Soria Gastronomy
The cuisine of this region combines the simplicity
of dishes such as sopa de ajo, made of garlic, paprika and bread,
or migas de pastor ("shepherd´s breadcrumbs")
from Soria, with more elaborate dishes like menestra de verduras,
a combination of vegetables from the market gardens which are
to be found in river basins and areas watered by the Canals of
Castilla and Campos, or on the Riojan riverbanks.
As this is an area of cereal and pulse cultivation, these products
are to be found everywhere: lentils and chick peas have always
formed the staple diet. Meals are always accompanied by good bread,
such as hogaza, a heavy flat loaf made from flour from the local
mills, completing the cycle of cereal production in the region.
At the heart of local cooking are farmyard poultry, rabbit and
suckling pig, which are always present on the best menus. Stewed
local pigeon, product of the many dovecots... pickled game...
beef and lamb casseroles and roasts. Not forgetting the pig: hams,
chorizos and Spanish sausages, cured meats....... and, a local
peculiarity, cecina, made of horse meat in the area of Tierra
de Campos.
Fish is also present in local gastronomy, the result of trade
with ports in the north of the peninsula: casseroles and other
dishes with cod, hake or bream. And of course trout, usually served
fried with ham, or freshwater crabs in sauce. In Soria, a local
speciality is cured cod.
The cheeses are renowned for their strong aroma and flavour, usually
made of sheep´s milk, and occasionally a mixture of sheep
and cow´s milk. The most highly-prized are those from Cerrato,
or from Villalón in Valladolid. The Soria region produces
exquisite goat´s cheeses.
Good food must be accompanied by good wine. Here we find wines
described as Denominación de Origen, meaning they meet
consistently high standards: Ribera del Duero, dark red wines,
aged in oak barrels; the young, fresh whites of Rueda, made with
the Verdejo grape, and the fruity rosés of Cigales. Not
forgetting, of course, the famous Rioja wines - reds, whites and
rosés - the most traditional and well-known in the entire
region.
For dessert we have biscuits from Aguilar, whose aroma scents
the air in the entire region, the mantecadas of Carrion (sponge
cakes), and tocino de cielo ("heavenly bacon" - a sweet
made with egg yolk and sugar) from Palencia. Pine nuts, present
in the cuisine of Valladolid, almendras garrapiñadas (caramel-coated
almonds), pan lechuguino (milk bread), bollos (sweet buns)....
and the sweet morcilla of Soria (made with raisins and pine nuts).
Without a doubt, a very wide choice.
Soria guide