Andalucía
The eight successful contestants of Casa Dudley will be going to the beautiful region of Andalucía in Spain this year. Andalucía is the most populous of Spain's autonomous communities, and the second largest in size. Its capital is Seville.
There will be cooking, tasting and feasting and no doubt sweating as the eight challenge each other to be the winner of this year's Casa Dudley.
The three most important indigenous ingredients in Andalusia are olives, garlic and wine.
The most widely used herbs include: parsley; bay leaf; oregano; fennel; thyme and rosemary, and, in regions with a distinctly Muslim influence on their cuisine, mint.
Seafood plays an important part in the cuisine of the region, with fried or marinated fish (pescaditos fritos) amongst several specialities. The traditional marinade adobo is a spicy combination of water, garlic, paprika, marjoram and cumin.
Other delights include the Jabugo and Trevélez hams and the soup gazpacho, which ranges from the red pepper Porra to the thick Cordoban Salmorejo, with its garnishes of hard boiled eggs and Serrano ham.
Olives are an ever-present feature, and the plump green manzanillas from Seville are among the most popular.
The autonomous community can be divided into eight administrative regions, each one with its unique cuisine:
Almeria
several meals from this area are based on tomatoes, garlic and peppers. Recipes include Olla de Trigo (Wheat pots) Ajo Colorao (Red Garlic), Gacha Pancakes, Morgas, Paprika Stew;
Cadiz
specialities in the province of Cadiz include cabbage stew, several seafood dishes which include oysters; squid; sea snails; shrimp and cockles. Dishes include cañaillas (sea snails), pastel de pichón (pigeon pâté), calamares con habas (squid with broad beans) and bocas (crabs); caldillo de Perro - onions, hake and orange juice; squid in ink; meat dishes in sherry;
Cordoba
Jewish and Arabian influences are strong in the province of Córdoba, and are apparent in dishes such as the calderetas - a thick lamb stew with almonds. The area is also home to one of Andalucía's most celebrated dishes - robo de toro, a piquant combination of oxtail, onions and tomatoes. They are very fond of dishes like Chafaina Cordobesa (Roast Pig's Trotters), Pigeon with Olive and Cochilfrito de Cabrito (Lamb Stew);
Granada
there is a prevailing Arabic influence, with the use of many spices, dishes include Sacromonte Omelette, Grenadine beans, Jamon Trevelez, Goat in Garlic, Lajuar Trout and Moruna Soup;
Huelva
Dishes include choco (cuttlefish) and tuna, stews with sardines, a dish with tuna, cockles and beans, snapper with onions, skate in paprika;
Jaen
Several dishes based on olive oil; Espinacas Jinenses (Jaén Spinach); Ajilimojili (Potatoes, red pepper, oil and vinegar), Alboroinia (squash stew, with onions and aubergine);
Malaga
There is so much variety in this area from Muscatel grapes, gazpachos, fish, veal, tripe, Ronda broad beans and bitter asparagus to fish soup, the choice is never-ending! Despite the fact that Malaga's cuisine is dominated mainly by seafood, several varieties of gazpacho are available, including the creamy, almond and grape ajo blanco con uvas. Their dishes include Papanduas (cod cakes); Espetones de Sardinas (sardines on bamboo skewers)
The Costa del Sol is renowned for its simple dishes of prawns and fat mussels with a squeeze of lemon juice, and sardines, which are cooked fresh on the beach over a wood fire. Boquerones (a type of anchovy - though vastly different to the variety seen on pizzas) are to be found in several tapas bars, along with pijotas - hake which has been fried with its tail in its mouth!
Seville
the home of tapas. Huevos a la Flamenco (Flamenco eggs), Cola de Toro (Oxtail), Duck with Olive Menudo (Treip) and Soladitos de Pavia (fish sticks).
Even though the Spaniards do not specialise in desserts, almost every Andalucían village has its own pudding. Most of them are Moor-influenced dessert that arrived in Spain in 711. The region was introduced to several foodstuffs such as rice, dates, almonds, sugar, artichokes and cinnamon alongside an infinite amount of new herbs and spices.
Desserts include almond tarts which can be found in the Ardales area, the tocino de cielo of Vélez, a combination of white rose syrup, oil and eggs, is a classic combination and a sweet wine dessert from Malaga which is a great accompaniment to dry biscuits.
Christopher Columbus' discoveries in the new world in 1492 resulted in shipments of exotic delicacies landing on the shores of Spain. These included chocolate, tomatoes, potatoes, chilli peppers, vanilla, strawberries, squash, corn, pineapples and avocado.