Jamón Ibérico and Migas at Casa Florencio
Alcántara sits in the heartland of Spain's finest pork country, and Casa Florencio — a no-frills family restaurant on the edge of the old town — is the place to eat it honestly and cheaply. The menu reads like a greatest hits of Extremaduran cooking: jamón ibérico de bellota, migas with chorizo, and slow-braised partridge in season.
What to Order
Start with a board of hand-carved jamón ibérico from acorn-fed pigs raised in the surrounding dehesa — the fat is nutty and the meat a deep burgundy that tastes nothing like supermarket ham. Follow it with migas extremeñas, the region's beloved dish of pan-fried breadcrumbs tossed with garlic, paprika, chorizo and sometimes grapes, which sounds humble but is profoundly satisfying.
If you visit between October and February, order the perdiz estofada (stewed partridge) — the birds are hunted locally and braised with white wine, bay and thyme until the meat falls from the bone. A glass of robust Ribera del Guadiana red from Extremadura completes the picture perfectly.
The Broader Food Culture of Alcántara
The town lends its name to a famous preparation — Pollo a la Alcántara and Perdiz a la Alcántara — dishes that use port wine and truffles, said to have been discovered in the Convento de San Benito's kitchen by Napoleon's troops in 1807. Several restaurants in town offer their own interpretations; ask specifically for 'recetas del convento' to explore this culinary footnote.
The local torta del casar cheese, made from raw sheep's milk with a liquid, pungent centre, is sold in small shops near the plaza and makes an exceptional souvenir — provided you can keep it cool on the journey home.
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