Iberian pigs live mostly in semi-wild conditions. The flesh of these pigs is essential in most Extremaduran dishes.
Extremadura, Spain is known for its different ways of preparing the Iberian pork and mutton. The main characteristics of the traditional Extremaduran cuisine are its simplicity, its lack of clutter and its low cost. It is also a cuisine reflecting a generous spirit, for many of its preparations used to be cooked in large pots to share with visitors, friends, and neighbors. The resulting dishes are eaten with local bread.
The preferred spices in Extremaduran cuisine are paprika (pimentón), garlic, bay leaves, pennyroyal, and anise. The Northeastern comarca of La Vera produces pimentón de la Vera, smoked paprika highly valued all over Spain and extensively used in Extremaduran cuisine. Olive oil is used for frying and as an ingredient in many dishes. Maybe due to Portuguese influence, some limited use of coriander leaves (unusual for other regions of mainland Spain outside the Canary Islands) can be found for some specific dishes such as repápalos or pickled cod (escabeche de bacalao), though often with the possibility of using parsley as an alternative and not with the same extensive use as in Portugal.[1][2][3][4]
The chickpea is an important Extremaduran staple. Traditionally Extremaduran children loved to eat green chick peas straight out of the pods.
Among the pork or mutton-based dishes, some well-known ones are the callos con manos de cerdo (tripe with pig's feet), caldereta de cordero (mutton stew), cabrito en cuchifrito, frite de cordero (mutton fry) and the cabrito a la hortelana (kid and vegetable stew).[7]
The chanfaina in Extremadura has nothing to do with similarly named dishes in the Iberian Peninsula, like the CatalanXanfaina, which is a Spanish version of the Occitan Ratatouille, and which would be considered a kind of pisto in Extremadura. The Extremaduran chanfaina is a rich stew of mutton liver, brain, heart, and kidneys cooked with a mixture of bay leaves, garlic, bread crumbs and boiled eggs.
Traditional Extremaduran gastronomy includes other meats, like hen(gallina), which is one of the main ingredients of the emblematic cocido extremeño stew, arroz con liebre (rice with hare) and ancas de ranas fritas (fried frog legs). It also includes local fishes like tencas fritas (fried tench) and truchas con jamón (trout with ham), and even a certain large lizard usually prepared in guisado, made by frying slices of lizard in olive oil, after which they were stewed over a slow fire.[8][9][10] In spite of being eaten in a variety of preparations and even served at restaurants in the past, also including entomatá de lagarto (lizard in tomato sauce) [11] or lagarto en salsa verde (lizard in green sauce),[12] currently lizards are a protected species and trapping them is prohibited.[13]
Concerning fish, some cod preparations are known, and tench is among the most traditional freshwater fish, including fish and vegetable dishes such as moje de peces or escarapuche.
Among the basic popular dishes the ones based on chick peas are dominant. Other main ingredients are habichuelas (beans), potatoes, pumpkin, chestnuts, onions and bell peppers. Some famous dishes of Extremadura are cocido extremeño, potaje de garbanzos y judías blancas (chick pea and bean soup), sopa blanca de ajos (white garlic soup), potaje de castañas secas (chestnut soup), olla con asaura (a stew with offal and blood), and gazpacho extremeño (variants of gazpacho, sometimes with ham or pennyroyal mint).
