Castilla La Mancha
is famous for its lamb considered to be the best in Spain. The
famous cheese of the area Machego is produced from lambs milk. Roast
lamb is another of the region's specialities. Perhaps the most
common dishes of the region are the stews and casseroles made in
earthenware bowls. Los Gazpachos is a famous stew of the area and
can be made using whatever ingredients are available including
chicken, pigeon, beef , pork or lamb. The sauce made from
onions stock and peppers is thickened with chunks of bread.
This is real peasant food, hearty and sustaining.
Castilla La Mancha
also produces marzipan and saffron, not forgetting olives and most
importantly garlic. Castilla la Mancha produces more
garlic than any other Spanish region and the crop is exported
throughout Spain. Other local cuisine includes river crabs, trout
and game. There are over 700 restaurants in the area, serving
mainly local cuisine.
Paella
Paella is the
Spanish national dish and is eaten throughout Spain. Sunday
lunchtime is the traditional time to eat paella and all the family
troop down to their local restaurant and spend most of the afternoon
eating and drinking. Paella varies from region to region.
Paella originated in Valencia and the Valencian paella is still
regarded as the authentic version. It usually consists of a
mixture of seafood and chicken with either beans or peas. If
you'd like to try paella,
I've put my recipe here.
