Extremadura is the remotest region of Spain and until fairly
recently the road and rail network was virtually non existent. Most
food was home grown and still is today. The vast fertile plains are
the ideal location for raising the free range pigs which produce the
famous Iberian ham. The free range pigs feed on acorns which
gives the ham a distinctive and sought after flavour. The
video below will give you some idea of the vastness of Extremadura
and the area in which the pigs are raised
As well as pigs, Extemadura has
extensive sheep and cattle farming which produces some of the best
beef and lamb available. The cattle herds are made up of
Retinta,
Iberian Avileña Black, Morucha and Cacereña White. The
resulting beef is tender and juicy. The lamb from Extremadura
is supposed to be the best in Spain and is widely used in recipes
throughout the region. As well as domesticated animals, the
Extremadura region abound in wild game. Boar, deer, rabbit and
pheasants are all part of Extremadura's culinary heritage.
With the quality of the cattle and
pastures, it comes as no surprise to discover some great cheeses.
The best known is Torta del Casar which is widely accepted as
Spain's premier cheese. When it comes to food, Extremadura is
the bread basket of Spain producing every conceivable fruit
vegetable and meat, all of extremely high quality.
Extremadura food has always been based on the seasonal availability
of products. The food is simple and down to earth, reflecting
its peasant origins. Stews and soups would vary depending on what
was to hand. These days with the improvement in the
infrastructure, a wider variety of products can be found in all but
the most remote towns and villages. One of the regions staples
has always been bread and there are a number of recipes which use
bread as the main ingredient. One which is eaten all over Spain, is
Migas. There are many regional variations of migas but its basically
pieces of bread fried with a variety of either peppers, pieces of
bacon or chorizo
Paella is the Spanish national dish and is eaten throughout Spain.
Having no coastline, paella in the Extremadura region was made
mostly with rabbit, snails, chicken etc. Nowadays however, with
refrigerated vehicles making daily deliveries to the region's
supermarkets paella in Extremadura is as likely to contain similar
ingredients to resort areas. Sunday
lunchtime is the traditional time to eat paella this is when all the
family get together 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.
