Morteruelo: the Spanish pâté which inspired someone write a poem about it.

Here we are:

We are in a little municipality located in the bare landscape of Cuenca, Spain, where, every year, people gather to answer a very important question: who makes the most delicious morteruelo in the world?

There are differet varieties of morteruelo, but in its most basic form, is a pâté, sometimes called pâté de fois gras Manchego, consisting of pork liver, spices, and a variety of meats ranging from rabbit to partridge to quail. The name come from the tool most usual for making it: in fact, chefs pulverize cooked liver using a mortar, then add it to a big skillet along with game meat, seasonings, and bread crumbs, which transforms everything into a thick paste. Slowly, cooks add broth (or sometimes milk) and stir until the potage reaches the perfect consistency.

Residents of Villar del Humo, a small village in Cuenca, show their love for this dish with an annual competition in its honor. But there’s more: love for morteruelo it so unlimited that one 19th-century poet committed the recipe to verse.
If you can’t partecipate to the big event in Villar del Humo, that typically occurs the second week of August, you can search for a tapas bar in La Mancha, where the loved dish will probably arrive in a warm clay pot accompanied by local bread. But this is essential: morteruela is perfect only with a robust Spanish red wine! 😉