Spanish Journey Part One
6. Malaga

Narrator
Malaga is a bit of a Spanish secret. Most visitors arrive at the airport and head straight out towards the coast, far away from the city. But the city centre is full of hidden treasures. One of these picturesque spots is Altaranjas market. Malaga is famous for its fish and shellfish.

Inka Martí
Morning. What's that you've got there? What's that over there?

Fishmonger
Cockles, baby clams, clams.

Inka Martí
These are my favourites.

Fishmonger
Swimcrabs, whelk and mussels.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Inka Martí
Mussels are the most popular.

Fishmonger
Yes, above all.

Inka Martí
And what do you sell the most here? In Barcelona we call these pallarines [clams].

Fishmonger
Pallarines?

Inka Martí
And here coquinas?

Fishmonger
Here the most popular dishes are whelks, mussels and clams.

Inka Martí 
Thanks then, bye.

Fishmonger
O.K.

[music]

Inka Martí
Is that mackerel?

Fishmonger 2
No, this is hake.

Inka Martí
Oh, hake!

Fishmonger 2
Hake from Malaga.

Inka Martí
But theyre’ not biting their tail. There you are!

Fishmonger 2
Well, you can also…

Inka Martí
How does the hake bite its tail? Life is a bit like that, isn't it! 
[Note: in Spanish you say “it’s the hake that bites its tail”  -  es la pescadilla que se muerde la cola – to mean “life goes round in circles”.]
What do you sell most?

Fishmonger 2
Here in Malaga, boquerón.
[Note: name given to anchovy – anchoa – in Malaga.]

Inka Martí
Anchovies.

Fishmonger 2
Anchovies are the biggest seller in Malaga. And [Atlantic horse] mackerel.

Inka Martí
And indeed, people from Malaga are nicknamed 'the anchovies'.

Fishmonger 2
They call us anchovies!

Inka Martí
Why?

Fishmonger
Because it is so typical of the place.

Inka Martí
Thanks very much. ‘Bye [in Catalan].

[music]

Narrator
One of Malaga's most traditional bars is the old Casa de Guardia. There Inka met local author Alfredo Taján to find out about the city's cultural heritage.

Inka Martí
Alfredo, what tradition does this old Guardhouse have?

Alfredo Taján  
This Guardhouse, today a wine cellar, is somehow a metaphor for the concept of fiesta that Malaga has developed throughout the centuries. This city has been receiving travellers for centuries. In the 19th century this more or less became standard with the arrival of travellers of the Romantic movement.

Inka Martí
In addition, Malaga wines are famous.

Alfredo Taján 
Malaga wine is marvelous, everyone should try it. It is a sweet wine, a wine from this land but also a wine from lands past. It is the Mediterranean wine, it is sweetness itself and in addition all the names given to it are very literary: names like Lágrima [teardrop], Moscatel [Muscatel], Seco Añejo [dry mature], these are all from the range of sweet wines.

Inka Martí
And it is made with a specific grape, isn't it?

Alfredo Taján 
It is made with the Malaga raisin grape, which is what distinguishes it from other Andalusian wines. It is a wine that impregnates your palate and transports you to another world.

Narrator
Besides wine and sea food, the city has another attractive feature.

Inka Martí
That most marvelous thing that Malaga has is its light, isn't it?

Alfredo Taján 
Yes, it is fundamental. Any writer or artist who ever worked in Malaga has waxed lyrical about the quality of light here. It is a light that captures, changes, and transforms itself every day. It can change from direct sunlight, an overwhelming brilliance, to another more subtle nuance, it is ever-changing. This is reflected in the sea, from an intense blue to emerald green: here you can feel the act of creation.

[Music]