Gastronomy

From Iberian ham products to pastries

The gastronomy in Alcaracejos boasts of several key elements which have a shared basis with the rest of the towns in Pedroches Valley: extraordinary prime meat ingredients linked with farming: beef, mutton and Iberian pork, and as for big game: deer and wild boar, and small game: rabbit, hare, partridge, thrush, wood pigeon; close ties to fresh produce and olive products and a significant presence of wild ingredients: asparagus, mushrooms, aromatic plants… thus arises a cuisine with robust main dishes and simple but delicious desserts and pastries.

Iberian pork is the main ingredient in its charcuterie: chorizo, morcilla, cured pork loin, morcón… Festivities are celebrated with fried piglet, which you can find in almost all bars and restaurants in the area, and humble country dishes centers around chickpea and bean stews, chanfainas, stews and marinades with the finest meats from the dehesa pasturelands.

Migas tostás (a toasted breadcrumb dish) is one of the emblematic meals from this land of shepherds. It’s accompanied with a combination of pork products and garden produce: pomegranates, oranges, roasted or fried peppers or fresh radish. In the past, when winemaking was common in what were once vineyards until the start of the 20^th century, migas were served with fresh wine de pitarra or wine from clay vessels, served in a traditional glass decanter, but this custom has become obsolete.

Pickled dishes, pork marinated in clay pots with olive oil or lard, and salted fish –cod fish is served in many ways because it was a main staple in these lands lying far from the sea—are essential cooking methods from the past due to the need to preserve foods, but their traditions have endured. All of this is associated with chilled soups like the various gazpacho recipes.

Pastries and sweets deserve their own chapter in the gastronomy of Alcaracejos. Top quality flour, honey, olive oil, spices and eggs are the key to these delicacies. Roscos, hojuelas, tirabuzones, tortas de manteca, borrachuelos are some examples of this rich tradition connected to festivals and feasts.

Catering establishments in Alcaracejos