The varied geography of the province of Jaen offers the beauty of its natural landscapes and the architecture together with the monuments in its villages and cities which keep alive the memory of a past of great splendour.
Large expanses of gentle landscapes with olive groves stretching to the horizon. And among the olives and the lush vegetation that its nature reserves, you will find outstanding examples of Iberian art, churches, cathedrals, palaces and castles built in the Gothic, Renaissance or Baroque style. Jaen is a land of excellent olive oil, and offers a dreamlike landscape for anyone passing through the Despeñaperros ravine which leads to the south.
The province of Jaen has had a significant historic role since ancient times. You can still see important remains dating from the time of the Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian settlers. The battle of Navas de Tolosa in 1212 marked the end of five centuries of Muslim domination.The kingdom of Jaen became a major strategic enclave on the frontier with the kingdom of Grenada. From the 16th century on the province entered a period of decline. In 1808 it regained its historic role when Napoleon was defeated at the battle of Bailen. The Spanish Civil War brought a deep depression, until in the 60s the industrial boom of Linares and La Carolina gave a significant economic boost to the province. Ubeda and Baeza, with their cultural prominence and the rise of the olive oil industry, have a good outlook for future development.
The geographic profile of the province of Jaen, in which flat areas of fertile countryside with gentle contours alternate with zones of ridges and craggy mountain ranges, offers a landscape of imposing natural beauty, in which olive groves occupy two thirds of the cultivable land. In the mountain areas, with their rich and varied fauna, the typical Mediterranean vegetation can be seen in all its splendour.
The province of Jaen is the gateway to Andalusia, and is located to the northeast of the Autonomous Region of Andalusia, at the head of the Guadalquivir river, halfway between the Sierra Morena and the Bética ranges. It has an extension of 13,496.09 km2, and borders the province of Ciudad Real in the north, Cordoba in the west, Grenada in the south and Albacete in the east. The capital of the province is the city of Jaen.
Historically, some of its preparations find their origin in the Andalusian cuisine of the Middle Ages, as well as in the typical pastoral culinary preparations in the north and east of the province. The main ingredient, due to olive production, corresponds to olive oil.The origins of Jaen cuisine go back to Hispano-Roman cuisine, where the ingredient of olive oil was established as an agricultural production.During the Andalusian period it received powerful influences from the Caliphate of Córdoba until the establishment of the Taifa of Jaén. This caused the area to have powerful influences from Andalusian cuisine over a period of five centuries. The 16th century Sevillian gourmet poet Baltasar de Alcázar already mentions the characteristics of Jaen cuisine. In his poem he also refers to various ingredients such as salads and purple olives, black pudding with pine nuts, etc.
The crumbs (both bread and flour) are very popular, an example is the mountain crumbs accompanied with radishes, melon or chocolate. The preparation of some sauces such as atao garlic, is frequent in some areas of the north of the province. It is the most common ingredient in Jaen cuisine, it comes from the orchards and fields of the province. Many of them participate in the various gazpachos. Among them it is worth highlighting the ajilimojili, the rin-ran, the aubergine alboronía (similar to the Manchego pisto), the very popular pipirrana.There are spinach in the style of Jaen (seasoned with dried peppers and croutons).Ajoblanco (served with raisins), rice with fish, green asparagus gazpachuelo, and Jaen's own salmorejo are popular. Pickles such as capers and caperberries are made in the same way. Peppers are usually dried and some of them have a common application in the kitchen: one case is chorizo. Salad preparations such as artichoke salad (made with the bud of the arcarcil -alcaucil-).
The legumes are included in stews; chard and spinach stews are the most famous ones. The bean stew (beans "cascás" "cascades"), beans with partridge, chickpea stews with chard and spinach, dry bean stew with aubergines, Carmelite stew, stew with rolls are common. Among the rice dishes, the rice of Jaen is popular, with a southern influence there is also the curious cortijero rice. Among the cereals there are some bread preparations called ochíos that are made in different ways throughout the province, the spoons ("cucharros"), which is a piece of bread with oil and paprika, usually accompanied with the traditional seasoned olives, beans, radishes, cod, black pudding in a kettle (which is a gutless black pudding that is generally served fried), more chorizo ...
