This January, I got to visit the Artichoke Foodie Event, also called Festa de la Carxofa Benicarlo – a unique gastronomic experience in the region of the Valencian Community.
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Gastronomic Spain: Artichoke Event for Foodies
Gastronomic Spain
While there are lots of foodie events and gastronomic experiences in Spain, Gastronomic Weeks (or Jornadas Gastronomicas) are some of my favorite Spanish festivities. They always celebrate local seasonal products or typical regional dishes and involve lots of activities and special tasting menus in local restaurants. Depending on the area and the time of year, there might be Gastronomic Weeks for truffles, mushrooms, artichokes, cherries, hazelnuts, and many other products.


Artichoke Event for foodies
Even though Spain in winter still gets a fair share of visitors every year, thanks to many winter-sun locations, most travelers set their eyes on the Canary Islands, Andalusia, or Catalonia. The rest of the Spanish provinces notice a drop in tourism once the peak season is over. Therefore, the local authorities try to draw attention to festivities, like Medieval Fairs or Gastronomic Weeks.
This January, I had the chance to visit the Artichoke Event for foodies in the small coastal town of Benicarlo, known as Spain’s Artichoke Capital. Beyond the festivity, the region is filled with artichoke fields.
Where is Benicarlo
Benicarlo is a small coastal town near Peñiscola, conveniently located on the road between Barcelona and Valencia. It can be visited as a day trip from Valencia, Reus, or Tarragona. In February, Benicarlo is famous for its artichoke, attracting foodies, but it is also a popular stop on family road trips across Spain due to its unique bird park, Jardin del Papagayo. The nearest airports to Benicarlo are Castellon Costa Azahar Airport (47 km), Reus Airport (123 km), Valencia Airport (145 km), and Barcelona El Prat Airport (207 km).

How to enjoy Artichokes in Benicarlo
The last time I visited Benicarlo, the opening Artichoke event for foodies took place on January 9 (but this date often varies each year). The celebration included a demonstration of Artichoke Pintxos (the small bites typical in San Sebastian) at Benicarlo’s central square, Plaza de la Constitucion. Later on, from January 10 to January 26 (again, these dates may slightly vary each year), you can download the three pincho routes on the local website ajuntamentdebenicarlo.org to take a self-guided food tour across the city of Benicarlo. Each route includes several local restaurant bars, where each one creates its own signature pincho. Each pincho often costs around 3 euros. On the other hand, the restaurants of Benicarlo prepare unique artichoke tasting menus, available from January 26 to March 1 (note that the dates may vary slightly each year).

Artichoke Tasting Menu in Benicarlo
One of Benicarlo’s most famous places to savor the Artichoke tasting menu is the Michelin-Star Restaurant of Raul Resino, which we visited years ago before having kids. The food was delicious, but a 4-hour-long lunch there would be too exhausting for the little ones. Therefore, in the last few years, we opted to explore other restaurants and their Artichoke dining options. While I’ve visited the Demonstration of Artichoke Pintxos once, it was honestly way too crowded for my taste – although if you have never visited any foodie event in Spain, this might be an interesting experience.
Over the last few years, I’ve visited a few restaurants in Benicarlo to taste their unique Artichoke offerings. Of the last ones, San Raphael in 2020 was a hit, and Restaurant Pau in 2022 – a miss.
Here is a recent example of how Artichoke tasting menus in Benicarlo might look:
- Artichoke entrees with a touch of Greek and Turkish Cuisines / Variety of Mezzes, Babaganush with Artichoke Chips, Lamb Kibbeh with Artichokes, Beef Souvlaki with Artichokes, Artichokes al muhammara
- “Fish&Carchofa” fried artichoke with squid
- Chicken Coxhinas with Artichoke
- Artichoke Flower filled with seafood cream
- Artichoke, red shrimp, and truffled egg
- Macha cake with mango-maracuya cream, yuzu mousse, and artichoke coulis






Read more about my foodie adventures in Spain:
- Best Local Food Experiences in Spain Not To Miss (read it)
- Top Foods in the Pyrenees of Spain (read it)
- Tapas & Flamenco Tour in Barcelona (read it)
- Delicious Breakfast in Madrid: My Favorite Spots & Avocado Toasts (read it)
- My Amazing Spanish Cooking Class in Madrid (read it)
- Family, Countryside, and Cooking The Traditional Paella (read it)
- Visiting Basque Cider House near San Sebastian (read it)
- Breakfast in Valencia: Cute Cafes You Will Love (read it)
- Spanish Eating Habits: Almuerzo in Valencia (read it)
- 10+ Best Local Food Souvenirs from Spain (read it)
- Traditional Spanish Food in Local Villages: Part 1 (read it)
- Gastronomic Weeks in Spain: A Hazelnut Menu (read it)
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For more Spain travel tips check out my Pinterest board Spain Travel Collection and Flipboard Travel to Spain.

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I heard about Benicarlo as a place that you cross when you go to Peniscola from Barcelona! didn’t know about this cool festival! it looks like a lot of fun!
That’s a lot of different ways to use artichokes! I had no idea that there was a festival like this in Spain.
Wow, these look like tasty dishes! I didn’t know you could mix artichoke in so many ways with seafood.
LOVE this post! Such a nice experience and idea! As Greek I recognise some… Greek food touches indeed!
Interesting read! I have never actually seen photos of Artichoke fields.
This sounds like so much fun! I’ve done a lot of tasting…. mostly alcoholic, but nver artichoke. LOVE it!!
This artichoke tasting looks like a fantastic foodie experience!! I love artickokes in general so this is right up my alley. And in Spain? Uh ok!!!