Extremadura

Fried flattened dough, top with sugar, honey

Flower-shaped pastries, made by dipping flower-shaped iron molds into the batter, then into hot oil

Cookies covered with powdered sugar

Shortbread cookie, common during Christmas

A pestiño is a Christmas or Holy Week pastry that is popular in Andalusia and other regions of southern Spain. It is a piece of dough, deep-fried in olive oil and glazed with honey or cinnamon sugar. The prestiño dates back to the 16th century, being mentioned in the book La Lozana Andaluza, which was written in 1528. Normally the dough is flavoured with sesame. Its form and composition vary from region to region and are different in Medina-Sidonia, Cádiz, Chiclana de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Rota, Salobreña and other towns in Andalusia. In these towns they are typical for Christmas but in the rest of Andalusia they are eaten throughout the year.

Fried dough noodles that resemble pine nuts coated in honey

Tecula mecula is a traditional dessert from Extremadura, a region of western Spain. It is made from almonds, egg yolks, sugar and sometimes acorns.

Rice with rabbit and snails

Stewed lamb with potatoes, vegetables

Tripe, offal and vegetable stew

Chicken and chickpea stew

Lambs of the Merino breed or Merino cross-breeds reared in Extremadura

Cuchifritos or cochifritos refers to various fried foods prepared principally of pork in Spanish and Puerto Rican cuisine. In Spain, cuchifritos are a typical dish from Segovia in Castile. The dish consists of pork meat fried in olive oil and garlic and served hot. In Puerto Rico they include a variety of dishes including morcilla (blood sausage), rellenos de papa (fried potato balls stuffed with meat), and chicharron (fried pork skin), and other parts of the pig prepared in different ways. Some cuchifritos dishes are prepared using cooking plantain as a primary ingredient. Cuchifritos vendors also typically serve juices and drinks such as passionfruit, pineapple, and coconut juice, as well as ajonjolí, a drink made from sesame seeds. The term used to refer to small, fried parts of a pig. It is incorrectly thought that it derives its name from the word cuchí, short for cochino or pig and frito, which describes something that is fried.

Cold vegetable and ham soup

Partridge, or other game bird, that is semi-pickled with vinegar, commonly served with a salad

Roasted leg of kid goat

Stuffed piquillo peppers

Chicken in a rich and creamy white wine sauce with herbs, garlic, saffron and cinnamon, thickened with ground almonds

Veal from Avileña Negra Ibérica, Berrendas, Blanca Cacereña, Morucha and Retinta cattle raised in Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain

Extra virgin olive oil made in Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain using Ergot, Jabata and Picual olives

Ambrunés, Navalinda, Pico Limón Negro, Pico Negro and Pico Colorado cherries from Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain

Cured ham and shoulder meat from Ibérico-pigs meat, produced in the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain

A sausage made with lard, bread, oil and flour, farinato does not contain meat

Extra virgin olive oil using Manzanilla Cacereña olives, from Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain

Iberian ham, serve with, for example, bread, olives, wine

Honey from Caceres, Extremadura, Spain

Mashed potatoes, meat and paprika

Creamy wine sauce with herbs, garlic, saffron, cinnamon, thickened with ground almonds, used in the dish pollo en pepitoria

Smoked paprika, made by smoke-drying peppers with oak wood, from La Vera, Extremadura, Spain

Marinated vegetable salad made with tomatoes, bell peppers, Italian green peppers, cucumbers, olives, onions, hard boiled eggs, there are several variations, some resemble a salad whereas others are more like gazpacho

Queso de La Serena is a cheese made from Merino sheep milk in the comarca of La Serena, in Extremadura, Spain. The pure sheep milk is curdled using a coagulant found in the pistils of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus). This ingredient lends a light bitterness to the otherwise slightly salty taste. It is aged for at least sixty days. When the cheese has a creamy consistency in the centre, it is traditionally eaten by slicing off the top and scooping out the inside with a spoon, and it is known as Torta de La Serena. If it is allowed to mature further it becomes harder, develops a stronger taste and is known as Queso de La Serena. Torta de La Serena differs from the Torta del Casar, which is also made in Extremadura, because it is made only from Merino sheep milk, whereas Torta del Casar is made from milk from mixed breeds; and also because less rennet (coagulant) is used. These two conditions result in a milder cheese. It differs from Queijo Serra da Estrela, made in neighbouring Portugal, because, although Queijo Serra da Estrela is, like Torta de La Serena, made entirely from Merino sheep milk, is uses more rennet (more even than Torta del Casar). This results in Queijo Serra da Estrela having a stronger, more bitter taste. The Torta de La Serena is a PDO.

Cheese with rinds prepared with paprika and olive oil, from Extremadura, Spain

Pork loin in whiskey sauce

Tomate frito is a pureed tomato sauce with a hint of onion and garlic, that can be used as a base ingredient or enjoyed simply for its own flavour. It is distinct from most tomato sauces because the tomatoes have been fried, and its ingredients include a small amount of vegetable oil. It is the most common tomato ingredient of Spanish cuisine other than fresh tomatoes, and is sold under many brand names. When made by first low frying garlic and onion pieces in oil with spices and then adding the tomato puree, it is known as sofrito.