277- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
iii. Central Spain
Spain’s roomy interior gathers round the stew pot,
producing hearty, filling food.The parched landscape
ofLa Manchais not without its culinary delicacies:
saffron, garlic, pickled aubergines, almonds, olive oil
from Montes deToledo (DO), and Spain’s most famous
honey,miel de la Alcarria, are all produced here. Game
looms large in the traditional diet with rabbit, partridge
and deer all cooked with local herbs and garlic.Castile y
Leónshares a similar love of stews, meat and more
meat. Pork is popular – no part of the pig is discarded –
while one of the oldest breeds of cow in Europe, the
negra Ibéricaof Avila is cured or grilled.The plains grow
some of the best Spanish pulses, with lentils from La
Armuña and white kidney beans from El Barco de Avila
fetching a particularly high price. InExtremadurathe
pig rules supreme. Fattened on acorns, they produce
the aromatic flavour of Spain’s best ham,jamón ibérico.
Asparagus grows wild and, in the north, paprika is
cultivated just a stone’s throw from where it was
originally planted over 500 years ago.In the last 15 years,Madridhas staked its claim as
the gastronomic heart of Spain, handpicking produce
from all corners of the country: tuna from Cadiz, spicy
butifarrasausages from Catalonia and scallops from
the Atlantic.The austerity of Francoist Spain has,
understandably, been erased by a lust for all things
previously denied or rationed and a culinary renaissance
has duly ensued. Madrileños are devoted seafood lovers
–theyhavethestuffflownineveryday–andconsume
more than 15 kg of fish every year. A celebration in
Madrid wouldn’t be the same without mussels, shrimps
(gambas)orgoosebarnacles(percebes)andat
Christmas sea bream is the dish of choice.Arabs brought saffron
to Spain over 1,000
years ago.Today around 70 per cent
of the world’s saffron is
grown on the Castilian
plateau.For ten frenetic October
days each year, farmers
pluck the flowers while
women skilfully separate
out the reddish stigma.As the crocus flower
opens it must be
harvested before the sun
gets too high or it will
dry out.200 crocus flowers are
required to obtain a
single gram of saffron.The threads used to be
roasted in a sieve over a
charcoal fire; today they
use gas.Red Gold of
La Mancha:
saffron facts