Chasing Windmills: A Road Trip Through La Mancha

Something you probably don't know about me is that I'm 50% Manchego (yes, like the cheese) on my father's side and I visit the Spanish region of La Mancha at least once a year. During Holy Week (our Spring break) we chased Don Quixote across the Spanish plains of La Mancha. The two most well-known things about this region are Don Quixote and Manchego cheese. Four centuries after the publication of El Quixote, the adventures of the most famous knight-errant, his loyal squire Sancho Panza and his lady Dulcinea are still alive in the towns and villages of La Mancha. Just as famous are the historic white windmills which Don Quixote fought in one of his adventures thinking they were giants.

Today I want to show you some of the most representative places in La Mancha, its beautiful villages and traditional cuisine.

PUERTO LAPICE
Our first stop in our road trip through La Mancha was Puerto Lapice. In this village, named specifically in El Quijote, you can find the famous inn, Venta del Quijote, which Don Quixote mistook for a castle and the inn keeper pretended to make him a knight. Nowadays it's a popular restaurant and has a small museum with beautiful illustrations of El Quijote made by artists from all around the world. A hidden gem.

Many houses in La Mancha are painted white and indigo blue which is not a coincidence. This region gets temperatures over 40ºC (100º F) most summer days, white reflect light so it keeps houses cooler on scorching days. Indigo on the base is a Mediterranean influence. It protects the base from splashes or brushes. Also, back in the day many painted their doors or windows this shade of blue to banish the devil. Finally, indigo has been used to mark the houses where young women that were of courting age lived.

ALMAGRO

Considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, Almagro was a very important place in the 15th and 16th centuries. The highlight of Almagro is its Plaza Mayor with its green framed window buildings. On one side of the square is the Corral de Comedias, a 16th century open air theater, the only one in Spain of this period. Every summer in July there is a festival where you can watch plays from the 16th and 17th Spanish theater. If you walk around Almagro you'll also find grand houses like the Maestri palace, and the place of the Counts of Valparaiso which are architectural marvels.

The best place to stay in Almagro is El Parador, a former convent turned into a hotel. If you go during Easter you can watch religious processions and the parade of  Los Armaos which represent troops of the Roman Empire during Holy Week. 

CAMPO DE CRIPTANA
This town is crowned by wonderfully preserved 16th century windmills visible from kilometers away. The purpose of windmills is to grind grain into flour by using the power of wind. For a few euros you can visit some of them and a guide will explain how they work. It's actually really interesting. In a nutshell, the leaning pole outside of the windmill is used to turn the roof in the direction of the wind so the blades start moving and the machinery starts working. Needless to say this place is really windy so don't bother bringing a hat!

TYPICAL FOOD

I've already mentioned cheese as the most famous food in La Mancha, but there are plenty of traditional dishes worth naming. On our last day we went to a typical food restaurant aptly called La Mancha in Alcazar de San Juan.

First, we had this appetizer which looks like a nest and then for starters we had a few of the most typical dishes of the region. 

Migas (bread crumbs), is probably the best known and most beloved typical dish of La Mancha. Sometimes called migas de pastor (shepherd's bread crumbs), it was originally a pastoral dish. It was created to make the best of the bread's leftovers. Basically, you soak the crumbs in water and fry them in a skillet with garlic and small slices of pork called torreznos. They are best paired with grapes, because the contrast of sweet and savory is so good!

Gachas which is similar to porridge. Its main ingredients are flour, water, olive oil, garlic, paprika and salt. Long time ago it was considered a rural dish because, like migas, it was cooked by shepherds and it's ingredients and methods are rather "unrefined".

Asadillo is made with roasted red peppers, cut into pieces and with a bit of plain tomato sauce to bind the peppers, then sprinkled with mashed garlic and cumin seeds. It's basically a hearty pepper and tomato salad.

Tiznao means "dirty with ashes and slightly burnt" and it's also the name of this singular dish. It consist of salt cod (not desalted before used) with veggies such as potato, red pepper, garlic and onions which are grilled until the are slightly charred over a charcoal fire.

As the main dish with had a variety of fish and meat.

And finished with some decadent desserts such as carrot cake and cheesecake.

WATCHING A PLAY AT CORRAL DE COMEDIAS IN ALMAGRO
On our last night in La Mancha we want back to the picturesque village of Almagro to watch a play at Corral de Comedias.

If you want to read more about La Mancha or want to try one of their traditional recipes, you should check out these posts:
In Search of Don Quixote
Somewhere in La Mancha: Almagro
How to make Spanish pastries: perrunas
xo Cristina

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