The gastronomy of Castilla la Mancha:

The gastronomy of Castilla la Mancha, is made up of by a great variety of strong and rooted dishes, although simple, elaborated with basic ingredients, such as bread and meat, or products from the vegetable garden; and accompanied by its varied wines, sheep cheeses and desserts, take us back to a time when we could well find ourselves with Don Quixote and his faithful Sancho.

Nature:

Nature, the countryside, the mountains, lakes and rivers are present in the kitchen. Eggplants from Almagro, garlic from Pedroñeras, peppers, tomatoes, olive oil, meats, both game and farm, which will later become unforgettable recipes or sheep cheese that if preserved in oil can be consumed after two years.

Wine:

Wine, the quintessential beverage of this community, which houses the largest cooperative in Europe in Tomelloso. There are several denominations of origin: La Mancha, Valdepeñas, Méntria or Almansa.

Agricultural products:

In Castilla La Mancha, the flat land, of muleteers and farmers, the agricultural products The importance of these ingredients is spectacular when it comes to shaping its cuisine. Thus, a few tomatoes, green and red peppers, and some zucchini are enough to make a dish that has reached the national category: the pisto manchego. Very typical are the garlic soups, which may or may not have cumin and paprika; and the migas de pastor, which do not differ much from those of other places, and can be soaked in milk or accompanied by chocolate.

Meat dishes:

They are abundant and are usually sheep, goat and to a lesser extent cow. The most important dishes are carcamusas (typical of Toledo), chanfarina, roast lamb, cochifrito, hen in pepitoria, salpicón, paturrillo, zarajos, etcetera. In the field of game it is possible to see quail in pickled sauce, rabbit with garlic, morteruelo, hare in hunter's style, caldereta manchega (a stew), the attached (‘all together’), and so on.

Among the desserts:

The mantecados, the bollos de aceite and the flores y hojuelas con miel (flowers and flakes with honey) stand out. Special mention must be made of the bizcochá de Alcázar, a cake baked in the oven. soaking in milk with sugar, vanilla and cinnamon, and the bizcochos borrachos (sponge cakes). And, above all, we must remember the marzipan from Toledo, evocative of a Muslim past, made of sugar and almonds, the alajú from Cuenca, almond soup, arrope, marquesitas, pasteles de Gloria, etc.

Finally we cannot forget the honey, there are many areas of the region that produce it, but above all of them stands out the world famous honey of La Alcarria, famous for its excellent quality, flavor and texture. Honey is the base of many traditional recipes in Castile, and was widely used in Andalusian and Sephardic cuisine.

DENOMINATIONS OF ORIGIN OF CASTILLA LA MANCHA

Castilla-La Mancha has a wide range of quality agri-food products recognized and protected through the different Denominations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications. The Gran Selección Awards are held annually in the Community and recognize several products that are inserted in programs of differentiated quality, offering consumers and food professionals food of superior quality. Among the P.D.O.s we have:

D.O. Manchego Cheese:

Sheep's milk cheese, the texture is of low elasticity, with a buttery and somewhat floury sensation, which can be grainy in very mature cheeses. It gives off a lactic odor. As for the flavor, it is slightly acidic, strong and tasty, becoming spicy in very mature cheeses.

D.O. Honey of the Alcarria:

The honey of the Alcarria is obtained from wild flowers, mainly lavender, rosemary and thyme, very abundant in the region, and can be found in greater or lesser degree of viscosity, depending on the degree of crystallization. It was traditionally packaged for sale in earthenware jars accompanied by a wooden spoon.

Wines:

Castilla-La Mancha is the largest wine-growing region in the world with more than 700,000 hectares dedicated to vine cultivation, representing approximately 8% of the world's wine-growing area, about 12% of the European area and about half of Spain's vineyard area. Approximately 50% in volume of the country's total production is produced in this region.

The vineyards are located on a large plain, at an altitude between 700 and 900 meters above sea level. Production depends a lot on rainfall and the absence or not of frost, although at present part of the vineyards are being reconverted and even new plantations are being planted, with drip irrigation systems and trellis systems. Among the wine D.O.'s we have:

• D.O. Almansa Wine
• D.O. Jumilla Wine
• D..O. Vino de la Mancha
• D.O. Manchuela Wine
• D.O. Méntrica Wine
• D.O. Mondéjar Wine
• D.O. Vino de Uclés
• D.O. Valdepeñas Wine
• D.O. Ribera del Jucar Wines

D.O. Aceite de la Alcarria:

To define the The Alcarria region's own oil qualities take into account both the soil, predominantly limestone and loamy, and the climate of the region, predominantly continentalized Mediterranean, as well as the variety of olive, as they have a direct and decisive influence on the quality of the oil obtained.

D.O. Aceite de los Montes de Toledo:

It has shades ranging from golden yellow to intense green. To the tasting it is characterized by its intense fruitiness and balanced flavor, highlighting the notes of apple and almond accompanied by a symphony of aromas and flavors reminiscent of fresh and ripe fruit.

D-O Campo de Calatrava oil:

are made exclusively with the Cornicabra (which represents 82% of total production) and Picual varieties. This natural blend is possible due to the intermediate location of the area between the olive groves in the north of the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, where the former predominates, and those in the lands of Jaén, where the latter abounds.

