The gastronomic event will take place from May 4 to 18 in different restaurants throughout the city, each of which has created a special coca for the occasion. From May 4 to 18, Valencia will host the third edition of the Ruta de les Coques by Ambar, a gastronomic event that pays tribute to one of the emblems of Valencian cuisine: cocas. In this edition, 23 restaurants located in different areas of the city are joining the initiative, offering unique proposals. Each of them will present their own version, reinterpreting the recipe with a creative and very personal approach. The project, which kicked off to a great reception last May, has the Ambar brewery as its main sponsor. In fact, all the cocas will be served paired with a different variety of their beers, carefully selected to highlight the flavors of each proposal. For two weeks, the public will be able to visit each of the participating establishments to try their recipe and also vote for their favorite. The ones that get the most votes will become the five finalists, while the winning coca will be announced on the last day of the route. “We are reaching the third edition with a project that is more than consolidated, which shows that both the public and the restaurants recognize and want to value the tradition,” says hotelier Andrés García, who directs the project together with journalist Iris Montoya.

The ‘cocas’ of this edition
Twenty-three restaurants are participating in this III Ruta de les Coques by Ambar. Some already have or have had cocas on their menus, while others, on the other hand, will create them for the first time. The number of participants is increasing, as are the areas chosen to enjoy the route, which are: Ruzafa, Cánovas, Ciutat Vella, Cabañal, Puerto, Extramurs, Campanar, Aragón, Alameda, Ciudad de las Ciencias and, as the main novelty of this edition, Pinedo. It is the first foray outside the urban center, but it will not be the last. “We have doubled the number of participants compared to the first edition, which means that we had to make the leap to the outskirts of Valencia and we are sure that we will soon reach more municipalities,” adds Iris Montoya.

In Ruzafa, the first participant is Zalamero, which will prepare the ‘Coca Andaluza’ of pringá with mint mayonnaise. La Cantina de Ruzafa, for its part, will participate with a spelt coca from the ERA stone mill with esgarraet of homemade mojama. While Punk-o Punk-o, a new addition to the route, will do so with a vegan and gluten-free coca made up of green jackfruit, tamarind, pineapple in its juice, edamame, yellow pepper and red onion.

In the Cabañal and Puerto area, several restaurants are joining the initiative. The first of these is Fets, which will prepare a coca of roasted sweet potato with cinnamon, Savel blue cheese from Airas Moniz, leek and fennel oil, almonds and fennel sprouts. The coca from Front —winner of the last edition— can be enjoyed with views of the sea and, under the name ‘Coca Latido Marino’, it will contain a Mediterranean prawn tartare, red tuna cured in citrus fruits and light sea urchin and Valencian saffron cream. Also from Cabañal, Bikini will present ‘La Marinera’, a handmade coca with titaina del Cabañal, capellanes slices and toasted pine nuts. Los Ángeles de Arley joins the route with a recipe called ‘Marine temptation on crispy coca’, made up of prawns, chopped almonds, chili pepper, alioli and avocado. The last one in the area will be Glops i Llandes, with its coca of Thai-style roasted apple sauce, oxtail, pickled red onion and sweet piparra pepper.

In the city centre there will be several participants. On the one hand, Alenar and its coca of titaina with cod and garlic mayonnaise. On the other, Borgia Wine Bar and its ‘Coca Mare Nostrum’, of octopus with a fresh fennel salad, kalamata mayo, dried tomato and coriander. Ateneo Restaurante will participate with the ‘Coca Valencia Noble’, of quail confit in rosemary oil, artichoke cream, bitter orange reduction and toasted marcona almond. And almost touching the sky, Atenea Sky will serve the ‘Coca Skyline’, of spiced lamb cooked at low temperature, sour labneh, fresh mango and reduced tamarind sauce with pomegranate.

The Extramurs area returns to the route with two establishments: Camiri, which will prepare a coca from the Marina Alta with grilled black and white ragout and prawn tartare; and Abastece Restaurante, with its coca ‘Prisionera en Flames’, made of flame-roasted eggplant, Iberian pork sirloin in Pedro Ximénez sauce and rosemary aroma. Meanwhile, in Campanar, Ciro repeats, and on this occasion will serve a coca of flame-roasted eggplant, fresh cassoleta cheese and Kalamata olives.

