Manchego cuisine

Manchego cuisine(Manchegan cuisineorCastilian-Manchego cuisine) refers to the typical dishes and ingredients in the cuisine of theCastilla–La Mancharegion ofSpain. These includepisto(a vegetable stew with tomato sauce),gazpacho manchego,Manchegocheese, the white wine ofLa Mancha, and the red wine fromValdepeñas (DO).
The dishes and specialties of the region are generally sober and sensible, reflecting a modest, rural origin. They contain a limited number of ingredients that tend to be those most easily accessible by the locals. Dishes tend to be high in calories, ideal for the diets of laborers, farmers, and shepherds. The cuisine of this area was popularized byMiguel de Cervantesin his early-17th-century novelDon Quixote, in which a number of traditional dishes are mentioned.
In La Mancha, traditional dishes includegachasde almorta,a paste made withgrass pea(Lathirus sativus)flour, andtortas de gazpacho, a flat bread that is the base for the "gazpachos", an elaborate dish appearing in El Quixote under the name of "galianos".
One of the local vegetables is the bladder campion (Silene vulgaris) plant, known colloquially ascollejas.These plants are traditionally gathered in the mountains of La Mancha (as well as others parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia) and used for a variety of dishes.
Like most Spanish cuisine, many local dishes containgarlic, includingtiznao[es](salt cod with spring onions) andatascaburras[ast](salt cod with mashed potatoes, also calledajoarriero[es]). Additionally, theñora, a cultivated version of theCapsicum annuumpepper from Valencia,is often used in local dishes such asmanitas de cerdo(pig's feet) andmigas.
Standalone products includeBerenjena de Almagro[es],a variety of smallauberginesthat are grown inAlmagro, Ciudad Real.These are seasoned andpickledaccording to a traditional recipe and usually eaten as a snack or side dish.
There are not many purely vegetarian dishes in the region. Some traditional vegetable-based dishes arepisto manchego(a local equivalent ofratatouille),pipirrana[es](a salad of onion, tomato, and cucumber),asadillo de la Mancha[es](roasted red peppers), andgazpacho viudo(widower gazpacho, or gazpacho made with bladder campion leaves).
There are many local meat dishes, which consist primarily ofsheep,goat, and, to a lesser degree,beef. The most important dishes arecarcamusas(typical ofToledo),chanfarina, roast lamb,cuchifritos,migas,gallina en pepitoria(chicken a lapepitoria[es]),salpicón,paturrillo, andzarajo[es]. In areas where there is a lot of hunting, a number of game based dishes are also popular, such asconejo al ajillo(rabbit with garlic),liebre a la cazadora(hare hunter-style), andcaldereta manchega[es].
La Mancha is a landlocked area with historically few bodies of freshwater to allow for the generalization of fish in its cuisine. The traditional fish is thereforebacalao(salt cod), which was historically imported from coastal areas and does not spoil. This can be found in some dishes, notably chickpeas with cod, eaten during Lent.
Queso manchego, or "cheese from La Mancha", is one of the most famous Spanish cheeses; more than 30% of Spain's cheese products are of this variety.It is a cured cheese made from the milk of localmanchega sheep(Ovis aries ligeriensis), also calledovejas manchegas) which abound in the pastures year-round.
The mass of the cheese is fairly hard and dense, with an ivory-white color.It has a characteristically tart taste when it is new due to the natural flavor of the sheep's milk, though as the cheese ages it slowly develops a savory quality,which Carlos Yescas of the Oldways Cheese Coalition describes as "a delicate balance of buttery, tart, sweet, and nutty."The cheese is also high in calcium, Vitamins A, D, and E, and natural protein.
There are several varieties ofqueso manchego, differentiated by both curing time and individual tradition (some are submerged inolive oilwhile curing).
Wine production is very important to the region, which has manyprotected designations of originfor the area. The major PDO isD.O. La Mancha, but others include:D.O. ValdepeñasinCiudad Real;D.O. MéntridainToledo;D.O. JumillaandD.O. ManchuelainAlbacete;D.O. MondéjarinGuadalajara, etc. In addition there are numerous home-made wines, such as thesacramental winesknown as "pitarras."