The sweet taste of Horchata – in Valencia
April 14, 2008 by HeatherCowper
Horchateria de Santa Catalina
We’d seen the stalls selling Horchata (or Orxata as it’s written) at the Cuidad de las Artes y las Ciencies and around town too, so at the point in the afternoon when we needed a break from sightseeing, we decided to try out this local Valencian drink. It’s sweet, milky and made from tiger nuts and has a powdery texture a little like soya milk.
As we were in Plaza de la Reina, two of the more traditional Horchaterias were close at hand, placed opposite one another in front of the church of Santa Catalina – they are Horchateria el Siglio and Horchateria de Santa Catalina. Of the two, Horchateria de Santa Catalina looked the more appealing, with its traditional painted tiles around the entrance.
We dived in and ordered our Horchata accompanied by the traditional fartons or finger shaped pastries which came either plain, chocolate or custard filling. The drink was intensely sweet to the point of being sickly – we could understand why it hadn’t become a world hit to rival coca cola. The Horchateria was beautiful on the inside but I’m afraid I couldn’t recommend it for the service as we couldn’t raise a smile from any of the staff.
 Horchateria de Santa Catalina |
 Horchateria de Santa Catalina |
Afterwards we walked a little further along the street beside Santa Catalina to look at Plaza Redonda, a small circular market place. It had an old-fashioned and slightly run down feel. If you are into design and handicrafts there were some great stalls selling traditional lace and braids – this is the place to come and trim up your Fallas costume. There was a nice ceramics shop and caged birds tweeting in a petshop and also some souvenir shops where the children bought some plastic fans to give to their friends. I’d say it’s worth a quick look-in if you’re in the area.
Looking for a hotel in Valencia? Compare prices and book through Hotels Combined
 Plaza Redonda in Santa Catalina |
 Plaza Redonda in Santa Catalina |
Related Posts
An evening out with Angel at La Utielana in Valencia
Lunch at La Beneficencia in Valencia
The cathedral in Valencia
www.flickr.com
|
Don’t miss out – get all my articles through your reader
 |
Valencia re-visited with the Amateur Traveler | Heather on her travels on Thu, 18th Feb 2010 6:01 am
[...] The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia Palacio de Marques de Dos Aguas in Valencia The sweet taste of Hochata in Valencia [...]
The Fallas museum - in Valencia | Heather on her travels on Thu, 18th Feb 2010 6:37 am
[...] The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia Palacio de Marques de Dos Aguas in Valencia The sweet taste of Hochata in Valencia [...]
Palacio de Marques de Dos Aguas - in Valencia | Heather on her travels on Sun, 28th Feb 2010 3:58 pm
[...] Posts La Lonja de la Seda in Valencia The sweet taste of horchata in Valencia An evening out at La Utielana in [...]
Lunch at La Beneficencia - in Valencia | Heather on her travels on Mon, 1st Mar 2010 7:38 am
[...] Posts The sweet taste of horchata An evening out at La Utielana A picnic from the Mercado [...]
An evening out with Angel at La Utielana - in Valencia | Heather on her travels on Mon, 1st Mar 2010 7:24 pm
[...] Posts Lunch at La Beneficencia in Valencia The sweet taste of Horchata Meet the locals in [...]
A picnic from the Mercado Central - in Valencia | Heather on her travels on Mon, 1st Mar 2010 7:43 pm
[...] Posts The sweet taste of Horchata in Valencia La Lonja de la Seda in Valencia An evening with Angel at La [...]
Sounds of the city - podcasts | Heather on her travels on Tue, 9th Mar 2010 3:24 am
[...] The sweet taste of Horchata in Valencia La Lonja de la Seda in Valencia An evening with Angel at La Utielana [...]
Seafood on the beach at the Chiringuito in Spain | Heather on her travels on Fri, 30th Jul 2010 4:12 am
[...] The sweet taste of Horchata – in Valencia A shop full of sardines at Conserveira de Lisboa – in Lisbon A seafood feast at Limski Kanal – in Istria, Croatia [...]
Where to find truly great tapas in Barcelona | Go Time Travel Blog on Fri, 20th Jan 2012 9:58 pm
[...] The Moorish charms of the Alhambra in Granada Seafood on the beach – at the Chringuitos in Spain The sweet taste of Horchata in Valencia [...]