• Varied cooking
• Typical products
• The “Maragato” stew
• Typical dishes
• Cheese, fruit and cakes
• Wine

Varied cooking

The cooking of León is varied. In its dishes you can taste the vicinity of Galicia and Asturias, as well as you can taste the fact that León belongs to a region with a delicate palate as has Castile and León.

Meat, vegetables, cheese, fish and cakes: from the medieval and Moorish recipes to the ancient broths and soups of the mountainous regions; everything can be found in the menus served at the homes and the restaurants of León.

Typical products

In order to know the cooking of León, you need to know its typical products, like the cured meats: “cecina”, which generally comes from cows and, sometimes, from young goats. This kind of meat is cured in the open air in the mountains. It is the best known product of the region.

It is said that the “cecina” coming from horses and donkeys is even better, but it is very difficult to find this kind of meat nowadays.

The “botillo” coming from the Bierzo region, is another type of typical meat of León and it is usually accompanied by “chorizos” and products obtained with the traditional slaughters (because smoked “chorizo” and black pudding are also typical products of León), or with potatoes and vegetables.

The “Bierzo pie” also comes from the Bierzo region. “Callos” and gizzard are also usually found at the restaurants and taverns of the region. Of the vegetables, the green beans proceeding from La Bañeza stand out.

The “Maragato” stew

And from the combination of some of these ingredients comes the protagonist: the “Maragato” stew; the most famous dish of Leon's gastronomy.

Traditionally, (so that the meat won’t cool down, as is believed) it is eaten the other way round: you begin by eating the meat, then you eat the chickpeas, and you finish by eating the soup. And then, of course, the dessert: Maragato cake. Many restaurants include this stew in their menus.

Typical dishes

The “pot of el Bierzo”, which has a bit of everything, is another typical dish of León. In fact, León is really the province of cauldrons cooking on a low flame; of traditional slaughters, and of stews. Cooked hare with beans and cooked lamb with potatoes are also delicious dishes from León.

Cod, which is a constant ingredient in the cooking of Castile and León, since the time it was introduced by the region of Cantabria, is also present in the recipes of León, as well as trout, which lives in the cold waters of the rivers in the mountainous regions of the province. It is served in many different ways, but “trout soup” is outstanding.

Cheese, fruit and cake

Among other products, the different types of cheese of the region are noteworthy. They are delicious and varied and proceed from sheep (like the “Chincho cheese”), goats (like the cheese from Babia and Laciana), or from cows, like the cheeses of La Armada. There is also the blue cheese from Valdeón proceeding from the peaks of Europe.

The fruit proceeding from León is also worth mentioning: pippins, pears, cherries…and other fruits of the province, like peppers (which roasted constitute one of the bases of the cooking of León) or chestnuts.

Apart from the “Maragato cake”, there are also the famous buns from Astorga, the “nicanores” from Boñar or the “imperials” of La Bañeza among the delicious cakes of the region.

Wine

The wine of El Bierzo is, without a doubt, extraordinary. In general, the Mencía grapes are used for red wine and the Valenciana, Godello and Malvasía grapes are used for white wine. Among the different types of wine from El Bierzo, there is also rosé wine to be found. The wine from Valdevimbre, “Los Oteros” and rosé of “aguja”, have also world renowned quality and are produced in the plains of the Esla.

Amongst such variety, we can find, without a doubt, something to accompany the great dishes of León.