Characterised by its collection of contrasting landscapes and mixture of cultures, the province of Zaragoza has been afforded a gastronomy that is full of a wide range of fresh and interesting products. Soups, hearty stews, casseroles, roasted or barbecued meats, legumes and fresh vegetabales form a large part of the diet here.
Its prolific pyrennean pastures, dense woodlands, fertile lower valleys and warm dry climate create the perfect environment to produce some of Spain's highest quality meats, agricultural products, cheeses and wines. Stand-out specialties include outstanding roasted baby lamb (ternasco); free-range, vegetable fed beef and pork; cured and smoked meats like longaniza sausages; chorizo (spicy sausage); morcilla (blood sausage) and jamón (cured ham) from Teruel. However, if meat is not your thing, you need not worry, as plenty of fish can actually be found here too, mainly trout, salmon, lamprey and eels that come from the scores of rivers and reservoirs here. While Zaragoza may not be on the sea, it is a logistical centre for the distribution of goods all over the country and therefore receives shipments of fresh fish from the coasts every day.
The Spanish do love their cheeses, and Zaragozans are certainly no exception. Cheeses from here are made from cow's, goat's and sheep's milk and can be found fresh or cured. The most famous local cheese is Tronchon; so famous, in fact, that Cervantes himself mentions it in the legendary novel Don Quixote.
Aragon, with Zaragoza as it's capital, is the inland autonomous community with the most kilometres of river, making agriculture and the production of vegetables and fruit one of it's most important economic forces. As a result, on offer is a long and exceptional list of legumbres (pulses), and cereals like: lentils, chickpeas, beans, and rices. And an abundance of vegetables such as: wild mushrooms, asparragus, sweet onions, cardoons (from the artichoke family), swiss chard and Borrage, which is a wild plant and tasty vegetable unique to this area. Another unique product, plentiful in this region, is the truffle. The most important truffle markets in Spain operate here with the nearby province of Teruel as it's leading national producer. Truffles usually grow deep under the ground, making them very difficult to find, so locals here often continue the tradition of employing the help of well-trained dogs - or even pigs - to find this precious fungus. Look for truffles as one of the ingredients on many of the menus in Zaragoza restaurants. This area also tops Spain in the growth of stone fruits, such as peaches, nectarines and apricots, as well as delicious quality pit fruits like apples and pears. You can even try a "drunk peach or pear" here, which is basically peaches or pears that have been soaked in wine and that are served for dessert. Other sweets include flat sponge cake, roscon (ring shaped, cream filled cake), frutas de Aragon (Turkish delight style glacé fruits) or nougat made from almonds, honey and sugar.