Soups often have a stale bread base and include a variety of both hot and cold ones, such as sopa de ajo, sopa de tomate (bread-based soup with tomato, peppers and egg), sopa de poleo (pennyroyal mint soup), sopa de pan con aceitunas (bread soup with olives), sopa de espárragos trigueros (wild asparagus soup), sopa de antruejo (bread-based soup with a lot of pork), sopa de habas (broadbean soup) and others. It is traditional to eat such soups having figs at the same time as a side dish, or even grapes.[14][15]Sopas canas include at least milk, bread and garlic as a base. Pennyroyal mint is sometimes used to season gazpachos or soups such as sopa de poleo.[16][17][18] Extremaduran ajoblanco (ajoblanco extremeño) is a cold soup different from Andalusian ajoblanco since it contains egg yolk in the emulsion and it may contain vegetables such as tomatoes but no almonds.[19]
Though rice is not as common as in some other Spanish regions, rice dishes with rabbit meat or pork are common,[20][21] including arroz a la cacereña from Cáceres, which, after being cooked, is then covered in a crust of egg and cheese and then baked, in a way similar to Valencian arroz con costra.[22]
Vegetables are found in many dishes, even if there is very little in the way of actual vegetarian dishes in the traditional cuisine. Still, apart from gazpachos, salads similar to Andalusian pipirrana (with a variety of local names such as picadillo, cojondongo or rinrán[23][24][25][26]) are popular, as well as zorongollo, a salad made with tomato and roast peppers reminiscent of Catalan escalivada. As in La Mancha and Murcia, pisto is a traditional dish. Local tomato sauce is often known as tomatá or entomatá and it can be an accompaniment to many dishes.[27][28][29]
Desert truffles, locally named criadillas or criadillas de tierra, are eaten with scrambled eggs (revuelto de criadillas[30]), fried with other ingredients [31] or as an accompaniment in other dishes. Even if many other mushroom species grow in Extremadura and they have some culinary use nowadays, only a few other mushroom species apart from desert truffles were actually traditionally consumed, such as Amanita ponderosa (called gurumelo, especially popular in Southern Extremadura), or Macrolepiota procera.
Some of the ancestral dishes of Extremadura are today less commonly eaten, like migas (such as migas con torreznos) and gachas.[32] Vegetables like cardoon and borage were traditionally widely used in soups.
Certain dishes of the Extremaduran cuisine show the influence of neighboring Portugal, like lentejas estofadas (stewed lentils) and sopa de perdices (partridge soup).
Embutidos and pork products
Extremadura's Black Iberian pigs are usually left to roam in relative freedom and their main diet are the acorns falling from the local oak trees. This breed of pig is found exclusively in Southwestern Iberia, both in Spain and Portugal. Their meat is highly valued throughout Spain, especially their ham.
Extremaduran cuisine is abundant in pork; it is said that the region is one of the best for breeding pigs in Spain, thanks to the acorns that grow in its dehesas.
Some Extremaduran embutidos (pork preserves and sausages) have a local flavor, like the morcilla «Felisa» (based on blood and onion), morcillas de cabezá (head innards morcillas), morcillas patateras (sausage containing mashed potato and pork fat and meat seasoned with paprika and garlic), as well as sausages prepared with pumpkin (morcilla de calabaza). Dry-cured pork products include chacinas and the local ham, longaniza, chorizo, salchichón, morcón and caña de lomo. Pork embutidos and other pieces of pork meat are often added to local stews, such as cocido.
Cachuela (sometimes also known as caldillo) is a fatty pork liver pâté seasoned with paprika, garlic and other spices.[33][34][35]
Buche is a kind of embutido similar to Leonesebotillo made from different pieces left over from the butchering of a pig, including the ribs, tail, and bones with a little meat left on them, which are chopped, seasoned and then stuffed into the cecum of the pig. Once cured, it's usually boiled and then it is opened to extract its content in order to eat it, usually as coles con buche, accompanied by other pork products and separate dishes of rice and cabbage cooked in the same broth produced by boiling the buche.[36][37][38]
Cheeses
The region is home to a variety of cheeses, those most well known being Torta del Casar, produced in Casar de Cáceres and surrounding area, and Torta de la Serena, produced in the comarca of la Serena. Both have a denominación de origen and both are sheep milk cheeses that are curdled using a coagulant found in the pistils of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus), which gives a creamy consistency and a rich taste with a light bitterness. These cheeses are traditionally eaten by slicing off the top and scooping out the inside with a spoon, then spreading it on bread. They're somewhat similar to Serra da Estrela cheese in Portugal.
Queso de los Ibores is another cheese with a denominación de origen, made in the comarcas of los Ibores, Villuercas, La Jara and Trujillo in the southeast of the Province of Cáceres. It is a fatty goat milk cheese made exclusively from the milk of Serrana, Verata, Retinta breeds and crosses between them and only from farms registered with the regulatory council.