Between Aragón and Alameda there will also be several proposals. The first is that of Latabarra and ‘La cochinita vermutera’, a cochinita pibil coca with pickled onion in pink vermouth and lime. The second, that of Bar Marvi and its babaganoush coca with smoked sardine, feta cheese and flame-grilled jowl. And the third, that of Jardines del Palau and its ‘Coca Jardín Marino’, a crispy coca of Norwegian salmon cut with a knife, Asian-inspired mayonnaise, red roe, toasted black sesame and fresh chives.

Beirut, for its part, will present the same coca in its three locations located in Ruzafa, Aragón and Ciudad de las Ciencias. It will be called ‘Coca de cordero Beirut en llanda’ and will be a coca that travels between cultures with a golden base with homemade tomato and onion sofrito, roasted and slowly marinated lamb, gel of its own sauce, crispy rice cooked in llanda and a refreshing touch of yogurt and mint sauce.

Finally, the latest addition: Pinedo. From there, two different cocas will be served. One will be from Maravella, who will create the ‘Coca la Huerta de Maravella’ with flame-roasted eggplant, pink tomato confit in EVOO, fresh burrata, pickled samphire, and seasonal flowers. The other will be from Tabalet and their recipe with a fritter base, roasted rib, garlic, kimchi, blood sausage, apple, and soy.

Award for the Best Coca
Regarding how it works, the III Ruta de les Coques by Ambar will take place over two weeks. Starting on May 4th, anyone who wants to try the creations of this edition can go to the restaurants and order their special coca plus a third of Ambar —in its different varieties—, for 10 euros. It can also be paired with a glass of Anayón chardonnay wine from Grandes Vinos, another of the event’s sponsors.

In parallel, the contest will take place to determine the Best Creation of the III Ruta de les Coques by Ambar. Until May 13th, the public can vote for their favorite coca through the QR code on the coasters in the participating establishments. In order to incentivize voting, this will be the first edition in which all voters will be entered into a drawing to attend a LALIGA match. The five most voted recipes will go on to the final, which will take place behind closed doors on Monday the 18th. There, an expert jury will be in charge of choosing the top coca of the third edition.

The participating cocas will no longer be offered once the event ends. Only the winning one will remain on the menu for a few additional weeks. This measure aims to preserve the temporary and renewing nature of the proposal, while reinforcing the positioning of this biannual event as a gastronomic benchmark in the city. Already thinking about future editions, the Ruta de les Coques by Ambar will continue to focus on local products and tradition, paying homage to the culture of the Valencian Community and those flavors that link the past and the present.

About the Pairing
As in life, there’s no accounting for taste, also among “les coques”. These delicious creations with tasty ingredients and, in many cases, with a powerful flavour, find a perfect pairing in the different varieties of Ambar Beers.

The more classic palates, who enjoy a coca that is less forceful in flavor, will be able to harmoniously accompany it with Ambar Especial. They will refresh the palate with each bite with the bitterness provided by freshly ground hops, which has made it the best beer in the world at the World Beer Challenge of 2024 with a perfect score of 100/100. If the chosen coca represents a small “betrayal” of the diet, they can compensate with Ambar Triple Zero (zero, zero alcohol, zero sugar, and with fewer calories than broccoli), or if they prefer, they will also have it in its toasted version.

For those cocas full of flavour and strength on the palate, Ambar Morena or Ambar Export will become their allies. The first, a 100% malt lager gently baked for 24 hours, designed for daily consumption and with an aroma of nuts, a spicy background, and a slight bitterness. The second, Ambar Export, to calmly accompany the most intense flavors of cocas with cheeses or cured meats, intense sensations thanks to its three malts, double fermentation period, and slow aging in the cellar. The more adventurous will experiment with the flavors and contrasts of spiced cocas, also made with vegetables or fruits, even sweet ones, for which two beers are proposed: Ambar IPA extra bitter or the beer from the Ambiciosas collection, Ambar Montañesa, made with thyme and holm oak honeys, hops, and freshly ground aromatic plants. Fermented with lactic and wild bacteria (lactococus lactis) and our lager yeast.

About Ambar
Founded in 1900, Cervezas Ambar is a small Spanish brewery recognized for its excellent quality that maintains the spirit of a family business in constant evolution. More than 124 years are housed in one of the oldest factories in Spain that today coexists with one of the most modern located in Zaragoza, on the banks of the Ebro.

About Grandes Vinos
Founded in 1997, Grandes Vinos is a winery in Cariñena (Zaragoza), the only land in the world that gives its name to a grape variety. A territory that treasures old vineyards at different altitudes, a millennial stone soil, and a strong wind, the cierzo, which gives personality to the wine.

Report by ’24/7 Valencia’ team
Article copyright ’24/7 Valencia’ 

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