In Spanish cuisines, each region has given life to dishes that are authentic treasures of the most traditional cuisine. Flavors of yesteryear which have been passed down from generation to generation and which can now take us back in time. Thanks to the different raw materials and know-how of each region, we have in the Spanish recipe book a very varied range of dishes closely linked to subsistence cuisine which, with humble ingredients and ancestral techniques, connect us to the history of the regions. and authentic local flavors.
However, with time and the rise of globalized cuisine, many of these recipes are at risk of being lost and disappearing forever. It is increasingly difficult to find them in homes, where there is no time to cook, and in restaurants, where fusion and international trends are taking over traditional dishes. Today, what is exotic is focusing on local products, when it seems that this should be precisely the simplest, most economical and healthiest thing.
The rhythm of today’s gastronomy: between the hustle and bustle and processed foods
We live in an era where fast food, processed foods and gastronomic globalization have profoundly changed our eating habits. The frenetic pace of life that we lead, where haste has become the norm, pushes us more and more to opt for quick and unhealthy solutions. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, we spend less and less on fruit and more on prepared meals, and the lack of time, but also of knowledge to set up in the kitchen, fact that, according to data from Aecoc Shopperviewer, 48% of Spanish residents order food at least once a month through home delivery apps, and 22% do it at least once a week.
The globalized market has also contributed to this trend, where exotic ingredients, but often disconnected from the local context, have become popular. We are therefore faced with a new food model which seriously endangers the regional gastronomic heritage, where ancestral dishes, whose preparation requires time and care, are beginning to disappear. A phenomenon that causes a cultural disconnect that threatens to lead to the forgetting of dishes that are part of Spain’s regional identity.
Traditional dishes in danger of disappearing
In this context, at a time when local and traditional demand a place on our table, it is essential to preserve authentic gastronomic gems so that future generations can continue to enjoy them. Some restaurants attached to tradition ensure that they do not fall into oblivion and, among them, Paradores has established itself as a firm protector of this traditional regional gastronomy, which sees its existence in danger, through a cuisine which favors local products, which takes up history to bring out ancestral dishes prepared in the traditional way, with care and, obviously, without haste. Among them, we discuss the history of six traditional dishes that you can taste in the Paradores.
The rags of Úbeda
In the province of Jaén, Andrajos are a peasant dish dating back to the Middle Ages, initially prepared to withstand the harsh winters of the Sierra de Cazorla and later popularized among wealthy families. This stew of flour pancakes with rabbit or cod owes its name to the irregular strips of dough that float in the broth, reminiscent of scraps of old clothing. Today it is difficult to find this dish outside of homes, but some restaurants, such as the Parador de Úbeda, a Renaissance palace located in the historic center of the city, keep it on their menu so that it does not fall into oblivion. And it’s one of their most popular specialties.
Manchego lamb stew
The cuisine of La Mancha is a treasure of popular gastronomy and lamb stew is one of its most representative jewels. It was born as a shepherd’s dish, cooked outdoors in large cauldrons, with simple ingredients but with exceptional results. This La Manche recipe has stood the test of time, even if it is becoming less and less common in the gastronomic offer. The Parador de Albacete, a quiet farm on the outskirts of town, continues to prepare this traditional stew, distinguished by the quality of the local lamb it uses. A dish that coexists on the menu with other typical preparations of the region such as migas Ruleras or Manchego gazpacho.
The Bierzo Botillo
Botillo, an ancestral dish from the Bierzo region of León, is an explosion of flavors that combines rib, tail and bones with pork stuffed in tripe (from the Latin botellus) with large doses of spicy paprika. In short, a way to take advantage of everything that’s left after a killing. This dish of monastic or even Roman origin, which has nourished entire generations, is a symbol of Bercian tables and it is difficult to taste it outside its region. Fortunately, at the Parador de Villafranca del Bierzo, a stone’s throw from Galicia, on the Way of Santiago, this recipe is still present accompanied by cachelos and cabbage, as traditions dictate and as travelers and pilgrims wish.
The antequerana stick
Málaga has one of its most emblematic recipes in porra antequerana, very similar to salmorejo but with a denser texture, because it contains twice as much bread, and an unmistakable flavor, because it also incorporates peppers. With roots dating back to Imperial Rome, when the Romans were preparing a salmorium crushed by a mallet or a stick, it evolves and has been part of Andalusian houses for centuries. However, competition with other more modern dishes makes it more and more difficult to find it on the menus. The Parador de Antequera has taken it upon itself to preserve this tradition in its menu, offering a version faithful to the original, as well as other classics such as antequerano pio.
Garlic mortar or atascaburras
This typical Cuenca dish, known by different names depending on the region, is a powerful stew of potato, cod and oil, whose origins lie in the snow-capped mountains of Cuenca. Legend has it that two shepherds invented it to survive a storm with what they had on hand and the result was so powerful that “it even satisfied the donkeys”. Atascaburras, like other traditional dishes, are disappearing from many restaurants, but the Parador de Cuenca, a 16th-century convent with the best views of the city, continues to offer them, connecting diners with the region’s history and from this place, which serves its dishes in what was once the monks’ refectory.
Milk and cinnamon repapalos
Extremadura’s pastries hide some real gems and milk and cinnamon repápalos, also known as Extremadura frogs or artabellacos, are one of them. This humble dessert, in which bread is the main protagonist, is typical of rural festivals and has its roots in Sephardic and subsistence cuisine. A classic of the La Vera region, the Parador de Jarandilla de la Vera, an imposing castle that served as the residence of Charles V, keeps it on its menu, alongside cuchifrito potatoes or revolconas, preserving its recipe for the pleasure of locals and travelers.
