What to eat
Tropical fruits
The mild climate of Granada’s Costa Tropical, its temperatures and low levels of rainfall have turned the region into a kind of tropical island in a Mediterranean city. Although the first tropical trees date back to the 16th century, it was not until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that these trees were grown as widely as they are today.
One of Granada’s highlights is the cherimoya (custard apple), which has been awarded an official Designation of Origin, shared with the Malaga coast. Mangos, medlars, guavas and avocados, are also widely grown here and are used in dishes such as baked chicken with avocado leaves, mango salad with shrimps and custard apple ice cream with blueberry coulis.
The creation of the Patronato de Cultivos Subtropicales (Board of Subtropical Crops) has encouraged research and development into new varieties of fruits. For this reason El Zahorí was set up, an experimental farm on which different varieties of mango, avocado, custard apple and lychees are grown.