The gastronomy and traditional foods of a territory were always related to the agricultural and livestock productions of that area or to those that could be easily imported from other more or less nearby lands. In the Serranía de Cuenca and in Beteta, the domestic elaboration of sausages, to eat them dry or to preserve them fried, and the drying of saloon or “somarro” of goat, sheep and pork hams, reflect their ancient livestock tradition.

These products facilitated the preparation of the so-called “meriendas”, that is, the midday meal that shepherds and farmers took with them when they went to work in the fields for the whole day. To these products we have to add the bacon, the chorizos, the gueñas and the black puddings of rice, all of them related to the domestic breeding and the slaughter of the pig. The slaughter always had a festive and familiar character, marked by the laborious and meticulous work required, where women were the main protagonists.

The fertile orchards of the Vega de Beteta provided vegetables, legumes and tubers, offering a great variety of products to the food of the region. All this was completed with the import or barter of wine and brandy, which came from the nearby region of Campichuelo, salted sardines and cod, also salted, which came from more or less distant seas.

Typical, therefore, are the products of slaughter, lamb stew, porridge, migas, zarajos or the traditional morteruelo, a kind of pate made with game meat. In general, these are dishes with basic ingredients such as artatunos, a kind of omelette made with potatoes and bread, which arose as a way of creating different dishes with the same ingredients as always. For many years, crayfish and trout were part of the mountain gastronomy; however, the decline of their populations, once abundant in the rivers of the region, has led to their disappearance in the local gastronomy.

Many dishes are linked to religious festivities and celebrations. Among them are the garbanzada or Easter stew, prepared with chickpeas and cod, traditional on Good Friday. During Lent, the “orejillas de fraile” are very typical of Valtablado, a kind of fritters accompanied by a sugar and cinnamon syrup. On the day of the slaughter it was customary to enjoy the chapurrao, a liqueur made with anise, coffee and orange peel, accompanied by a dinner of pinto beans. The sweet touch of the festivities was provided by mantecados, tortos de chicharrones, dormidos and rosquillos de sartén, which were prepared for the main festivities, as well as for weddings and Christmas celebrations.