By Andrew Atkinson
Cultural rivalry abounds between Cartagena and Murcia – derived from a diet of fruit and fish, respectively.
Cartagenians label Murcians ‘Green bellies’ – Barrigaverdes – citing the diet of vegetables grown in their orchards.
Murcians label Cartagenians ‘Aladroques’ – deemed from the fish including mackerels, where processing goes back to the Romans, known as ‘scombrus’ in Latin.
It is said 40,000 slaves worked the mines of Sierra Minera, behind Portman, transporting salted fish and garment sauce.
Cartagena is renowned for salted fish and sauces, including the ‘garum’, with centres in Mazarrón and Portmán, in La Union, Escombreras Bay.
