Sometimes life grates on you
I’ve been looking for a rallador de Ceramica for some time now; actually, for a long time. As ridiculous as it may seem, even after two decades of living in the Malaga area of Andalucia, I never got to buy one. Honestly!
What is a Rallador de Ceramica?
The rallador is a fantastic device that Spaniards use to grate garlic, tomatoes, ginger, cucumber and just about anything else.
A traditional Andalucian breakfast is a Mollette con Tomate, a powdered bread bun, toasted and then spread with tomato, garlic or olive oil. There are some people, like me, for instance, that have all three.
The rallador is a ceramic plate or bowl that has a serrated centre on which you rub or grate garlic, tomatoes, ginger et al.
It is a simple but practical device that also looks good in the kitchen.
Searching for the ceramic grater
You really do have to take my word that I have tried for years to get hold of a ceramic grater. Even my trips into the Malaga mountains. I tried in such out-of-the-way places as Soportújar and Pampaneira.
Other places nearer to home, such as Vinuela and Velez Malaga were also fruitless.
These two villages had plenty of artisan craft and pottery but not one had the grater. Nerja was another place that proved to be a non-starter. I was very surprised as Nerja is a great place for tourists and you would have thought this particular item would be a great seller. But, no!
I was not alone – there were other grater-less Brits
Rummaging around on the social media platforms, such as Facebook opened my eyes to the fact that I was not alone in my search. There were other people who were also searching for this wonderful bit of pottery but, to no avail. It was cold comfort. Everyone was asking the same questions and, we all got the same answer.
Success! I actually found some Ralladors de Ceramicas!
The great thing about living in and around the Malaga area of Andalucia is that there is plenty to see and do. We decided to leave our base in the campo (countryside) close to the Andalucia white village or “Pueblo Blanco” of Villanueva del Trabuco and headed to the coast.
We had decided on a day out at Plaza Mayor, a sizable open-air shopping spot with a wide selection of apparel stores, including global brands, restaurants, shops, bars and a cinema. We wanted to watch BELFAST, a new film recently released. Also, we wanted to have a nice meal beforehand.
The meal and the film, I will save for another post.
To cut a long story short: between the meal and the film, we had some time to kill. We decided to do a bit of shopping and so headed towards o0ne of the many malls at Plaza Mayor.
Sat in the middle of the walkway outside the Mercadona store was a ceramics stall. My eyes popped when I saw, not just a few, but, hundreds of ralladors, all different shapes and sizes.
They ranged in price, from quite cheap to a major purchase. However; if you bought more than one item, you got a discount on both. Happily, I purchased a plate and a bowl. For 15€ (this was after a 2€ discount) I had, at last, got what I had been searching for.
This may seem like a paltry purchase, after all, there was all manner of shops I had been in, at the Plaza Mayor, including one that sold Japanese Sushi knives at 500€ a pop (yes! I’m a bit of a foodie) but, after so many years, its practical and emotional value was priceless.
Speaking to the lady who sold me these items, she told me they have a shop in Malaga city, close to the Hard Rock Cafe.
So, if you are looking for a rallador or two, you know where to go.
