Ruta de la Plata

The gastronomy of Zamora is conditioned by its fields of grain, market-gardens and vineyards, on the one hand, and on the other, by the local livestock, characteristic of many of the towns in the province.

Farm produce, properly seasoned, is the source of many of the typical dishes, such as arroz a la zamorana (Zamora-style rice). Garlic, green pepper, onion, oregano and leg and ear of pork are some of the ingredients which flavour this excellent dish. Other outstanding starters include: sopa de boda (wedding soup), with cured ham and sausage; sopa de ajo (garlic soup), a must on the cold dawn of Good Friday; and dos y pingada, fried eggs, fried cured ham and slices of fried bread, eaten on Easter Sunday.

There is a variety of good-quality meat for roasting: beef, kid, lamb and chuletón de ternera de Aliste (veal steak from Aliste), a product with an official Designation of Origin.

Zamora also has fish dishes: bacalao a la tranca (cod with hard-boiled egg and peppers), truchas de Sanabria (trout from Sanabria) and pulpo a la sanabresa (Sanabria-style octopus), just to name a few.

Other exceptional products are red peppers from Benavente, chickpeas from Fuentesaúco, large beans and honey from Sanabria and asparagus from La Guareña and Toro.

As regards desserts, there is a variety of cheeses, like the ewe's milk cheese, the only one in Castille and León to boast the official Designation of Origin. There are many kinds of cakes, pastries and sweets: rebojo zamorano, aceitadas de Semana Santa, flores de Carnaval, cañas zamoranas, as well as an assortment from the monasteries and convents, such as rosquillas de ángel, los amarguillos and tarta de Cister, for the most part, traditionally-made.

Where wines are concerned, the Land of Wine -Toro, Fermoselle and Benavente- stand out for producing good-quality wines. Moreover, mention must be made of the fact that the wines from Toro enjoyed privileges in the Middle Ages and that nowadays these wines possess the official Designation of Origin.

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