Nine Restaurants Reinterpret the Somontano Culinary Tradition in a Contemporary Way with ