My city (Valladolid)

MANUEL AND EVA

The town hall

Is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales. It is the capital of the province of Valladolid and of the autonomous community of Castile and Leon

The tipical food

• Valladolid also offers a great assortment of wild mushrooms. Asparagus, endive and beans can also be found. Some legumes, like white beans and lentils are particularly good. Pine nuts are also produced in great quantities.

• Sheep cheese from Villalón de Campos, the famous pata de mulo (mule's leg) is usually unripened (fresh), but if it is cured the ripening process brings out such flavour that it can compete with the best sheep cheeses in Spain.

• In the area of bread Valladolid has a bread to go with every dish, like the delicious cuadros from Medina del Campo, the muffins, the pork-scratching bread and the lechuguinos, with a pattern of concentric circles that resemble a head of lettuce.

History

• During the time of Moorish rule in Spain the Christian kings moved the population of this region north into more easily defended areas, and deliberately created a no-mans' land as a buffer zone against further Moorish conquests. Valladolid was captured from the Moors in the 10th century, remaining a small village until king Alfonso VI of Castile donated it to count Pedro Ansúrez in 1072. He built a palace (now lost) for himself and his wife, countess Eylo, the Collegiate of St. Mary and the La Antigua churches. In the 12th and 13th centuries Valladolid grew rapidly, thanks also to the commercial privileges granted by the kings Alfonso VIII and Alfonso X, as well as to the repopulation of the area after the Reconquista.

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