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Traditional food
Menestras
Due to the availability of beans, asparagus, and potatoes, the cuisine of La
Rioja is similar to that of Navarra. Vegetable stews, or menestras, are very
popular. Other dishes include Patatas Riojanas (potatoes and chorizo) and Pochas
Riojanas (beans, chorizo, and green or red peppers). The homey foods of La
Rioja perfectly complement the region's world-class wines - the real star of
the Riojana table.
Haro is the center of wine production, and a well-known folkloristic event is its annual "battle of the wine".
Of major touristic interest is the the Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James), a part of which leads through La Rioja. The monasteries along that way are not only of high artistic but as well cultural importance, here was written the first text ever in Castilian Spanish.
La Rioja offers great possibilities for rural tourism,
and if you like hunting, fishing, climbing or hiking it is certainly a place
to take into consideration.
Speaking of regional gastronomy, we come back to La Rioja wine, which exists
in seven varieties, four of them red and three white. Anyhow one shouldn't
forget about another speciality, Pimientos del Piquillo, a delicious and sweet
kind of red peppers. Highlights of traditional cooking include lamb, and the
marzipan of Sierra de Cameros, of high reputation in all Spain.
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