Mediterranean food Top Mediterranean experiences for the food lovers

At Iberostar hotels for Food Lovers, we strive to build connections with our destinations through food. Across the Mediterranean, great food and the culture surrounding it have long drawn travelers with a passion for eating well.

But what makes Mediterranean cuisine so unique? From Montenegro, Greece, and Spain to Tunisia and Morocco, the restaurants at our resorts aim to offer delicious, high-quality local options, prepared with typical ingredients such as olive oil, artisan cheeses, and fresh fish and seafood. Consider this article your guide to the region's products and flavors, along with ideas for where to stay on your culinary getaways.

What makes Mediterranean cuisine unique

The "cuisine of the sun" and the Mediterranean diet

Life is meant to be savored, and travel is one of the best ways to discover new dishes and connect with other cultures through their culinary traditions. Every country and region brings its own character and nuances to the Mediterranean diet, or "cuisine of the sun." The sunny climate and proximity to the sea provide exceptional conditions for ingredients to thrive. Think olive and citrus groves, fertile vegetable gardens, aromatic herbs, seasonal fruit and vegetables, and excellent fish and meat.

Local, fresh, seasonal produce

A tidier version:

In the Mediterranean, locally sourced ingredients take center stage. Everything is enjoyed at its freshest and at just the right time of year, giving the body what it needs as the seasons change and contributing to physical and emotional well-being. Think tomatoes and other refreshing vegetables in summer, comforting stews made with legumes, grains, and leafy greens in winter, and oily fish from spring onward.

Crete, from farm to table

In Crete, the birthplace of Greek cuisine, one of the world's healthiest diets thrives, thanks in part to its generous use of olive oil. Here, farm-to-table isn't a trend but a way of life. Cretan cuisine pairs fresh, high-quality ingredients, wild herbs, and vegetables with simple flavors and, of course, plenty of olive oil. Try roasted marinated lamb, traditional Cretan spinach pies filled with herbs and cheese, tomato and feta salad, and warm wheat bread made from a recipe dating back to the 16th century.

Tunisian varieties

While Spain and Crete are known worldwide for their flavorful extra virgin olive oils, Tunisia also has many local varieties. Its olive trees have adapted to a dry climate with little rainfall, giving the fruit its distinctive flavor. Many traditional Tunisian recipes use olive oil, including méchouia, a salad of roasted vegetables. In this destination of beaches and resilient crops, Iberostar Selection Royal El Mansour sits on the seafront in Mahdia. Choose it if you're looking for a hotel in Tunisia where you can combine good food with moments of well-being.

Cheeses of Crete

Mizithra and other essentials

At family hotels in Crete such as Iberostar Waves Creta Panorama & Mare, adults and children alike get a delicious taste of the Mediterranean diet, with plenty of fun in between. Tell your children stories from Greek mythology, such as the tale of Zeus, who was born in a cave on Crete and fed on goat's milk.

According to another legend, the first cheese was accidentally created by the Cyclops Polyphemus while carrying sheep's milk in animal skins. Today, small local herds of goats and sheep in the island's interior provide fresh milk for traditional Cretan cheeses. The herds remain small, with animals roaming freely across hillsides and pastures, feeding on wild herbs and plants.

In Crete, cheese is eaten throughout the day, whether as a side, appetizer, salad ingredient, main course, or dessert. Mizithra is one of the island's most emblematic cheeses, white in color with a crumbly texture similar to ricotta. It finds its way into almost everything: served at the table, spread on bread, used as a filling for savory and sweet pastries, mixed into baked vegetables, stuffed into chicken, or drizzled with honey for dessert. Graviera Kritis combines goat's and sheep's milk, while xinomyzithra has a slightly tangy flavor.

Tabancos, tapas, and flamenco

While in Cádiz, stop by a tabanco, a traditional tavern that combines the classic bar experience with the old custom of selling wine directly from the barrel. The name comes from the fact that these establishments once sold tobacco as well. Enjoy your drink with the complimentary tapas served alongside it and a flamenco performance.

Beyond the atmosphere, one of the keys to Sherry (much like Scotch whisky) is blending, or the cellar master's craft, in which older barrels of wine are refreshed each year with a small amount of younger wine before the wine is bottled from the oldest barrels. Adding further complexity and variety, some barrels never develop flor, producing a dark, full-bodied Sherry known as oloroso, whose spiced character pairs beautifully with traditional Cádiz recipes featuring meat and stews. In other barrels, only a minimal layer of flor develops, giving rise to palo cortado.

Seafood in Cádiz

Pescaíto, shrimp fritters, and bluefin tuna

If your idea of a great vacation involves an endless variety of fresh fish and seafood, Cádiz deserves a place on your itinerary. Its port city and coastal towns are made for lovers of seafood cuisine, with historic walls, towers, and cobbled streets framing the experience. Every day, local fishers head out to sea in small boats.

Local favorites include pescaíto frito, tortillitas de camarones, and almadraba-caught bluefin tuna. In our hotel restaurants, we work to offer high-quality fish and seafood sourced from responsible fisheries.

Espetos and beachside restaurants

Sardine espetos aren't limited to Málaga's beachside restaurants, although that's where they're most famously associated. Near our beachfront hotels for food lovers in Cádiz, look for seaside restaurants and grills where fresh sardines are also skewered and roasted over the fire. Local wisdom says the best months to eat sardines are those whose Spanish names contain no letter 'r': mayo (May), junio (June), julio (July), and agosto (August). 

Balearic cuisine and markets in Mallorca

Mediterranean cooking classes and market visits

Mallorcan cuisine at its best is all about the pleasure of preparing, sharing, and eating local specialties. Build your days around experiences such as eating pa amb oli for breakfast, spending a morning at the market, or attending a Balearic cooking class. The concept of slow food fits naturally with the island's relaxed pace and welcoming culinary traditions. Experience it at our all-inclusive hotels in Mallorca, such as Iberostar Selection Albufera Park, where memorable meals become part of the trip. The hotel is home to restaurants and bars with different styles, overlooking Playa de Muro and beside S'Albufera Natural Park.