left. [ines] youre going to crash. [jose speaking other language] [in english] weve left cordoba and have headed southwest toward the coast and are driving through the famous and glorious white towns of spain. One of My Favorite Things about the south of spain are all of the white towns. The white towns are very amazing. [carlota] theyre incredible. [jose] first built more than 1,000 years ago, the moors urbanized these towns and painted the homes and buildings white to reflect the sun and help you keep your cool even in the heat of summer. Can get very hot in andalucia, but somehow in those. [continues in other language] [in english]. You always seem to be very cool. Obviously, here you see all the arab influences and i love this history. Dont tell me this one is not beautiful. [ines] it is beautiful. [jose] and i should just stop for a coffee. [carlota] no, i think we should stop for breakfast somewhere. Okay. What do you feel like . You tell me. My favorite place here in la Venta El Toro. [carlota] what are [speaking other language] the [speaking other language] were those places that in the middle of the road, in the middle of nowhere, they will offer you food. Usually, they are great places. They dont have long menus. Some of them, they dont even write the menu. You. You know what they have. But what la Venta El Toro always has are. [speaking other language] [in english] thats their specialty. [speaking other language] [in english] that is the best. [jose] the [speaking other language] focus on healthy, home cooked food at affordable prices, sort of equivalent of Roadside Diners back in the u. S. And this one is my absolute favorite. Were here. Oh, im hungry. Im hungry too. So happy to be here, yeah. Venta el toro is a family business. It started back in 1945, when this fella, antonio, the owner, was just four years old. His father opened this place as a way to feed the farm workers of the area with simple, highquality, local ingredients. [speaking other language] [antonio speaking other language] [carlota speaking other language] [antonio speaking other language] [jose speaking other language] [in english] antonio is [speaking other language], the boss. His nephew, nono runs the place. And in the kitchen, youll find this lovely lady hard at work. Maruja. I need to go in and say hello and find out whats cooking. [speaking other language] [jose in english] ive been coming here for decades. They are like family. And i know that Everything Maruja makes is delicious. Best Fried Potatoes in the world. Why . Because she cooks with love. [maruja speaking other language] [jose speaking other language] [speaking other language] [in english] its small kitchen, she says, but i tell her a big heart. [maruja laughing] oh, yeah. [speaking other language] [jose in english] all right. Boy, this is possibly one of my favorite restaurants in the whole world. This is dads kind of place. He already knows what theyve got and what he wants, so i guess we wont be needing the menu. [speaking other language] [carlota speaking other language] [maruja speaking other language] [carlota in english] you look lovely, too [jose] first up, marujas fantastic gazpacho, spains gift to the world. Tasty, zesty, cold tomato soup. Take a look. Served in a glass. Its like a liquid summer salad, people. Do you remember, how thick the mazamorra or the salmorejo was . You see how this one is not as thick. This one is perfect for the very hot summers. When its hot, you want to drink more than eat, if you know what i mean. This iconic andalucian dish is so simple, its ingenuous. Tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and maruja adds mint leaves all blended together. Its a recipe thats as old as these hills. The history of gazpacho and not necessarily the name, goes back to the romans. The romans that they will make some kind of a drink with bread, maybe some garlic, water. Green peppers came with the tomatoes from america. All of a sudden, you have the water, the garlic, the bread, you add the tomatoes, you add the cucumbers, its building blocks. Its like the history that keeps adding itself into the ingredients of a very humble soup of water and garlic and bread. You know, mom is the one that taught me how to make gazpacho. Mom is the queen of gazpacho. [ines] mom taught you how to make gazpacho. No, no, no, no. Mom did teach you how to make gazpacho. This is. Those darkest stories that i have propagated. I mean, i had to marry her. I had to give her something to believe that she was the best cook in the world. Okay, yes, i learned from you mother. [ines] thank you. Thank you. All right. [carlota speaking other language] [in english] oh, my goodness. [jose] ohoh. [clapping] [carlota] this is what we came for. [jose speaking other language] [carlota] the gazpacho is delicious, but this is what i have been dying for since we got to andalucia, [speaking other language] [jose] unbelievable. [carlota] broken eggs. [jose speaking other language] [maruja laughing, speaking other language] [carlota in english] take a look. Runny fried eggs