The gastronomy of La Rioja is strongly marked by the products of the land. Paired with its Denomination of Origin wine, the most typical dishes are cooked with food grown in the fertile orchards found throughout the region, especially in the valley of the river Ebro. In addition, Rioja cuisine has another important ingredient: sausages, especially chorizo, the main ingredient in many of its traditional dishes.
If you come to La Rioja, as well as tasting its marvellous wines, we recommend that you set aside time during your trip to sample its traditional gastronomy.
Potatoes with chorizo
A recipe of humble origins that farmers used to prepare after a day’s work in the fields to replenish their strength. Easy to prepare and using the food they had at hand: potatoes, chorizo, peppers, onion, garlic, paprika, bay leaf, salt and olive oil.
Lamb cutlets with vine shoots
Festivals and celebrations in La Rioja almost always feature this dish. Usually roasted in the open air, the Rioja people prepare this dish by adding coarse salt and placing the meat on a grill over a fire, previously lit with dry vine branches. The food should begin to cook once the fire has burnt out and only the embers remain.
Vegetable stew
A dish that is very easy to find in the community of La Rioja, cooked with the vegetables that are most common in its vegetable gardens: onion, artichoke, leek, green beans, green asparagus and peas. Each of them must be cooked to a different degree of doneness, so they have to be prepared separately before being put together.
Cod Rioja style
Cod is another traditional ingredient in Riojan homes. Cooked with tomato sauce, onions, garlic, red pepper, green pepper, olive oil and salt, it is a simple recipe for an exquisite result.
Caparrones
Caparrones are also one of the most typical dishes. Dry pinto beans that can be cooked with different vegetables and accompanied by meat such as chorizo, lamb or bacon. This is the popular name for the well-known Anguiano beans, a product with a Protected Designation of Origin.
Fardelejos
There is always room for dessert, and in La Rioja it is no wonder. Fardelejos are typical sweets from the lower part of the region, of Arab origin and cooked with almond paste wrapped in puff pastry. This is just one example of the wide variety of traditional dishes and desserts in the region’s gastronomy.
If you come to La Rioja, discover its culinary tradition, a reflection of the culture and tradition of a region full of history that will undoubtedly surprise you.
