Castropodame - GASTRONOMY

The town is part of the production area of six foods that stand out for their quality wine, apple Pacific pomfret, pepper, Botillo, cecina and pear.

The wine:

Su zona His area

The situation in the region of Bierzo makes your human and cultural influences are spread across the plateau del Duero and Galicia. It's a depression (450 m above sea level) surrounded by mountain formations.

The climate

It is a mild climate and mild, temperate, governed by some moisture but insolaciones complemented by strong and prolonged, Mediterranean-type. Its low altitude prevents frost, which makes the harvest is on a month on the de Castilla y Rioja.

Variety

a. The most popular is the mencia, red grapes cabernet related to the French and Portuguese bowman weevil. It produces wines of intense color, with purple and touches very suitable for aging.

Apple Pacific pomfret:

According to various opinions, the history of Apple Reineta and its introduction in El Bierzo is linked, like the vineyard and chestnut, the colonization of our District by the Roman Empire. Others believe that religious orders were with their gardens adjacent which contributed to its introduction, especially over the centuries XII, XIII and XIV along with pilgrimages Jacob, with multiple citations and references of visitors and pilgrims over the centuries. Or perhaps they were members of the strange and enigmatic Military Order of the Temple, from 1,178 to 1,312 seated in the castles of Ponferrada, Cornatel, Aguiar, Sarracín Balboa and those who knew appreciate our Reineta although they were not their duties more recognized.

Pepper:

It begins to cultivate pepper in the middle of the seventeenth century helped by the mild climate that characterizes the region.

In 1650 was used to dry in the sun and in 1669 began roasting, increasing consumption considerably. Its virtues were imposed and were housewives Berciano who started the tradition of Pepper Asado del Bierzo. The pepper was released outside the Bierzo, as a jewel of gastronomy Berciano, becoming one of the symbols of Bierzo. The birth of the first crafts industry, canning occurred in 1818 in Villafranca del Bierzo.

On November 12, 2002, a quality label for a product such as the exquisite Pepper Asado del Bierzo

The Botillo:

The term "Botillo," derives from the Latin "botellus" or "botulus," translated by sausage, or chorizo sausage. In reality this is the guts of thick pork sausages under which various types of meat from that animal. The Botillo is a typical product of our region that has later asoma by land bordering maragatas, lacianegas or Galician.

The historical origins of Botillo are discussed. Some historians argue that its origin is Roman, suggesting the possibility that this dish was consumed during their stay in El Bierzo; happen to their medieval world, becoming a delicacy of abbots, bishops and kings. Others argue that the monks were Carracedo, or a hermit monk, inventors of Botillo. Both are based on the mention of terms like "Botillo", "botellus" or "botulus" in various documents of these times.

Account tradition that the first Botillo who ate was the Christmas Eve, and the rest are either eaten on Sundays or holidays of the employers of each people, being the last year the Botillo who ate at " Entroido "or Carnival. Considered "festive dish" could not miss in religious celebrations or weddings.

However, the lack of a specific gastronomic literature and literary little news about our region over the past century make it difficult to document the existence of Botillo until the nineteenth century, when poets and writers Berciano, mention it in their works, describing it as we know it today.

In our century references to Botillo del Bierzo are very frequent. His interest gastronomic se ha ido accentuating over the years, achieving that in 1992 collected the Botillo in the Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua, explicitly recognizing its origin Berciano.

The Cecina:

It is a delicacy similar to ham and made by curing the leg of veal. Protegida . It also makes goat, horse and even rabbit or hare, while the cow is the only collection that is as protected geographical indications. Very typical of the province of Leon (Spain). It is classified as protected geographical indications (PGI) by the European Union, and with designation of origin by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Spain.

A little story about the cecina:

For factors terrain, climate and human enable you to obtain the product with their own qualities. The beef cecina de Leon food represents a message of vital importance, because of its importance in the native province of Leon. Columela (s.IV BC) and incorporates cecina in its pages of the Treaty of agriculture. Enrique Gil y Carrasco, poet and writer, reflected in numerous stories and articles, the customs of the Leon province, in one of them, published in Madrid in 1843, entitled "The pastor Travellers", recounts the life of the pastoralists he calls "the sons of mountain. " This article has dismissed the pastors of their families to embark on the road alongside las Merinas by glens: "For the next day you'll be ready the fiambrera's pastor, which consists of a large supply of cecina and ham ... "

In the collection of Leon Lands, Sponsorship Garcia Gutierrez drew the cecina among other products as part of the diets contained in documents of the time. Between 1835 and 1839, the city of Leon in a five consumed 4,800 arrobas of cecina in one year and 972 common arrobas and, according to statistics provided by the dictionary Madoz, it was estimated that "the quantities consumed per person in a year is common arrobas of 0137. "

Padre Island is characterized by handling the pen liberal, satirical and ironic, to occupy a prominent place in the Spanish Literature of the eighteenth century. He lived in Valderas (Leon), until its entry into the Society of Jesus. In the description that makes Anton Zot in the work of Fray Gerundio Campazas, said the quality and variety of meals so unique character: "Man of Machorro. Cecina and bread mediated ordinary day ..."

The pear:

The variety pear conference has a great adaptation to the agro-climatic zone of the District of El Bierzo (Leon), is also a traditional crop in the fruit-growing Berciano.

Conference to Pera del Bierzo, is a variety of large caliber, with elongated symmetrical appearance pyriform, light green with intense hues and yellowish brown, smell a half of intense russeting natural juiciness the high court, tough skin, soft flesh, flesh yellowish white, high juiciness in the mouth, great sweetness, acidity minimum, and very little granularity low astringency.