Vegas del Genil

Vegas de Genil is located in the metropolitan area of Granada, in a floodplain just west of the capital. The town is defined by the traditional irrigation system inherited from the Andalusian era, with the main canals feeding the many smaller irrigation channels branching off it to supply the area’s arable land. There are also a number of tobacco drying facilities dotted around this area. This town has one of the most bucolic landscapes of the province.

On 23^rd January 1976 the town, together with Ambroz, Belicena and Purchil, was officially established as an independent municipality. Despite its recent creation, Vegas del Genil is a place which settlers (including the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans) have occupied for many centuries. The Romans made Vegas del Genil into one of the typical agricultural towns that supplied the main town of Granada with food.

Belicena was first called ‘Bellicium’, which means ‘the place of the battle’, and was one of the first towns with a stable population in the area, although no archaeological evidence has been found to support this idea. In the Arab period it became farmstead or a series of hamlets. After the Reconquista, Belicena was repopulated with Christians, whilst the Moorish population remained in Ambroz and Purchil. However, after the expulsion of the Moors, the three towns were repopulated with settlers from Andalucía, Madrid and Zamora and the land was distributed by lots. The town that we know today is the result of several farmhouses and hamlets merging in the 18^th century.

Asparagus, Gachas picantes and the Olla de San Antón are typical dishes served in Vegas del Genil. Other traditional recipes include stuffed peppers and rabbit with lemon.

Typical local pastries include doughnuts, Huevos moles y en gloria, Leche frita and Flores en dulce.