In all the wine regions where quality wine is produced, there is also always excellent cuisine , and La Rioja is no exception. Although famous for its wineries and its world-renowned designation of origin, the Riojan agricultural tradition also offers many fantastic and high-quality products such as white asparagus, artichokes, Piquillo peppers and many more . In addition, its strategic geographical location, in the south of the Basque Country – world capital of haute cuisine – also helps the treatment of the product to be excellent, providing a very rich and extensive diversity of recipes . In this article we tell you which are the dishes of the gastronomy of La Rioja that you cannot miss.
The 10 best dishes of the gastronomy of La Rioja
Potatoes Riojana’s style
Also known simply as potatoes with chorizo, this simple -as well as delicious- spoon dish is the flagship of Rioja gastronomy . It can be eaten both as a tapa and as a main dish, and it simply consists of potatoes stewed with onion, garlic, chorizo, chorizo, and hot paprika.
Piquillo peppers
At the beginning of autumn, these small and sweet red peppers are roasted in the villages, which are easily the best-known product of the region beyond the limits of La Rioja. As we have already deduced, the pepper is one of the star ingredients in most of the dishes of the gastronomy of La Rioja -especially those that carry the tag “a la riojana” -, and its quality is such that it can be consumed and enjoy both alone and with other ingredients.
They go perfectly with grilled or roasted meats, but are also delicious in stews and salads. They can also be found in all bars as a pincho or tapa, filled with béchamel, cod or minced meat.
Cod a la riojana
Another dish of the gastronomy of La Rioja famous throughout Spain is this delicious cod . It is curious that a fish is one of the main dishes of an inland region, but it is not surprising that it is cod: in the past, it was the only sea fish that reached the region and that could be salted for a long time. Now there is more variety, but this is still the most important dish, cooked with a sauce made with local ingredients: pepper and tomato .
Pochas with quails
Pochas are a type of white bean that is used to make many stews in La Rioja, and among them this variety stands out especially with quail and other products from the area such as bacon, leeks, carrots, green pepper and chorizo pepper . The exquisite thing about a legume like beans is that, when cooked fresh – and not dried, like most legumes – they are so tender that they almost melt in your mouth.
Lamb chops with vine shoots
Roast meats are also one of the main dishes of the region, especially those of young animals such as lamb or suckling pig. A dish that stands out above all the others among the meats of the area are the lamb chops roasted with vine shoots, which are the remains of the pruning of the vineyards and which give the meat an interesting flavor and aroma . When the vine burns, embers are formed on which the meat is burned and which provide the exact temperature it needs to make it tender and just right.
Red caparrons
The caparrones are another typical legume of the gastronomy of La Rioja, a red, small and round bean with which very tasty stews are prepared. The coloraos caparrones are a stew that stands out for the intensity of its flavor and the texture of its broth , and is prepared by cooking the caparrones over low heat with vegetables that are accompanied by pork sacraments (mixture of pork ribs, sausages, blood sausages, ear, bacon and little hands)
Riojan sausage
More than a dish in itself, Riojan sausage is a typical product of the area that is served as a pintxo or tapa in many bars and that delights lovers of offal. It is a kind of sausage that is made from lamb tripe rolled in skeins and seasoned with olive oil and salt . It is served roasted in the oven or after being cut into thin slices and passed through the grill.
Lamb roast
Another typical dish of the gastronomy of La Rioja, but less popular since lamb viscera are not a delicacy for any palate and not everyone likes to eat them. But even so, this recipe is still prepared in many houses and bars in the area. It consists of sliced and sautéed viscera together with onion, garlic, parsley, tomato sauce and paprika in a pan with hot oil.
White asparagus
White asparagus is a regional specialty from the southeast of La Rioja and Navarra that stands out for its flavor and texture . To get the white color, the asparagus are buried and covered with soil to avoid sunlight every time they try to get out, which makes them very tender . You can find them served with different sauces such as mayonnaise, vinaigrette, or simply olive oil in its canned version, but they are also cooked fresh on the grill, in salads, soups, omelettes and scrambled eggs.
Fardalejo
Among the best dishes of the gastronomy of La Rioja, a dessert like fardalejo could not be missing. This delicious dish is typical of the Ardalejo region and its origins date back to the Arab cuisine of the 9th and 10th centuries. It is composed of a thin layer of puff pastry filled with a dough with a texture similar to marzipan that contains egg, sugar, almonds ground and lemon zest . It is served sprinkled with icing sugar and, in addition to being a dessert, it is also eaten a lot at snacks and after-dinner meals to accompany coffee.
