The gastronomy of Palencia reflects the knowledge and traditions of the old Castilian stoves. It is a farmhouse and shepherding cooking, with simple preparations but meticulous in every detail and betting on local products. The sopa castellana (castilian soup) and the menestra palentina (palentina stew) stand out, but Palencia also excels for the cheese, perdiz guisada or escabechada (stewed or pickled partridge), pisto (ratatouille), its delicious pastries, products of the garden or those from the slaughter, such as morcilla (black pudding), although the star dish is with no doubt the lechazo asado (roast suckling lamb), especially the churra breed, recognized with a designation of origin. Roasted or "entreasado," it is made in a clay pot and a wood-fired oven, only seasoned with lard, water and salt. The Lamb chops, pigeons from Tierra de Campos, trout, snails or crabs complete this varied gastronomy, a well-deserved incentive to add to the landscape, heritage, art, culture or history of this land. During the last years, numerous restaurants have opened their doors to a new gastronomy of evolution that has managed to renew the local recipe book while preserving the roots of its culinary tradition.
