Chef Isabel
Aguaillo de la Sierra de Cadiz
Aguaillo is from the Sierra de Cadiz: cold water, stale bread, garlic, oil and vinegar, closer to a field drink than a bowl of soup, and sharp enough to wake you in the heat.
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Mazamorra Cordobesa
Created by
Mazamorra Cordobesa is Córdoba's white ancestor of salmorejo: almonds, bread, garlic, vinegar, and olive oil blended thick, colder and denser than ajoblanco, with grapes to finish.
Soups & Stews
Spanish
Make Ahead
Budget Friendly
Quick Meal
20 min
Active Time
0 min cook•2 hr 20 min total
Yield4 servings
Mazamorra Cordobesa belongs to Córdoba, in Andalucía, and it is older than the tomato. Before salmorejo turned red, this was the pale bowl: almonds, stale bread, garlic, vinegar, salt, and olive oil beaten into a thick cold soup, dense enough to hold the spoon for a moment before it settles.
What makes it mazamorra and not ajoblanco is the body. Ajoblanco is looser, drinkable if you want it that way. Mazamorra is thicker, more like a cold cream made from bread and almonds. The method that decides it is the oil: blend the almonds, bread, garlic, vinegar, and water first until smooth, then pour the olive oil in slowly while the machine runs. That is what makes it silky instead of greasy.
If you are far from Córdoba, use good blanched almonds, a sturdy white country bread with the crust removed, and a clean wine vinegar if you cannot get vinagre de Jerez, sherry vinegar. The flavour will be a little less nutty and sharp, but the dish will still stand. Chill it well, taste it cold, and finish with grapes and a thread of oil. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Mazamorra Cordobesa comes from the old Andalusian family of bread, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and water soups, the same pre-tomato line that later gave Córdoba its salmorejo. Almonds tie it to the cooking of al-Andalus, where ground nuts and bread were used to thicken sauces and cold dishes long before tomatoes entered the southern larder. In Córdoba it remains the older white cousin: thicker than ajoblanco, poorer in ingredients than it looks, and rich because the oil and almonds are handled properly.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
blanched almonds
Quantity
200g
day-old white country bread
Quantity
150g
crust removed and torn
garlic
Quantity
1 small clove
germ removed
cold water
Quantity
350ml, plus more if needed
vinagre de Jerez (sherry vinegar), or mild white wine vinegar
Quantity
2 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
120ml, plus more to finish
fine sea salt
Quantity
8g, plus more to taste
seedless green grapes
Quantity
150g
chilled and halved
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| blanched almonds | 200g |
| day-old white country breadcrust removed and torn | 150g |
| garlicgerm removed | 1 small clove |
| cold water | 350ml, plus more if needed |
| vinagre de Jerez (sherry vinegar), or mild white wine vinegar | 2 tablespoons |
| extra virgin olive oil | 120ml, plus more to finish |
| fine sea salt | 8g, plus more to taste |
| seedless green grapeschilled and halved | 150g |
Equipment Needed
- •Strong blender
- •Fine sieve, optional
- •Mixing bowl
Instructions
- 1
Soak the bread
Put the torn bread in a bowl with 250ml of the cold water and leave it for 10 minutes, until it has softened all the way through. Do not skip this. Dry bread makes a grainy mazamorra, and grainy is not rustic, it is unfinished.
- 2
Blend the base
Put the soaked bread and its water in a strong blender with the almonds, garlic, vinegar, salt, and the remaining 100ml cold water. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes, stopping once to scrape down the sides, until the mixture is as smooth as your machine can make it. It should already look thick, pale, and creamy.
- 3
Emulsify the oil
With the blender running, pour in the olive oil slowly in a thin stream. This slow pour is the step that decides the dish: the oil joins the almond and bread into a smooth cream instead of sitting on top. If it is too thick for the blades, add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, but keep it spoonable, not drinkable.
If your blender is not powerful, pass the mazamorra through a fine sieve. It is a small bit of work, and it gives you the Córdoba texture you wanted. - 4
Chill and taste
Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Taste it cold, not warm from the blender, because the cold dulls salt and vinegar. Adjust with a little more salt or a few drops of vinegar until the almond tastes clean and the garlic stays in the background.
- 5
Finish with grapes
Spoon the mazamorra into shallow bowls. Scatter over the chilled halved grapes and finish each bowl with a thin thread of olive oil. Serve it very cold, with bread beside it if you like. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and it behaves.
Chef Tips
- •Use blanched almonds, not almond flour. Almond flour makes a flatter, duller bowl, while whole blanched almonds give the soup its clean nut taste and better body.
- •The garlic should be small and fresh. One big harsh clove will bully the almonds, and this dish is not meant to taste like raw garlic first.
- •If you cannot get vinagre de Jerez, use a mild white wine vinegar. Start with a little less, then taste cold. Apple cider vinegar is too fruity here.
- •Grapes are not decoration. Their cold sweetness is the bite that wakes up the thick almond cream, especially in Córdoba heat.
Advance Preparation
- •Make the mazamorra up to 24 hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Stir well before serving, as it thickens as it rests.
- •Halve the grapes just before serving so they stay bright and firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 255g)
Calories
690 calories
Total Fat
58 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
49 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
980 mg
Total Carbohydrates
35 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
10 g
Protein
14 g
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