Maestrazgo Gastronomy
The Maestrazgo region has an excellent gastronomic heritage based mainly on agricultural and livestock products and all the fruits offered by the territory, hunting, fishing, mushroom and other plant gathering, etc.
Today the cuisine prepared by Maestrazgo restaurants has been able to adapt to the market, trying to take advantage of the proven quality of the raw materials with the traditional know-how of the old recipes, but incorporating new products and methods that in many cases bring it closer to the avant-garde cuisine.
We have rich pots, broths and stews, as well as dishes based on game meat, veal, veal or pork products, which are accompanied with excellent olive oil, various species of mushrooms or aromatic herbs.
Many of the Maestrazgo restaurants belong to Maestrazgo Tourist Association or to other organizations at the provincial level, with which they participate in different gastronomic events such as the Black Truffle Gastronomic Days in February and March, the Templar Menus between April and July, the Provincial Teruel Ham Tapas Contest in September, the Perolico Route in December, or the Mycological Days between September and November, in the season when the most mushrooms are harvested in Maestrazg
The mycological reserve of Maestrazgo
The forests of Maestrazgo offer us, both in spring and autumn, a great variety of mushrooms. Its collection and, of course, its ingestion, is a widespread practice. Hundreds of enthusiasts set out every weekend to scour mushrooms, meadows and forests in search of these delicacies, being able to find numerous species, among which stands out the Lactarius Deliciosus, known as “revollón” or “rovellón”, which is undoubtedly the most popular and abundant.
The Maestrazgo region was a pioneer in the regulation of mushroom picking with the aim of enhancing the value and sustainable management of mycological resources and guaranteeing their conservation. In order to harvest, it is necessary to obtain a daily or weekend permit, together with a guide with information about the hunting grounds where it is possible to harvest, the objectives of the regulation, the rules, etc. When the season starts, a system of online permit sales is implemented, in addition to the possibility of purchasing them in the establishments of the territory.
The restaurants in the area take advantage of these delicacies to offer, during the picking season, menus based on mushrooms, where you can taste delicacies such as “Mellow rice with duck gizzards and robellones”, “Black trumpet bread with Tronchón mayonnaise”, “Pork tenderloin with black slug and Port reduction”, “Oak leaf salad with pickled robellones and white llanega pâté” or “Mushroom cream with truffle aroma”.
Gastronomic events
Autumn Gastronomic Days
Maestrazgo Tourist Association organizes every year the Autumn Gastronomic Days, where mushrooms, nuts, seasonal vegetables and meats of the region are the protagonists. Different restaurants offer special menus in which mushrooms will be paired with seasonal products of the territory. Game meat, nuts, chestnuts, almonds, figs or pumpkin accompany the mushrooms that can be collected during autumn in the forests of Maestrazgo. All this without forgetting the Tronchón cheese, Maestrazgo beef, honey or ham. Be sure to try dishes such as “Mushroom croquettes”, “Cod with soft mushroom aioli”, “Game confit dish with robellones”, “Avocado and roasted vegetables timbale with pickled mushrooms and cured duck breast” or “Pheasant ravioli with demigla sauce”.
Templar Menus
If you visit Maestrazgo in spring you can complete your visit by trying the delicious Templar-inspired menus, where the restaurateurs of Maestrazgo, based on the ingredients that were used at the time, have imagined the dishes that the Templars might have eaten. Delicacies such as “Pheasant cannelloni with foie cream”, “Farinette cream with crispy bread and ham”, “Hen stuffed with pork jowl and raisins with leek and cabbage stew” or “Figs and apples cooked in red wine with cinnamon and pepper” are sure to leave no one indifferent.