The mountainous regions have diverse dishes of meat of greater game. In many municipalities, the slaughter of the pig leaves numerous preparations of specific sausages such as black pudding from Jaen, white blood pudding, Carnival filling, picadillo (a jigote of ham, potatoes, garlic, parsley), andrajos.In some cases the "picadillo" before being sausage is served in what is usually called "angels" ("angelillos"). An example is the spatter. Lamb dishes are common in the north of the province. Choto al ajo cabañil is common, as well as roasted kid. Influenced by the cuisine of Cordoba are the rolled ham flamenquines. Poultry dishes have partridge and quail as their protagonists, such as partridge salad a la baezana, pickled partridge, etc. Game meat prepared like venison pie with sweet and sour sauce. The slaughter of the pig leaves abundant dishes and preparations, one of the most popular is the black pudding from Jaen.
The fish involved as ingredients of Jaén cuisine, being indoor, correspond to pickles and salted fish. Among the river fish there is the trout from the rivers of Jaen made with butter, pieces of ham with bacon, parsley, white wine and salt.
Jaen is a land of olive groves, and it is not surprising that it is common to see both olive oil and table olives seasoned in various ways in dishes. The olive pâtés are famous. It is one of the Spanish areas with the highest olive production. There are various denominations of origin from Jaen such as Jaen Sierra Sur, Sierra Mágina, Sierra de Cazorla, Sierra de Segura.The oil participates in some specialties such as the hole (bread and oil). The so-called "olive hole" is prepared by removing the breadcrumb from a round loaf and then adding a generous drizzle of olive oil, and sometimes tomato. This simple delicacy is accompanied in Jaen with olives, cod and radishes.
Jaen pastries offer the same elements as Andalusian cuisine, that is, mantecados, pestiños (called gusanillos), almond sweets, donuts, with and without wine, alfajores. The pastries of the Trinitarian Mothers of Martos, among which the crust stands out. Typical of Easter are the "panetes de bacalao" and the "sweet rice".
A unique landscape in the world, with a "humanized" forest of more than 60 million olive trees in the land leader in the production of olive oil of the highest quality, is the best destination to practice olive oil tourism in its purest form. You can enjoy our varied tourist offer related to the olive grove and oil: museums, mills to visit, specialized restaurants, rural lodgings, farmhouses, festivals, tastings, tastings or oil spas. A journey through the essence of the olive culture that only in Jaen you can enjoy in its fullness. An experience that will not leave you indifferent in the territory whose oils have won the most international recognition.
Jaen is the green lung of Spain, the largest expanse of protected natural areas in Spain, with four natural parks: Despeñaperros, Sierra de Andújar, Sierra Mágina and Sierras de Cazorla Segura and Las Villas, the second largest in Europe. A paradise for adventure and nature tourism. In the heart of the largest forest in southern Europe there is the longest circular hiking trail in southern Europe.
The heritage of decisive crossroads in European history: Ubeda and Baeza, World Heritage Sites, head an unparalleled display of Renaissance architecture throughout the province. The main seat of the Iberians, a mythical peninsular culture; the territory that experienced three memorable battles that changed the course of history (Baecula, Navas de Tolosa and Bailen) is home to the largest concentration of castles in Europe. Eighteen historical sites and a set of cave paintings declared World Heritage.
An ideal destination for a cultured, discerning, sophisticated and art of living oriented tourism. Our travel offers are immersed in a world of rural authenticity with a diversity of offers for all tastes and ages. A very special and exclusive offer that allows unique experiences in dramatized visits and recreations in unique castles in the world, without giving up the adventure of a day in the nature of the typical Mediterranean forest or savor an exquisite cuisine with extra virgin olive oil.