Ávila Beef and the Chuletón

Ávila is famous for its beef — the Chuletón de Ávila is one of Spain's great steaks

Ávila has one of the strongest food identities of any small city in Castile, and it is built around beef. The avileña negra-ibérica breed of cattle — a hardy, dark-coated animal adapted to the high Castilian plateau — produces meat that is widely considered among the best in Spain. The chuletón de Ávila, a thick-cut T-bone grilled over charcoal, appears on virtually every menu in the old town and is the default order for anyone visiting for the first time. It needs nothing beyond salt and a glass of the local Tempranillo-based wine.

The restaurants around the Plaza del Mercado Chico and on Calle San Segundo offer the best versions. El Almacén and Las Cancelas (on Calle la Cruz Vieja, just inside the walls) are among the most respected. Prices are higher than you might expect for a small provincial city — a good chuletón is not cheap anywhere in Spain — but the quality justifies it. The yemas de Santa Teresa are the sweet counterpart: finish a chuletón lunch with the egg-yolk pastries from one of the convent shops nearby.

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The Ávila breed of cattle — vaca avileña — has been raised on the high plateau around the city for centuries. The combination of altitude, cold climate, and rough granite pasture produces meat of exceptional flavour and marbling. The chuletón (T-bone steak) from an avileña cow can weigh over a kilogram and is traditionally grilled over charcoal and served very simply. Butchers in the Mercado Chico sell it raw, and the restaurants around the old town compete on whose version is most authentic. This is one Spanish food tradition that is not oversold.

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