GASTRONOMY

 

The cuisine of Alcalá del Júcar, as in the whole of the province of Albacete, is fundamentally based on the quality of its prime materials and respect for its traditions. On the other hand, many of its typical dishes are closely related to the calendar of festivities and celebrations, combining the very best of Manchego tradition and the Mediterranean.

OF NOTE AMONGST THEM

Gazpachos, the most well-known of Manchego dishes, prepared with game meats, as well as morteruelo, a typical hunting dish, atascaburras (garlic and potato puree), moje (tomato-based ratatouille), migas ruleras (savoury sautéed breadcrumbs) and migas dulces (sweet sautéed breadcrumbs), gachas (oatmeal porridge) and poor man’s potatoes, village stew, potato soup with snails, rice with mountain ham, fried crab.

In Easter Week, the “pelotas de relleno” and garlic soup.
Similarly typical are chicken and rabbit paella and local type of vegetable risotto.

A privileged position is held by lamb and kid goat, prepared in very diverse ways, game meats (hare, rabbit and partridge), marinated pork loin, and all types of sausages.
All local restaurants offer this wide range of typical dishes.


Alcalá del Júcar is one of the most spectacular and picturesque villages in the province of Albacete; its location and the exceptional landscape formed by the Júcar ravine, make us stop and stare at its grandiosity the minute our eyes fall upon it.  Its houses of popular architecture, built into the mountains, adapt to the terrain with steep, narrow streets, climbing up to the Castle which overlooks the ravine formed by the river at its feet.
Type of food preparation such as the elaboration of a soup with ingredients like bread, olive oil, vinegar and raw vegetables, usually tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and garlic. It is usually served cool in the hot summer months. Its color ranges from pale orange to red, as are used more or less ripe tomatoes (which provide a natural dye called lycopene. The origin of the current gazpacho is uncertain, but traditionally has been considered an interior plate of Andalusia (Spain)