Cantabria

Cantabria

Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...

 has a variety of foodstuffs, including freshwater and sea fish and seafood, fruit and vegetables, and beef.

Fish and seafood

Seafood is widely used, from the entire coast and the Bay of Santander

Bay of Santander

The Bay of Santander is both a comarca of Cantabria and the largest estuary on the North coast of Spain, with an extension of 22.42 km² 9km long and 5 km wide...

 in particular, including clam

Clam

The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...

s, mussel

Mussel

The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...

s, murga

Murga

Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed in Uruguay and in Argentina during the Carnival season. Murga groups operate in Montevideo and at the Buenos Aires Carnival, though to a lesser extent than in Montevideo; the Argentine murga is more centred on dancing and less on vocals than the...

s, cockles

Cockle (bivalve)

Cockle is the common name for a group of small, edible, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Cardiidae.Various species of cockles live in sandy sheltered beaches throughout the world....

, crab

Crab

True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...

s, barnacle

Barnacle

A barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive settings. They are sessile suspension feeders, and have...

s, crayfish

Crayfish

Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...

, snail

Snail

Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...

s, lobster

Lobster

Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...

, and squid

Squid

Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...

. Fish include sea bass, hake, scorpion fish, anchovies, sardine

Sardine

Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....

, and bonito.

The bonito is used in one of the most typical dishes of the region: sorropotún or marmita

Marmitako

Tuna pot, marmitako in Basque Country and marmita, marmite or sorropotún in Cantabria is a fish stew that was eaten on tuna fishing boats in the Cantabrian Sea. Today it is a beautiful and simple dish with potatoes, onions, pimientos, and tomatoes.The original French word marmite is a metal pot...

.

Some of the most renowned Cantabrian dishes are hake in green sauce, squid with onions and squid ink, and clam casserole.

Meats

Veal

Veal

Veal is the meat of young cattle , as opposed to meat from older cattle. Though veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds...

 is widely used, often from the Tudanca cow. The National Cattle Fair of Torrelavega, the largest cattle fair in Spain, is held in the region.

Game is also of high quality: deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

, roe deer

Roe Deer

The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...

 and wild boar. The pig

Pig

A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...

 is a key element for the cocido montañés, with bean

Bean

Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....

s, cabbage

Cabbage

Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...

 and other ingredients.

Pastry

Cantabian pastries include the traditional sobao

Sobao

Sobao or sobao pasiego is a Spanish delicacy typical for the valleys of Pas and Miera and one of the signature delicacies of Cantabria.The sobao pasiego possesses Geographical indication since 2004.-Variations:...

s and quesadas pasiegas. Puff pastry

Puff pastry

In baking, a puff pastry is a light, flaky, leavened pastry containing several layers of fat which is in solid state at 20 °C . In raw form, puff pastry is a dough which is spread with solid fat and repeatedly folded and rolled out and used to produce the aforementioned pastries...

 is widely used, with different names in different regions: Corbatas in Unquera

Unquera

Unquera is a village with 803 inhabitants in the municipality of Val de San Vicente, in the west of the province of Cantabria, Spain. Sitting on the ría de Tina Menor, it borders Asturias....

 and San Vicente de la Barquera

San Vicente de la Barquera

San Vicente de la Barquera is a municipality of Cantabria in northern Spain. It had a population of 4,412 in 2002.-External links:** - Cantabria 102 Municipios...

, Polkas in Torrelavega

Torrelavega

Torrelavega is a municipality and important industrial and commercial hub in the single province Autonomous Community of Cantabria in northern Spain....

, or Sacristanes in Liérganes

Liérganes

Liérganes is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 2,391 inhabitants.-Towns:*Bucarrero*Calgar*Casa del Monte*El Condado*La Costera*Extremera*La Herrán...

.

Other notables sweetmeats are frisuelos and the canónigo, both of Liebana

Liébana

Liébana is a comarca of Cantabria .It covers 570 square kilometers and is located in the southwest of Cantabria, bordering Asturias, León and Palencia...

, corazones in Liérganes and La Cavada, the palucos of Cabezón de la Sal

Cabezón de la Sal

Cabezón de la Sal is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 7,971 inhabitants.- Notable people:*Nacho Vigalondo*Juan Jose Cobo*Jairo Samperio...

, and the tortos and pantortillas of Reinosa

Reinosa

Reinosa is a municipality in Cantabria, Spain. , it has 10,307 inhabitants.-External links:* * - Cantabria 102 Municipios...

.

Other desserts not of Cantabrian origin are rice pudding

Rice pudding

Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and sometimes other ingredients such as cinnamon and raisins. Different variants are used for either desserts or dinners. When used as a dessert, it is commonly combined with a sweetener such as sugar.-Rice pudding around the world:Rice...

, natillas

Natillas

Natillas is a term used to refer different delicacies in the Spanish-speaking world. In Spain, this term refers to a custard dish made with milk and eggs...

 and leche frita

Leche frita

Leche frita is a Spanish sweet typical for the north of Spain. It is made by cooking flour with milk and sugar until it thickens to a firm dough which is then portioned, fried and served with a sugar glaze and cinnamon powder.-History:...

, and fruit jams.

Dairy product

Dairy product

Dairy products are generally defined as foods produced from cow's or domestic buffalo's milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Raw milk for processing comes mainly from cows, and, to a lesser extent,...

s include Cantabrian cream cheese

Cantabrian cream cheese

Cantabrian cream cheese is made from the milk of Friesian cows in Cantabria, a province in northern Spain. The cheese has a Protected Designation of Origin since 1985. The production of the cheese is confined to all parts of Cantabria, except the areas of Tresviso and Menor de Bejes in the western...

, Picón Bejes-Tresviso

Picón Bejes-Tresviso

Picón Bejes-Tresviso is a blue cheese from Cantabria, in the north of Spain. It has been protected under Denominación de Origen legislation since 1994, prior to which it was traditionally known as Picón de Tresviso and Queso Picón de Bejes...

 in Tresviso and Bejes, smoked cheese

Smoked Cheese

Smoked cheese is any cheese that has been specially treated by smoke-curing. It typically has a yellowish-brown outer "skin," which is a result of this curing process. The tradition of flavoring cheese by smoke originated in Denmark making the only type of cheese that is solely a Danish...

s such as Áliva or Pido, and the Quesucos de Liébana, made with a mixture of cow's and sheep milk.

Alcoholic beverages

Orujo

Orujo

Orujo is the name in north-west Spain for pomace brandy . It is a transparent spirit with an alcohol content over 50%...

 is the Cantabrian pomace brandy.

Historically cider

Cider

Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...

 and chacoli wine were a speciality; after a major decline they are recovering.

Cantabria has two wines

Spanish wine

Spanish wines are wines produced in the southwestern European country of Spain. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 2.9 million acres planted—making it the most widely planted wine producing nation but it is the third largest producer of wine in the world, the largest...

 with Denominación de Origen Calificada (Protected Geographical Status

Protected Geographical Status

Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...

): Vino de la Tierra Costa de Cantabria

Costa de Cantabria

Costa de Cantabria is a Spanish geographical indication for Vino de la Tierra wines located in the autonomous region of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain...

 and Vino de la Tierra de Liébana

Liébana (Vino de la Tierra)

Liébana is a Spanish geographical indication for Vino de la Tierra wines located in the autonomous region of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain...

.