The dish with snails that can be savoured with a spoon in Malaga's Guadalhorce valley
Venta La Porrita tavern has been offering this traditional soup - which includes the molluscs, potatoes, almonds and fried bread - since its opening in the 1960s
Dip a piece of bread and savour the dish with a spoon - this is how the snail stew at La Porrita should be eaten. This small tavern, located in the La Alquería neighbourhood in Malaga province's Alhaurín de la Torre, has been serving this dish, which leaves nobody indifferent, since it opened back in 1961.
Although there are many different recipes for cooking snails, the interesting thing about the one offered at this establishment is that it is often ordered individually instead of as something to share.
La Porrita's signature dish uses the so-called bollunos snails, which need to be washed very well with vinegar and salt. The sauce also includes tomato, pepper, garlic and onion. The snails are complemented by potatoes and a mixture of fried almonds, bread and garlic sprinkled over the dish. The most important spices are ground pepper and chilli.
María García - La Porrita's chef - has been making this recipe for 40 years, but the creator is actually her mother-in-law, who was also the founder of the establishment in 1961.
Many hours go into the preparation of the snail stew. "The snails arrive at 8am and you have to clean them so that the sauce is right," says María. The stew goes through a long process until it is served at lunchtime.
The snail stew is the star of La Porrita, especially on weekends. "Some Sundays, we make up to 30 kilos of snails," says María. It is so popular that there are many people who go to the tavern specifically to try them and some even order them to take away. "I have customers who have asked me to put them in a Tupperware container so that they can give them to friends in Madrid," María says proudly.



Other specialties at La Porrita are the tripe with chickpeas, pork loin in lard (also a very old recipe), meatballs in almond sauce and sopa de puchero (stew). It also has a good selection of meats, including beef, and sardine skewers in the summer.
La Porrita is one of the oldest taverns in Malaga province. María's mother-in-law - Antonia Torres - was known by her nickname 'La Porrita', hence the name of the establishment, which, at first, had "no water, electricity or roads nearby". Then, in 1987, her son Marcos Plaza took over the tavern and that is when his wife María joined him. It was they who created the current menu and shape of the restaurant, focusing on homemade and traditional flavours.
Today, La Porrita is under the leadership of the next generation: Marcos and María's daughter Melissa and her husband Daniel. According to Marcos, the restaurant "has had a loyal clientele for many years". So don't be surprised if you go on a weekend day and can't find a table. Better book in advance and enjoy the snails.
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