Día de las Migas (Migas Festival). Torrox. December. Unique Festival
This festival has been declared to be of Tourist Interest by the Provincial Council of Málaga.
Please check with the local Town Hall or Municipal Tourism Office for the festival date before planning any sightseeing activities.
In Torrox, conch blowing used to be how farmworkers in the vineyards and olive groves were told to take a rest. Back in the farmhouse, they would gather around the saucepan where the landlord was preparing migas (“breadcrumbs” in Spanish), a very affordable dish that would energize them all for the rest of the day.
The recipe's main ingredients are oil, garlic, water, semolina flour and salt. This traditional rural dish has now become the most popular local food because it's simple, yet exquisite—especially when served with the no less famous arriera salad (cod, olives, spring onions, oranges and oil). This municipality in the southern Axarquía region, at the foot of the Tejeda and Almijara mountain ranges, has an extensive festivity calendar that makes the town shine even brighter in December. This is when the Migas Festival, considered to be the most anticipated event in the area, is celebrated. On the Sunday before Christmas day, Torrox is literally invaded by thousands of tourists. The authorities are responsible for handing out the food, a delightful meal consisting of migas with some arriera salad and a glass of wine that has been previously selected in a local competition at the beginning of December. The festival helps perpetuate this fascinating tradition and serves as a wonderful opportunity for the municipality with “the best weather in Europe” to welcome around 40,000 visitors every year, becoming the most popular culinary festival in the region. From the earliest hours of the morning, a large group of migueros (migas cooks) strives to prepare and distribute—upon the conch blowing—this delicious food (both migas and salad) all over the municipality. The celebration is rounded off with musical and dancing performances for all ages, while many street stalls offer wine, honey, raisins, figs, fritters or the traditional arropía sweets.
Indeed, this is a day for gastronomy and traditional craftsmanship, featuring exhibitions of iron, wood and esparto grass work.
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