Olive oil
The quality of good olive oil depends essentially on two factors: the quality of the olives and the agroclimatic conditions under which it is developed. In the Geopark we are in luck. You can find olive oil of the best olive varieties which are grown with great care in a privileged environment. The picual variety is the most important in the world and the most frequently grown in Spain. The name of the variety refers to the shape of the fruit which ends in a point or pico. Among its qualities the persistence of its taste stands out, it is slightly spicy in the mouth. This is very suitable for enhancing the taste of sausages, marinated dishes, raw dishes, salads, and any dish which requires an intense taste with certain fruity aromas. The cornicabra is the second olive variety grown in Spain. Its name refers to its peculiar fruit which is curved in the shape of a horn. Its intense taste makes it versatile for use in the kitchen as it always enhances the flavour of foods. It brings the best out of fried food, roasts, and sautéed dishes and also of cold pastries. Of the 1700 different varieties of olives in the world this is one of the few which is suitable both for the table and for oil production. This is a variety which is highly appreciated for its large amount of flesh and its taste and above all for the excellent properties of the extra virgin olive oil which is extracted from it, which without a doubt can be considered one of the best in the world.
Honey
The honey of the “Villuercas-Ibores” Protected Denomination of Origin is the natural product which is produced by the bees Apis mellifera from the nectar of flowers or secretions from the living parts of plants or found on it. The bees sip, transform, and combine it with specific substances of their own and store it so that it can ripen in the honeycombs of the hive.
The «Villuercas-Ibores” honey must be free from inorganic substances and from organic ones other than those of its composition. Furthermore it will come only from hives recorded on the register of farms of the «Villuercas-Ibores” Protected Denomination of Origin. In addition to its quality as food, the «Villuercas-Ibores» PDO honey has an official seal of approval which guarantees the soil, climate, water, and plants which do not match and balance each other anywhere else.
The melitopalinological analyses carried out at the request of the Regulatory Council have shown that the «Villuercas-Ibores” honey comes from the cork oak, bugloss, heather, lavender, Genista tridentata, chestnut tree, holm oak, hawthorn, white asphodel, cistus, rockrose, ling, dwarf Spanish heath, mastic tree, strawberry tree, yellow restharrow, Aextoxicon puntctuatum, oregano, broom, oak tree, willows, flax-leaved daphne, blackberry and other natural and cultivated plants from this land.
All of them are visited by the bees at their various flowering periods and give this honey the tastes, aromas, and colours which distinguish and ennoble this sweet and healthy product.
Black pudding
This sausage is typical of Guadalupe and is one of those delicacies of Extremadura which you just can’t miss. The black pudding of Guadalupe is made from pork and cabbage. The secret lies in the proportions of the ingredients and it is one of the most popular gastronomic specialities in the Geopark. It can serve as a tapa and also as a full meal. The only question is… sweet or spicy?
Cheeses
Este embutido típico de Guadalupe es uno de los manjares extremeños que no te puedes perder. La morcilla de Guadalupe está elaborada con cerdo y berza. El secreto está en las proporciones de los ingredientes. Es una de las especialidades gastronómicas más solicitadas del Geoparque. Da para una tapa y para una abundante comida. La única pregunta… ¿dulce o picante?
Wines
The wines of Extremadura achieved their seal of identity and quality in 1999. A single Denomination of Origin (DO) protects six sub-areas of vine production in Extremadura, five in the province of Badajoz and one in the province of Cáceres in the Villuercas-Ibores-Jara Geopark: that of the wines of Cañamero. The district is located in the heart of the Sierra de Guadalupe with the vines growing at an average altitude of 849 metres above sea level. Its relief is rather rugged and the crops are located preferably on the hillsides on slaty terrain. It includes the municipalities of Alía, Berzocana, Cañamero, Guadalupe, and Valdecaballeros. The Ribera de Guadiana Denomination of Origin guarantees the wines protected by its brand. This certification process authorises the marketing by the wine cellar of the wines included in our denomination of origin. The wine cellars of the Geopark with wines certified by the Ribera de Guadiana Denomination of Origin are the Ruiz Torres and Carabal cellars.
