Medina Sidonia In Cádiz: Heritage And Gastronomy

To know the archaeological and gastronomic heritage of Medina Sidonia, you have to go to the La Janda region, in the province of Cádiz. There we will walk through its sites and taste its traditional cuisine dishes.

Archaeological heritage: Assido Caesarina

When we go up the road to Medina Sidonia we are not aware of what we are going to find when we arrive. Parking the car and starting to enjoy the views of this wonderful town in Cadiz go hand in hand. We are going to reveal what awaits you there.

1. The archaeological museum and the Roman sewers

How do we begin to know the archaeological heritage of Medina Sidonia? Going to its archaeological museum to discover its Roman past. You should know that Assido Caesarina was a prosperous municipality in the Roman Betica province.

Inside the museum we can walk through the more than 20 meters of Roman sewers. These are hydraulic constructions from the 1st century AD whose main function was to be the sewerage area for this population.

When we enter the sewers we travel more than 2000 years back in time. Its construction is impressive, since if we look up we see some amazing barrel vaults.

Meanwhile, if we look at the walls, we are overwhelmed by the large blocks of stones married with mortar. Then the question arises, how they could build it so long ago, with such perfection and that even today it lasts so well preserved.

If the eye stops under our feet, we admire how they were able to make waterproof floors with mixtures of ceramic fragments and lime. We do not see real traces of our Roman ancestors, but surely there are so many emotional traces that the traveler can still perceive.

The Roman road and the games in the streets

Another essential place to know the archaeological heritage of the Roman Medina is its road. When the visitor goes through a small door, he cannot imagine what is going to be inside. It is a not very large room that gives us the vision of a piece of Roman street.

It reminds us, at first glance, of the Decumanus Maximus  of the city of Baelo Claudia. It is built of large stone slabs and has two sidewalks and a road wide enough for two Roman chariots to pass at the same time.

Impressively, and as today, below the street are the sewers that collect rainwater and wastewater and that end up in the suburban networks of which we have just spoken.

One of the most striking details is the engravings on the stone slabs of the game boards located on the sidewalks. Day by day, both children and adults spent time enjoying basic games that we can still play today.

Medina Sidonia castle complex in Cádiz

Without leaving the archaeological heritage, we arrive at the Medina Sidonia castle. There we will be amazed by the views. We are at the highest point not only in the town, but in the entire region of La Janda. The visual control of a large part of the province of Cádiz makes this place, in addition to giving us spectacular views, of great geostrategic interest.

As for the remains that we will find in this archaeological site, the oldest are those from the Phoenician-Punic period, specifically from the 2nd century BC We will also see the remains of a military castellum from Roman times, the traces of an Arab fortress and, for last, the base of a medieval castle

This shows us that during all times and cultures our ancestors have taken advantage of the high areas and good visibility to settle.

The gastronomy of Medina Sidonia in Cádiz

Tourism, travel and gastronomy must always go hand in hand. Therefore, we cannot organize any visit without finishing tasting the local cuisine. The gastronomic heritage of Medina Sidonia brings us closer to knowing the past of its people through its recipes. Medina is famous for alternating restaurants, tapas bars and numerous shops located in its vicinity.

There they will offer us all kinds of culinary delights, from meat to local stews, pork rinds, roast lamb and, above all, rice dishes combined with poultry, with game, etc. Eating in Medina is a pleasure that adapts to any palate and the economy of any pocket.

The sweets of Medina

Just as a good meal leaves us with a sweet taste, Medina Sidonia does it too. There are two factories of Christmas products that are reinterpreted during the rest of the year, making rich and varied cakes. The Arab tradition is present in the base of almost all desserts and sweets with the use of almonds and honey.

Medina Sidonia, in Cádiz, has the gold badge of the most charming town in Andalusia in 2018.  Are you going to miss it?