EL BOTILLO

Western León is the indisputable kingdom of botillo. Abundant meal that does not call for much sophistication, it is served boiled and accompanied with a generous side of cabbage and potatoes. The town of Bembibre, in El Bierzo, has paid tribute to the excellence of this pork cold cut each February since 1792, at the Festival Nacional de Exaltación del Botillo (“National Festival for the Praise of Botillo”). This cold cut can also be found in the Bierzo version of stews, the olla berciana, which mixes wholesome ingredients such as chorizo, beans, cabbage, shoulder of pork, shank…