The 4th edition of the Jornadas Comer BBB "El Menjar de la Marina Baixa" gets underway in Finestrat. From this Friday 3 February until Sunday 12 February, this gastronomic event will be taking place here in this region. During the next ten days you can taste traditional local dishes accompanied by the increasingly acclaimed wines of Alicante. The aim of the event is to recover and promote the province's native local cuisine, as it's undoubtedly one of the top attractions for visitors and tourists.

Finestrat cuisine is one of the most exquisite in the region, combining produce from the land with produce from the sea. The Mar y Montaña (sea and mountain) combination has meant that the town has been able to create a gastronomy that unites tradition and quality, hence dishes as old as "l'arrop i tallaetes" (grape syrup and pieces of pumpkin), "arròs amb fesols i naps" (rice with white beans and turnips) and "coca girá" (sausage and mackerel pastry) are becoming more well-known and more in demand from people visiting the town. Gastronomic events launched in recent years, like the Mercat Gastronòmic I Tradicional (Gastronomic and Traditional Market) held just after the Easter festivities, have been great for showcasing local food and are very well received by visitors. During the event launch, Finestrat's mayor Juanfran Pérez Llorca recalled that in 2022 the town was one of the top destinations for hotel occupancy; it was also one of the favourite destinations chosen by the users of Bono Viatge Comunitat Valenciana and obtained the highest tourist excellence rating from the Generalitat.

This fourth edition features the following restaurants: Hogar del Pescador, in La Vila Joiosa; Taberna Marinera El Barba, in Altea; Belvedere 21, D-Vora, La Fava, Arrocería La Marina, Taita, RR and Malaspina, in Benidorm, and Restaurante Puig Campana, in Finestrat. Other establishments and companies collaborating in the event include Vinos Bocopa, Chocolates Marcos Tonda, Doctor Quesos, Aceite Señorío de Relleu, Bodegas Casa Balaguer, Bodegas Sopla Levante and Vermut Puig Campana. While the event is running there will be tastings of different products including oil, vermouth, wines, cheeses, chocolates and craft beer. Event organiser Pere Llinares thanked everyone for their fantastic response, to the extent, he said, of having to say that the event was now fully sold out, “which gives you an idea of the amazing enthusiasm out there for these kinds of initiatives that provide an incentive for gastronomic tourism and a treat for lovers of good food.”

At the launch, the participating establishments and also the collaborating organisations brought along samples of the products and dishes available for tasting from 3 to 12 February. Examples included smoked sardine with Mediterranean vinaigrette, "pebrereta amb sangatxo" (pumpkin and green peppers with tuna), bluefin tuna and pine nut praline, plus a "fideuà" with secreto ibérico (Spanish type of cut of the Ibérico pork) and sobrasada that was cooked on the spot.