Olivenza Gastronomy

The Oliventine cuisine is typical of the Extremaduran-Alentejo area. A cuisine typical of the life of shepherds and farm workers, who made the most of everything. From hard bread they obtained the tasty breakfast migas or the various soups, the most popular being the tomato soup, with its aromatic oregano, accompanied by higos de rey or esteveros and the delicious gazpachos. The pork sausages, which were fattened at home, and slaughtered with the cold of San Martín, would fill the pantry almost all year, with their chorizos, various morcillas (de lustre, de sábado, fariñeras), mondongos, their good beta bacon, lomos and morcones, dried in the immense Alentejo chimneys of Olivenza and its villages. La caldereta, made of lamb meat, also for festivals, as well as revoltillos.

As for the fish of the Guadiana and the Olivenza River, the bogue, carp and barbel make for succulent recipes, such as "carpa a la papilonia" (not exactly “al papillote”).

Olivenza's pastries are particularly rich, especially those made at specific times of the year, such as Los Santos—bizcochos like the Bolo Podre, asubías (in the form of a sweet empanada, with peeled chickpea dough) gañotes, perronillas, tomatú, mimitos, pestiños, piñonate (Portuguese for "walnut") and the renowned Técula Mécula.