GASTRONOMIC ROUTES

GOAT’S CHEESE ROUTE

The lower sierras are often the natural habitat of the autochthonous retinta and verata goats, where they graze on improvised pastureland and scrub. Goats are primarily bred for their dense, floral milk that is turned in different wonderful cheeses.

Several types of goat’s cheese are available in Extremadura, the differences of which are marked by the way they are handmade, which defines their textures, aromas and flavours.

Goat’s cheese is often compact, has no holes on the inside and ranges in colour from white to ivory. It is produced using recently-milked goat’s milk and animal rennet, normally obtained from the goats themselves. They are austere, forthright cheeses that are the result of a poor and sometimes marginal economy and preserve all the spontaneity of wild flora and fresh air.

Of all the goat’s cheeses in Extremadura, the most famous are those from La Sierra de los Ibores, now protected by a Designation of quality that guarantees their reliability and sale.

Goat’s cheese has been incorporated into Extremadura cuisine, combining it in many different recipes, both in salads and to accompany the meats from the pastureland.

Its gastronomic route is greatly influenced by the cuisine of the Monastery of Guadalupe, the stoves of which represented an entire philosophy in terms of eating and cooking in the 15th and 16th Century, which was to have extremely important repercussions on signature cuisine.

As an educated cuisine for monarchs, lords and priors, it was able to leap over the Monastery threshold to reach local people’s kitchens.

The Monastery still has guest quarters offering excellent haute cuisine where ancient recipes of conventual cooking can be tried, such as ajo de bacalao (garlic cod), tortilla cartujana (Carthusian omelette), pitorras al estilo de Guadalupe (Guadalupe-style woodcock) or rosca de muédago (honey sponge ring).

Pork loin is roasted in goat’s milk in Castañar de Ibor and you can taste excellent goat kid roasts in every town on this route.