This serial “dictionary” has no greater intention than to promote the knowledge of the Valencian people, safeguarding the most atavistic branch of the melting pot of civilizations that have populated the Mediterranean Sea. I am convinced that if we explained ourselves better, everyone would want to be Valencian.
ALBUFERA: Coastal lagoon separated from the sea by a sand ridge. In the case of Valencia, it is a natural park full of life, with abundant aquatic vegetation, as well as fish fauna that come to spawn, and migratory birds that stop over on their seasonal trips. Well, that’s what it says in the textbooks, in reality it is a lake that survives after being for decades the sink of highly polluting industries (furniture, paints, varnishes, tanning…). At one point in history someone said enough was enough, and from then until today an attempt has been made to redirect a tremendously complex situation, where interests as opposite as those of rice farmers, hunters and environmentalists coexist, currently modulated under the leadership of VOX. The ZAL, the new container terminal and other biblical plagues, such as the change of the color of the water to red, pose an uncertain future.
ARTISTE: Individual who has developed an enormous capacity to avoid responsibilities, avoid work and live off the story.
BARRACA: Traditional Valencian construction with the unique shape of a tomato plant. Single-family home with combustible roof and rare to see. There is a lot of talk about protecting them, but at the minimum that the administration can, they are ruthlessly harassed, for example, when a highway has to be widened or the orchard transformed into an area for logistical activities.
BORINOT: Sig.1: Fat, buzzing flying insect. Sig. 2: Individual with erratic and insolvent behavior, whose mimetic, not artistic, capacity has allowed him to jump from political party to political party, causing the acronyms to disappear after his passage.
BORJA: Sig.1: Valencian family whose influence reached the doors of Rome. The Borgias or Borja laid the foundations for how to accumulate unlimited power and wealth, a model that has endured to this day. Characteristics that are expressed in Valencian sagas such as the Trénor, Serratosa, Boluda, Fabra, Roig… Sig. 2: Synonym of Cayetano in Valencia.
BUÑUELO: Fried dough with a handmade hole to enjoy accompanied by hot chocolate. Valencians have a special predilection for pumpkin ones. The commercial margin of fried doughs is so great that it encourages thousands and thousands of entrepreneurs in Fallas to turn all the street churrerías in Spain into buñolerías.
CARAGOLÀ: Single-thematic meal based on snails in sauce.
HORCHATA: Traditional drink made with Valencian tiger nuts, water and sugar. Sugar-free is considered one of the healthiest foods that exist, thanks to its numerous functional properties.
KHAKI: Bright red fruit that everyone thought would save the citrus sector from ruin, but unfortunately that was not the case. Now, investment funds are going to try it with avocados because they believe that we have too much water. In the Ribera Alta region, a lot of kaki is grown, although it is pronounced “keki”.
SOBAQUILLO: Valencian invention, precursor of the microwave that was used to heat and transport dinner to the meeting point.
UMBRELLA: Topographic element to mark the ownership of a beach plot, like a pike in Flanders. Its effects last until sunset. The occupancy perimeter can be expanded with the help of hammocks and towels. No matter how early you get up there will always be a Madrid native in front of you. Some coastal municipalities have tried to regulate these practices without success.
(Will continue)