A variety of goat milk cheeses found along the border with Portugal are similar to goat milk cheeses found in neighboring Portuguese areas and have a compact consistency and a strong taste and smell, such as Quesaílla cheese,[39][unreliable source?][40] as well as queso de Acehúche[es][41] and queso de Gata-Hurdes.[42][unreliable source?][43]
Desserts and sweets
Extremaduran desserts and sweets are mostly prepared using the local wheat flour, honey, pork fat, milk, sugar and olive oil. Some of them are buñuelos, magdalenas (anise-scented muffins), perrunillas[es], galletas, rosquillas de vino, roscas fritas (fried doughnuts), coquillos de miel, repápalos dulces, sopa de almendras[es] (sweet almond soup), gañotes[es], hornazos dulces, roscas de muégado (or roscas de piñonate), hijuelas, gachas extremeñas (or puchas dulces), bollos fritos (fried buns), floretas, socochones hurdanos and jeringas .[44] Some well known local specialties are tecula mecula from Olivenza, bollo turco from Jerez de los Caballeros and roscas de alfajor from Casar de Cáceres.
Related Research Articles
Gazpacho or gaspacho, also called Andalusian gazpacho, is a cold soup and drink made of raw, blended vegetables. It originated in the southern regions of the Iberian peninsula and spread into other areas. Gazpacho is widely eaten in Spain and Portugal, particularly during hot summers, since it is refreshing and cool.
Spanish cuisine consists of the traditions and practices of Spanish cooking. It features considerable regional diversity, with important differences between the traditions of each of Spain's regional cuisines.
Puerto Rican cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes original to Puerto Rico. It has been primarily a fusion influenced by the ancestors of the Puerto Rican people: the indigenous Taínos, Spanish Criollos and sub-Saharan African slaves. As a territory of the United States, the culinary scene of Puerto Rico has also been moderately influenced by American cuisine.
Salvadoran cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of El Salvador. The indigenous foods consist of a mix of Amerindian cuisine from groups such as the Lenca, Pipil, Maya Poqomam, Maya Chʼortiʼ, Alaguilac and Cacaopera peoples. Many of the dishes are made with maize (corn). There is also heavy use of pork and seafood. European ingredients were incorporated after the Spanish conquest.
Castilian-Leonese cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients of the region of Castile and León in Spain. This cuisine is known for its cooked dishes (guiso) and its grilled or roasted meats (asado), its high-quality wines, the variety of its desserts, its sausages (embutidos), and its cheeses.
Manchego cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients in the cuisine of the Castilla–La Mancha region of Spain. These include pisto, gazpacho manchego, Manchego cheese, the white wine of La Mancha, and the red wine from Valdepeñas (DO).
Colombian cuisine is a culinary tradition of the six main regions within Colombia. Colombian cuisine varies regionally and is influenced by Indigenous Colombian, Spanish, and African cuisines, with a slight Arab influence in some regions.
Honduran cuisine is a fusion of Mesoamerican, Spanish, Caribbean and African cuisines. There are also dishes from the Garifuna people. Coconut and coconut milk are featured in both sweet and savory dishes. Regional specialties include sopa de caracol, fried fish, tamales, carne asada and baleadas. Other popular dishes include meat roasted with chismol and carne asada, chicken with rice and corn, and fried fish with pickled onions and jalapeños. In the coastal areas and the Bay Islands, seafood and some meats are prepared in many ways, including with coconut milk. Among the soups the Hondurans enjoy are bean soup, mondongo soup, seafood soups and beef soups. Generally all of these soups are mixed with plantains, yuca, and cabbage, and served with corn tortillas.
Ajoblanco is a popular Spanish cold soup typical from Granada and Málaga (Andalusia). This dish is made of bread, crushed almonds, garlic, water, olive oil, salt and sometimes vinegar. It is usually served with grapes or slices of melon. When almonds were not available, for instance during the post-war period, flour from dried beans was used.
