In recent years, El Barco de Avila has become an attractive spot for tourism, not only for its beautiful location and historical and artistic monuments, but also for its main culinary product, the judiones. Castile and Leon boast having a variety of legumes and for this town, it is their most prominent product. The Judia de El Barco de Avila, located in the Tormes Valley, was the first Spanish product to have Protected Geographical Indication.
There are seven distinct varieties of beans: judia blanca redonda – the most well-known-, the blanca riñón– the most demanded-, the morada –long or round, the arrocina, the planchada and the judión, the largest which can be white, black or marbled. Every type is characterized by its smooth texture and delicate skin, flavor and ease to cook. There are many ways to cook the different types of beans; stewed, cooked, baked etc. Nowadays they combine the beans with different ingredients like mushrooms, sausage, shrimp etc.
But there are other dishes to eat in El Barco de Avila, like trout from the Tormes river, prepared in various ways: marinated, grilled, baked or smoked. Additionally, the rabbit, hare, potatoes and embutidos are among other dishes that stand out in El Barco de Avila. Among the embutidos, the Avila ham and lomo embuchado are noteworthy.