Where to Buy Thanksgiving Foods in Malaga, Spain
In 2022, I celebrated Thanksgiving in Malaga, Spain with some close friends. Of course, we didn’t have the day off of work, since it’s a holiday in the United States but not in Spain. Still, we made the most of our Thanksgiving afternoon and evening cooking and having a huge potluck.
In the days before, my friends and I searched the Malaga area for some key Thanksgiving foods that we needed for our dishes. In this post, I’m sharing where we found those Thanksgiving ingredients or what we used as substitutes. Please note, there’s no guarantee that this information will be accurate in future years, as stores may change the foods they carry from year to year.
Below, I list some popular thanksgiving dishes, and I explain where my friends and I found their ingredients in Malaga, Spain.
Pumpkin Pie
I wanted to get this one out of the way first, because here’s the bad news: none of my friends nor I could find canned pumpkin in Malaga, Spain. In fact, when I asked for pureed pumpkin at the grocery store, clerks led me to pureed squash soup. (In Spain, there’s one word for squash, calabasa, which they translate as “pumpkin.” So when you ask for calabasa or pumpkin, the store clerk may show you the variety of squashes they carry.)
You may be able to find fresh pumpkin at a specialty store in a bigger city, but it will take a good bit of effort to locate.
Apparently, a store called Taste of America sells canned pumpkin puree. But unfortunately, there’s no Taste of America located in Malaga. As of 2022, the closest Taste of America store to Malaga was in Madrid. So if you’re really committed to the idea of making pumpkin pie, you could make that trip!
Instead of making pumpkin pie, I decided to make sweet potato pie. And since I used the same spices, it tasted almost identical to pumpkin pie in my opinion.
By the way, it’s also unlikely that you’ll find pumpkin pie seasoning in Malaga. So I ended up making my own pumpkin pie seasoning using the spices that go into it. I found those spices at the local Carrefour.
If you’re reeeeeeally set on making pumpkin pie, I’d recommend bringing a can of pumpkin puree with you from the United States. You may be able to find it in Spain, but unless you’re based in Madrid, it probably won’t be too easy.
Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce wasn’t part of my Thanksgiving dinner celebration, but I know a few folks who ended up finding it in Malaga. Apparently, there were some Iceland and British overseas supermarkets that carried cranberry sauce in 2022. Also, some Americans I spoke with had success finding cranberry sauce at El Corte Ingles.
Turkey
Again, I didn’t have turkey at my Thanksgiving dinner, but it is definitely possible to find turkey in Malaga. Apparently some folks found turkey at the Mercado Ateranzas by asking a few butchers.
If you’re set on eating turkey during your Thanksgiving dinner, you’ll definitely want to start asking around a couple of weeks in advance, because some butchers may require you to place an order for turkey ahead of time.
Other Thanksgiving Dishes
I believe that most other Thanksgiving foods will be available at many supermarkets and even fruterías (fruit and vegetable stands) in Spain. You’ll definitely be able to find apples for apple pie, potatoes for mashed potatoes, bread for stuffing, and sweet potatoes.
I hope that you and your friends and family have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and whether you’re at home or abroad, I hope you get to eat all of the Thanksgiving foods you’ve been craving all year.
Happy Thanksgiving!
