Castilla La Mancha Overview

Filled with sleepy medieval towns, cliffs, and—of course—windmills, Castilla La Mancha provokes the imagination with its solitary beauty. Drawing its name from the Arabic word manza (parched earth) and the Spanish mancha (stain), the province remains one of Spain’s least-developed regions. Long ago, it was the epicenter of conflict between Christians and Muslims, and so became the domain of military orders modeled after crusading institutions like the Knights Templar, a society of powerful warrior-monks. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the region saw struggles between Castilla and Aragón before they were united in 1492 by the Reyes Católicos, Fernando and Isabel. Castilla La Mancha is Spain’s largest wine-producing region, if not its best (Valdepeñas is a popular table wine), and the abundant olive groves and wild game influence local recipes, including Toledo’s famed partridge dish. Stews, roast meats, and game are all manchego staples, as is queso manchego, Spain’s beloved national cheese.

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