D.O. Aceite de Campo de Montiel:

of the Cornicabra, Picual, Manzanilla, Arbequina and Local varieties, by mechanical or other physical means that do not alter the oil, preserving the flavor, aroma and characteristics of the fruit from which it comes.

Mancha melon:

Covered by the IPG, the skin is predominantly green, with dark spots of medium size, evenly distributed, turning yellow at maturity. The pulp is white or creamy. In the central cavity, of orange color, are the seeds. The main characteristics are sweetness, high juiciness and low fibrousness of the flesh.

Eggplants from Almagro:

are grown in some villages of the Campo de Calatrava region, in the center of the province of Ciudad Real (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) and are marketed in preserves.

Saffron from La Mancha:

is physically different from the rest of the saffron varieties because the red stigmas clearly protrude from the flower and the style has very little length. Saffron from La Mancha is a variety that is characterized by being very aromatic and by the absence of astringent flavor.Purple garlic from Las Pedroñeras: of this garlic we can highlight its ability to boost the immune system, its diuretic, anticoagulant and mucolytic effects, its ability to act as a regulator of excess sugar in the blood, cholesterol and blood pressure and prevents erectile dysfunction.

Cross Bread:

is a bread elaborated in an artisan way, it has the IGP (Protected Geographical Indication). It is a bread that has as a characteristic mark a cross made on the dough before baking. It is popularly mentioned that it is a representation of the Cross of Calatrava. Being a bread that is made since the thirteenth century, it is already described in Cervantes' Don Quixote.

Marzipan from Toledo:

is a variety of marzipan, which received Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in 2002. The geographical area of production of this marzipan is the province of Toledo (Spain) and the Regulatory Council of the PGI determines that marzipan produced in all municipalities of the province of Toledo, with a content of at least 50% of almonds and natural sugars, are eligible.

Rice from Calasparra: It is harvested between October and November, but it is consumed all year round, and the characteristics that make this rice special are as follows: It is a mountain crop, at an altitude of approximately 450 meters, irrigation is done through a system of terraces that allow constant renewal of water and finally the maturation of the grain is extended 30% longer than other varieties of rice.

TRADITIONAL DISHES OF CASTILLA LA MANCHA'S GASTRONOMY

The traditional dishes and specialties of the Castilian-La Mancha cuisine are very easy to prepare and are characterized by their high caloric content, ideal for farmers, peasants and shepherds.

The PipirranaExquisite and typical salad whose basic ingredients are cucumber, tomato, onion and green bell pepper. However, its versatility admits numerous added ingredients. For example, in Ciudad Real and Valdepeñas they add olives, boiled egg, tuna fish, etc., fish. In Horcajo de Santiago, Cuenca, the salad becomes a stew, and it admits sausages, potatoes, mushrooms, cod...

Migas Ruleras:

Also known as “migas manchegas“. Curiously, this dish was eaten as the first course of the day during the grape harvest and as dinner in the farmers' houses in winter. Of pastoral origin, it arises with the purpose of taking advantage of the hardened bread, which is mixed with other ingredients usually of meat origin.

Manchego ratatouille :

The Spanish word pisto means something very chopped, and one of the secrets of this dish is precisely the dicing of its vegetables. It is a vegetable frittata whose ingredients vary depending on the area and the season.

Duels and losses :

Its main ingredients, all of them prepared in a frying pan, are: scrambled eggs, chorizo, ham and bacon. pork, and is served in an earthenware casserole. A dish known internationally for its references in the book Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. Although there is another theory about the origin of its name, related to the sudden death of a working animal (cows, donkey, horse), whose meat was used to prepare a stew with it, “Duelos y Quebrantos”, the sufferings of the farmer while cooking the meat of the lost animal.

Atascaburras:

It is also called ajo arriero or ajo mortero. A very typical and traditional recipe of La Mancha based on boiled potatoes, desalted and cooked cod, garlic and olive oil. A nutritious and comforting dish for the hard winter of the Serranía de Cuenca. In fact, it is said that two shepherds who were isolated by the snow were the creators of this delicious dish.El TiznaoTypical of Ciudad Real, it is a dish made with cod and vegetables. The vegetables: tomato, onion, bell pepper and garlic, all unpeeled, are roasted in the oven. Finally it is chopped and paprika, olive oil and a little hot water is added to the clay pot for cooking. When it is finished, it is removed and garnished with the toasted codfish on top.

Asadillo of red peppers:

An entirely horticultural dish, also known as mojete. Cut red peppers, whole onions and peeled garlic are baked in the oven, then cut into thin strips and placed in an earthenware casserole. It will be accompanied by a preparation of garlic, cumin, salt, olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice, a sauce that is poured over the peppers and onions.

Gazpacho manchego:

Its origin is Albacete and it is also called galiano. It is totally different from the Andalusian gazpacho, since it is a game dish made with cenceñas cakes, unfermented bread cakes, and small game meat such as rabbit, partridge or hare.

I hope you have found this brief summary of the Gastronomy of Castilla La Mancha.