Cuisine of Central Spain

The food and cuisine which can be found in the central regions of Spain have their roots in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim cultures as all of them have at one time or another occupied these lands and brought with them the rustic styles and woodland flavours typical of the region. From simple dishes such as broths and soups to superb, heavier meals utilizing meats such as roasted lamb, veal and suckling pig. The joints of meat are roasted slowly in wooden ovens to give them their distinctive texture and taste.

Iberian pork and cheeses from the Extremadura region are considered to be some of the finest in Spain and the foods from here often have saffron, honey and the fabulous cheeses as the main ingredients.

Castile La Mancha is the home to Manchego, arguably the best sheep’s cheese in Spain, honey, asparagus and over 70% of the world’s saffron, which is grown on the high La Mancha plateau. The saffron is harvested from the crocus flower which, every October, covers the landscape from Toledo to Albacete in a stunningly beautiful purple blanket. The saffron crocus flowers open at night and must be gathered in before dusk the following day otherwise their flavour is lost.

Olive oil is a staple ingredient in many Spanish dishes as well as being used for cooking and it is the hills of the high altitude central Spain region which make this area perfect for growing olive trees. Protected from the biting frost chilled winds, the trees produce olives from which oil of such high quality and terrific taste has been appreciated for centuries.

Surprisingly, Spain is placed third in the world for fish and seafood consumption (per capita) slightly behind Japan and Iceland. The fact that these two countries have a population where no-one lives more than 200km from the sea means that Spain, where the small central villages are more than 500km inland, has a far wider spread of fish lovers in terms of land mass, than anywhere else in the world. So much so, that Madrid, right in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula, has long been considered to have the finest fisherman’s wharf in the country.

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