Alfajor de Medina Sidonia

Appearance & taste

The alfajor has an elongated tube shape and the colour typical of strong roasting. Its aroma is slightly spicy, and its taste recalls nuts and honey, giving a balanced flavour. The pieces are dusted with sugar and a little cinnamon and individually wrapped; they are sold in packs of various sizes or singly.

The finished product contains at most 12 % moisture and 2 % ash and at least 6 % protein and 9.5 % fat. The numbered control label bears the name “Alfajor de Medina Sidonia”, the graphic logo and a unique number for each pack.

Production

The recipe prescribes 30 to 50 % pure bees’ honey, 15 to 20 % nuts, of which at least 55 % almonds and 20 % hazelnuts, at most 40 % flour and breadcrumbs and 0.3 to 3 % spices. It is made to a traditional recipe: first the honey is heated. Once it has reached the desired temperature, the previously roasted and chopped almonds and hazelnuts, breadcrumbs, flour, roasted sesame and roasted and ground coriander, cloves and aniseed are added, and everything is mixed well; cinnamon may also be added.

The mixture is cut while warm, cools to room temperature and is then shaped into the typical elongated cylinder. Finally the pieces are drawn through sugar syrup, dusted with sugar and a little ground cinnamon, individually wrapped and packed. Processing and packing take place in the municipality of Medina Sidonia.

Origin & history

The area covers the municipality of Medina Sidonia in the heart of the province of Cádiz; part of the municipal area belongs to the Los Alcornocales Natural Park. According to the specification, Alfajor de Medina Sidonia is one of the best-documented Andalusian confections, and its reputation can be traced back to the 15th century.

As the most important written source, the specification names the gastronomic writer and journalist Dr. Thebussen, who records a traditional recipe for “alfajor” or “alajú”: white honey, roasted and chopped almonds and hazelnuts, aniseed, cloves and coriander, roasted sesame and crumbs of bread baked hard without salt or yeast. In Medina Sidonia the agri-food industry, above all confectionery, shapes the economy; according to the specification, recipes more than 100 years old are found there, and the alfajor is considered the town’s most characteristic confection.