calentita, calentita, calentita

(warning: sort of a long post)

calentita is Gibraltar's national dish and also the name of its annual food festival held every beginning of the summer.  this year, i attended my first calentita and not only did i stuff myself into gastronomic proportions (get it? hehe) but also met some amazing people :) 

pretty much this is what a real calentita (see below) looks like.  its a simple "bread-like dish made of chickpea flour, water, olive oil and salt and pepper" and is heavily influenced by the many people that make up Gibraltar long ago.
it is also very similar to the Italian farinata so i am guessing that the very first people who introduced this would probably be the many Genoese who lived in Catalan Bay in the 18th century.

because this festival is gaining popularity over the years, it has now spilled out to Market Place (from Casemates Square) to accommodate other activities such as poetry reading, all kinds of dance, the fine arts, and of course the usual arts and crafts stalls

i am fascinated by this man.  he has a very distinct character!  just look at that hat.. and the brogues!  what a very good subject eh?

okay, on to the food!  the most sought-after stall with the longest queue would hands down be the Moroccan with its popular pinchitos :)  

pinchitos are skewered, barbecued beef or chicken marinated in Moroccan spices.  these are the mister's favorite and since he couldn't attend this year's festival because of work, he asked me to buy a few for him :)

inside these white-domed tents are gastronomic delights from all over the world!  calentita also celebrates food from around the globe representing everyone that has either visited or stayed in Gibraltar.  one of my favorites is the Malaysian food stall with its perfect Malaysian laksa and Kung Pao chicken and Malaysian curry!  manned by the owners of Fusion Deli, this place is not to be missed!

vegans and vegetarians need not feel out of place because there is a stall especially just for them :)  likewise for those with a sweet tooth (err.. with a little piece of pizza thrown in maybe? a confusing sign!)

 bratwursts anyone?

the German stall with its equally long queue!

another one of my favorites is the HongKong Dim sum stall!  oohhh i can still taste the sio mai, the crispy wontons, and the spring rolls!

what's a gibraltarian food festival without a celebration of its own desserts?

 and of course, spanish tapas!

and the best the UK has to offer!

funny stall name but they are actually raising funds for a charity :)  buy a ticket and you can win  a bag of sweets or something :)

aaahhh now to the best part :) i stuffed myself silly in this stall!  they all have my favorites but maybe because i was so homesick of Philippine food that i didn't notice the food was a bit "toned down".  the distinct Filipino-ness was missing (imho)...

but any which way, i bought two of everything for the morning after :) two empanadas, two ensaimadas, two vegetarian lumpias, two pancit, two cassava cakes, two fried rice, etc.

some of the lovely filipina ladies who made the food were from Spain but just look at all those people still queu-ing up!  

live, love and eat!  Wolfgang Puck couldn't have said it more succinctly :)