TRADITIONAL CONFECTIONERY

Leonese people’s care and appreciation for food is evidenced in confectionery, such as the Mantecadas from Astorga. They are obtained from whipped dough, made of plain wheat flour, hen’s egg, cow’s butter, pig’s lard and sugars. The areas where they are made and packaged are endorsed by the “Mantecadas de Astorga” Protected Geographical Indication. These places are the towns of Astorga, Brazuelo, San Justo de la Vega and Valderrey.

Also in the capitol of the La Maragatería, Astorga, there is another irresistible temptation. The Hojaldres (puff pastry) from Astorga are puffy, rectangular sweets coated in syrup. They have a pleasant, smooth flavor. They are delicious as a dessert or accompanied by coffee

Among the puffy confectionery we can find another two creations: the Nicanores from Boñar and the Lazos de San Guillermo. The Nicanores were the outcome of the creativity of a pastry chef from Boñar, Nicanor Rodríguez (hence their name), in 1880. They consist of puff dough shaped like a daisy, whose main ingredient is butter.

On the other hand, the Lazos come from the mountains of León and they are a type of creamy-looking puff pastry coated with icing sugar and ground almond crumbs. In their making, high-quality butter from the province is used, as well as flour and eggs. This tantalizing sweet for the sweet-toothed people is from Cistierna, town where they have been handcrafted for many decades.

Another sample of confectionery is the Imperiales from La Bañeza. These are rectangular sweets with a smooth and pleasant texture, made with almond, sugar and egg. As with other cases, their origin can be attributed to a smart pastry chef, the La Bañeza-born Emilio Alonso Ferrero, in whose furnace the Imperiales were first made in 1892.

The liquid gold from the province

Honey is the liquid gold from the province of León. The most abundant one is the “miel de brezo” (heather honey), with its dark reddish color and rich in iron. It is followed by “miel de bosque” (forest honey), very dark and native of the mountains. The third type is “miel de mil flores” (thousand-flowers honey), produced at the lower areas of the province: the river banks and Tierra de Campos. The main honey makers are the areas of La Maragatería, La Cepeda and El Bierzo.

Monastic confectionery

Worthy of fame are also the products from monastic confectionery, such as the Canutillos, and especially Los Amarguillos. The latter sweets are round pastries with a toast almond on top. Oven-baked and coated in egg, the main ingredients of these pastries are eggs, flour, almonds and wafers.