Ajo blanco, eel stew, roasted hare, gachas, beef tongue, lentils, migas, morteruelo, tagarninas, beef feet… These are just some of the dishes that appear in Don Quixote and whose recipes were compiled by the Cervantes Institute in this interesting and complete recipe book that will delight foodies who enjoy a historical twist to their meals.
The recipe book is perfect to investigate and experiment at home but if you want to enjoy the food that Don Quixote and Sancho Panza would be used to having on the 400th anniversary of the death of their creator, try El Ingenio. Despite this restaurant’s character focusing on Cervantes’ works, it doesn’t fall into the undesirable theme-park category despite having items and reproductions of the characters in Don Quixote. One curiosity is that they have more than 40 different editions of this immortal book in languages such as Asturian, Vietnamese or Cypriot.
Founded in 1960, it’s an endearing, charming and unpretentious restaurant that serves lunches and dinners at prices of 30 euros per person, offering menus of traditional Castilian cuisine that are delicious yet unsophisticated, with special attention falling upon its homemade desserts. You can check its menu here, which includes starters such as the classic Castilian soup, lentil stew or chick peas with butifarra (as a tribute to Don Quixote’s arrival at Barcino, perhaps?). Its main courses are copious and would make Don Quixote and Sancho Panza dream, since they were used to more humble menus. They include lamb stew with apple purée or the simple yet irresistible homemade meatballs cooked in Spanish sauce. As a dessert, make sure you try its orange flan with chocolate drops.
Cervantes lovers should definitely visit Alcalá de Henares, the writer’s birthplace, and eat at La Cúpula, a stunning old restaurant that used to be a Capuchin convent. It offers a succulent Cervantine Menu (42 euros per person) that includes exquisite dishes such as foie gras with cranberry sauce, grilled Retinto rib-eye steak or sea bass fillet with baby eels and prawns. The menu is not exactly evocative of this literary masterpiece but who needs an excuse to enjoy this delicious meal? Enjoy!
