La Pericana: origin and preparation

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Our excellent Mediterranean climate, together with our gastronomic offer, has made Valencia one of the most popular tourist destinations. And when it comes to living and eating well, here we know how to do it. But we are not only talking about Paella, baked rice or horchata with fartons. There are many local dishes that enrich Valencian gastronomy even more.

Today we would like to talk to you about Pericana, but to do so we have to go deep into the inland area of the Valencian Community, mainly in areas of the province of Alicante. This dish is very easy to prepare and its main ingredients are dried peppers and cod. Do you want to know all about this popular Valencian recipe? We’ll tell you all about it!

Origin of the Pericana

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Although the exact origin of this popular dish is not known, it is located in the inland areas of the province of Alicante, more specifically in the region of l’Alcoià-Comtat, at the foot of the Sierra de Mariola.

This is a dish which, although its origin is not known exactly, is attributed to and linked with trades related to the countryside and livestock farming. It is said that farmers, shepherds and hunters enjoyed this dish after a hard day’s work because of its high nutritional value and the fact that it is quick to prepare. In the past, all the ingredients were taken dry and then mixed with olive oil. As well as being a very simple dish to prepare, it should be taken into account that in ancient times, the only fish that arrived in the area was preserved in salt or dried in the sun.

How Pericana is made

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Pericana is made in different ways and with different ingredients depending mainly on the area where we are. Generally, this recipe has two variants: the dry Pericana, the mixture is made without boiling the ingredients, and the wet Pericana, the ingredients are boiled before making the mixture, resulting in a delicious homemade sauce.

This is a recipe with multiple uses, as it can be eaten as a tapa or served spread on bread. It is a dish that keeps very well and, in addition, it provides us with many nutritional values as it includes the benefits of olive oil and fish in the same dish.

Pericana 53 Covetes; we preserve the flavour of tradition

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As we have already explained, there are many ways of preparing this traditional dish from Alicante, which vary mainly depending on the area where we are. At Pericana 53 Covetes, we follow the original recipe of our area and we make it with dried pepper, dried tomato, cod and garlic marinated in extra virgin olive oil.

We preserve the local tradition and enhance the flavours in the same way as our ancestors did, preparing this traditional product that is so much our own, respecting the ingredients and making the most of them to delight the most demanding palates.