with fried onions and french fries mixed up with all kinds of pork. Iberian ham, black sausage, catalan sausage, chorizo. Delicious. Okay. What do you want . Little bit of everything. [ines] yup. Wait, wait, wait. You grab, you grab. [speaking other language] is my favorite. And look at the onion. The onion is amazing. Oh, look. Look at this. Look at this, ahhh. Thats amazing. I love the egg yolk. [carlota] holy mother. Mmmmmmmmm. [ines] that is heaven. And its like, sweet and salty and creamy and gooey. I actually think i dream about these [speaking other language] [jose] mmm those eggs are so good. [ines] have you ever made a dish . [jose] oh, plenty of them. No, no. But invented a new dish that. [jose] plenty of them. That became. That was popularized. I invented tomatoes, i invented green peppers. I invented salmorejo. That is possibly the worst question you can ask dad because hell say he invented everything. No, thats so true. Ive been here all my life. Ive been here centuries. Im guessing youre rambling, so im guessing thats a no. Im not, im not rambling anything. Because i think the answer is he hasnt. Okay. Are you telling me to create a dish . Yes. All right. [jose] im going to show these girls how i can create a dish. Ill just have to quickly raid marujas garden. She wont mind. They had the garden back there with everything. [nono speaking other language] [jose speaking other language] [nono speaking other language] [all respond n other language] [in english] im going to break them like that. I never created a dish in my life. Look at. [ines] thats. Thats so. That is so unique. And now im going to get some of the onion i had in my own eggs, and im going to put them right on top. But now, we grab a flower. First, some of the orange nasturtium. Now the egg yolk is saying, oh, my god, ive never been with something orange before. And the egg yolk is getting excited. And you are like, oh, my god, this is so beautiful. Then, some of the red nasturtium. And now the egg white is happy too. Why . Because happiness happens when you mix different people and different colors and different places all in one plate. Its a bit like andalucia on a plate. A real mix of colors and ingredients and flavors. Your father right here, right now can claim that created. [speaking other language] [clapping] yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [carlota] im convinced. Okay. Did i create a dish or i didnt create a dish . [ines] yes, you did create a dish. I mean, it looks beautiful. And this is what happens when you have a couple of glasses of sherry in andalucia. [ines speaking other language] [in english] you always live up to the challenge. Dad, this is delicious. But you know what really takes the dish to the next level . The eggs are cooked perfectly. And the secret. [ines] thanks to the chef inside. Yeah. The power goes out and we still have wifi to do our homework. And thats a good thing . Great in my book who are you . No power . No problem. Introducing stormready wifi. Now you can stay reliably connected through Power Outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery backup to keep you online. Only from xfinity. Home of the xfinity 10g network. [birds chirping]. [jose] the next stop on our road trip through andalucia is zahara de los atunes, a beautiful small fishing village. [ines] dont you smell the sea . [carlota] i can smell the sea. [jose] as we drive along the coastline from here, we can see the fishermen working. Theyre out there catching the best and most expensive fish in the world. Bluefin tuna, a local treat thats served in topclass seafood and sushi restaurants around the world. For centuries, going back to greeks, maybe before, they will set nets by the beach and the tunas will be caught in this labyrinth of nets that they are called [speaking other language] the [speaking other language] an arabic word meaning to fight or strike, is an ancient system for catching atlantic bluefin tuna. Invented more than 3,000 years ago, it was perfected by the moors and still today is used in andalucia. [jose] look at this. Wow. I see the boats. [jose] they are there catching the tuna. The tunas, every year, as they go into the atlantic ocean, every year they come into the mediterranean at the end of april, beginning of may, to come all the way deep into the mediterranean to lay the eggs. And that has been happening for centuries and centuries and thousands of years. The fishermen here, they make their living only catching the tunas in may. These guys they catch them during one month and they have a quota, its one moment they can only catch so many tunas, so many thousands of pounds. They live together with the tunas, with the ocean. Should we go try some tuna . [jose] the best place to try some tuna is my favorite Seafood Restaurant in all of andalucia. Restaurante antonio. Right on the beach. Here, they focus on serving the freshest Bluefin Tuna Money can buy. This is my favorite thing in the whole world. I know, its like a jewelry store. This is like a jewelry store. You may think tuna ju