Logroño, La Rioja

I am a big fan of La Rioja in Spain. I think it is an area that is too often bypassed by visitors to Spain. Too often i see people simply load up their vehicles with good local wine and then leave the place. They don't try the food. They should.

And don't simply take my word for it.

Logroño in La Rioja has just been awarded the title 'Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2012.'
A new award initiated by the Spanish Hospitality Federation and the Spanish Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers.

The capital of La Rioja, Logroño, is a pleasant sprawling place full of good places to eat. I found it refreshing that such an overlooked location was given the award ahead of more famous gastronomic destinations such as Seville, Segovia and Granada.

La Rioja is not just about great wine. What could you have to eat if you sat outside one of the many restaurants there?

Well the tapas there are great. On display in the bars and so many to choose from. I like the fact that you can see and select the food on offer.

The markets in La Rioja sell lots and lots of fresh vegetables. Not just fruit and veg but also snails and mushrooms. Red bell peppers, goat's milk cottage cheese and chili sausage are also on offer.

Some of the best meat dishes I have tasted were so good because they were cooked with wine from La Rioja.

Then there are the wonderful locally grown potatoes. They are often served to you, Riojan style, in a stew with green and red bell peppers, onions and garlic. Quail is served with baby fava beans (Pochas con Codornices). A lamb stew is brimming over with ingredients such as artichoke hearts, chili, potatoes and peppers.

And for dessert it has to be Sorbete de la Rioja (La Rioja wine sorbet). Or pears in red wine from one of the many bodegas dotted around La Rioja.

I'm surprised those who give out gastronomic awards have finally found their way to Logroño. But i am not remotely surprised that they were so impressed with the food there that they chose to award the inaugural title of Capital of Spanish Gastronomy to a lovely place where the food is as classy as La Rioja itself.