Cuchifritos or cochifritos refers to various fried foods prepared principally of pork in Spanish and Puerto Rican cuisine. In Spain, cuchifritos are a typical dish from Segovia in Castile. The dish consists of pork meat fried in olive oil and garlic and served hot. In Puerto Rico they include a variety of dishes including morcilla, papas rellenas, and chicharron, and other parts of the pig prepared in different ways. Some cuchifritos dishes are prepared using plantain as a primary ingredient. Cuchifritos vendors also typically serve juices and drinks such as passionfruit, pineapple, and coconut juice, as well as ajonjolí, a drink made from sesame seeds.
Dominican cuisine is made up of Spanish, indigenous Taíno, Middle Eastern, and African influences. The most recent influences in Dominican cuisine are from the British West Indies and China.
Uruguayan cuisine is a fusion of cuisines from several European countries, especially of Mediterranean foods from Spain, Italy, Portugal and France. Other influences on the cuisine resulted from immigration from countries such as Germany and Scotland. Uruguayan gastronomy is a result of immigration, rather than local Amerindian cuisine, because of late-19th and early 20th century immigration waves of, mostly, Italians. Spanish influences are abundant: desserts like churros, flan, ensaimadas yoo (Catalan sweet bread), and alfajores were all brought from Spain. There are also various kinds of stews known as guisos or estofados, arroces, and fabada. All of the guisos and traditional pucheros (stews) are also of Spanish origin. Uruguayan preparations of fish, such as dried salt cod (bacalao), calamari, and octopus, originate from the Basque and Galician regions, and also Portugal. Due to its strong Italian tradition, all of the famous Italian pasta dishes are present in Uruguay including ravioli, lasagne, tortellini, fettuccine, and the traditional gnocchi. Although the pasta can be served with many sauces, there is one special sauce that was created by Uruguayans. Caruso sauce is a pasta sauce made from double cream, meat, onions, ham and mushrooms. It is very popular with sorrentinos and agnolotti. Additionally, there is Germanic influence in Uruguayan cuisine as well, particularly in sweet dishes. The pastries known as bizcochos are Germanic in origin: croissants, known as medialunas, are the most popular of these, and can be found in two varieties: butter- and lard-based. Also German in origin are the Berlinese known as bolas de fraile, and the rolls called piononos. The facturas were re-christened with local names given the difficult German phonology, and usually Uruguayanized by the addition of a dulce de leche filling. Even dishes like chucrut (sauerkraut) have also made it into mainstream Uruguayan dishes.
Most traditional foods in Guatemalan cuisine are based on Maya cuisine, with Spanish influence, and prominently feature corn, chilies and beans as key ingredients. Guatemala is famously home to the Hass avocado.
Chilean cuisine stems mainly from the combination of traditional Spanish cuisine, Chilean Mapuche culture and local ingredients, with later important influences from other European cuisines, particularly from Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The food tradition and recipes in Chile are notable for the variety of flavours and ingredients, with the country's diverse geography and climate hosting a wide range of agricultural produce, fruits and vegetables. The long coastline and the peoples' relationship with the Pacific Ocean add an immense array of seafood to Chilean cuisine, with the country's waters home to unique species of fish, molluscs, crustaceans and algae, thanks to the oxygen-rich water carried in by the Humboldt Current. Chile is also one of the world's largest producers of wine and many Chilean recipes are enhanced and accompanied by local wines. The confection dulce de leche was invented in Chile and is one of the country's most notable contributions to world cuisine.
Simone Ortega Klein was a bestselling Spanish culinary author. Born in Barcelona to a family originally from Alsace in France, she published her first and bestselling book 1080 recetas de cocina in 1972. She was married to publisher José Ortega Spottorno, son of famous philosopher José Ortega y Gasset and founder of the Spanish daily newspaper El País, until he died in 2002.
The gastronomy of the province of Valladolid comprises the meals, their preparation, and the culinary habits of the province of Valladolid. It is based on barbecued and roast food, especially roasted Spanish cuisine. Wines of high quality highlight the meals.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
