Gastronomy
The gastronomy in Puente Genil is rich and varied. Vegetables have always been present in the Pontanese diet. The river Genil crosses our municipality, and its banks are filled with countless orchards that have supplied the region with fruit and vegetables since ancient times. Eggplants, peppers and tomatoes of exceptional quality, together with olive oils, which have won many prizes, are the basis of our cuisine. A kitchen with an orchard base that can be tasted in the restaurants and shops located in our municipality. Most of our villages are located in the orchards, El Palomar, Ribera Baja and Alta, Puertoalegre, La Mina. From the orchard to the table, products of the highest quality, together with meat, fish and seafood, favoured by the proximity of the coast and by having a railway station since the 19th century. The products derived from the slaughter of the pig occupy a prominent place, among them the marinated loin and the homemade chorizo. Include flamenquín, salmorejo, lomo con almendras, which are some of the exquisite dishes of our most traditional cuisine.
For the feast of San Marcos on 25 April, a salad is prepared with chopped hard-boiled egg, typical of Puente Genil, although it can be eaten at any time of year.
The Casa Pedro restaurant prepares a lamb with quince sauce, typical of this establishment. The fine wines of Puente Genil, produced by the Delgado and Vinolea La Purísima wineries, as well as the sparkling wines to accompany the seafood, are of great quality. We also have a production of red and verdejo, with the Bodega El Pujío, pioneer in the production of red wine in the south of Córdoba. The typical eight, because of its shape, made with bread dough is also typical of Puente Genil.
Estepa Protected Designation of Origin
Puente Genil is part of the Estepa Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) which has the strictest criteria in the world when it comes to certifying extra virgin olive oil.
More than 100 national and international awards and prizes place the Estepa PDO as one of the most recognized olive oil designations of origin in the world. This is thanks to the constant effort to value the production of extra virgin olive oil, from the more than 5,000 farmers who are part of the Designation of Origin.
The Olivarera Pontanense de Puente Genil (Córdoba) is a first-degree cooperative that produces protected extra virgin olive oil and has the Estepa Designation of Origin credential and the Integrated Production certification in Olive Groves and Oil Mills. To learn about the different varieties of EVOO produced in the area, click here: https://www.doestepa.com/en/our-extra-virgin-olive-oils/
To learn more about Olivarera Pontanense, click here: https://www.doestepa.com/en/estepa-protected-designation-of-origin/associated-oil-mills/oleoestepa/
Montilla Moriles Protected Designation of Origin
We are also within the Montilla Moriles Protected Designation of Origin. Montilla Moriles can boast of being one of the oldest designations of origin in our country. It was recognised in 1932 through the Statute of the Vineyard and Wine, which legally protected the names of Montilla and Moriles. And it was registered with the European Union on 13 June 1986.
The typical wines of this area are made with the same variety of white grape: Pedro Ximenez. They are aged under a a cap of ‘flor’ yeast using the Criaderas and Soleras system. Depending on their maturation, we can find young wine, fino, amontillado and oloroso. These wines gradually darken in colour, becoming fortified wines, until they reach a maximum alcohol content of around 20º.
In addition, the sweet wine called Pedro Ximénez, made from this grape variety, is originally from the Montilla – Moriles area. Its consumption is becoming increasingly popular, largely due to its unique characteristics. It is consumed as an accompaniment to desserts or as part of sweet recipes, as well as being enjoyed in any other circumstance. In Puente Genil you can taste the wines of Bodegas Delgado and Vinolea La Purísima.
Bakery
As far as confectionery is concerned, our most universal dessert is the quince jelly, handmade in most of the houses. The porridge with croutons, quince compote, the egg or fried doughnuts, the pestiños and muffins, the doughnuts of porridge, the rebates, are some samples of the most traditional and artisan confectionery.
In short, a wide and varied offer that can be tasted in the numerous restaurants of the town and that will delight the visitors.
