Aragon is often referred to as a place where cooking is plain. What’s wrong with plain? In the case of Aragon, absolutely nothing. This is the home of good, honest, fullsome cooking. It’s people are hardy and the food they eat is all about being filling and warming.In a region that borders France, and encompasses the Pyrenees, it is inevitable that locally hunted or bred animals deliver to the dining table succulent meat. Lamb, Wild Boar, Venison are just three meats that are served so often throughout the diverse area of Aragon. The south of Aragon produces some of the best ham in Spain. Pata Negra, deriving from the compound fed Iberian pig, is the finest of all Spanish hams, both in texture and to taste. The meals you can expect to savour include roast suckling pig, boar pot roast or a lamb hotpot with paprika.It’s not all meat though. Snails are another popular dish in Aragon. It must be the French influence. Plenty of ingredients grow wild in the countryside. Mushrooms, borage, sweet onions and asparagus are plentiful and used in cooking regularly.But the people of Aragon also have a sweet tooth. The area is famous for its candied fruits. The so called Frutas de Aragon are sugar candied fruits, some of which are covered in chocolate. But there are rules governing the manufacture of the sweets. They can only be made from apples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, figs plums and oranges. Only sugar may be used for candying. Artificial preservatives and colorings are not allowed. Any chocolate used must consist of at least 34% cocoa butter, and no other fat is permitted. So you will see that the gagstronomy of Aragon is, to say the least, varied. And most certainly not plain.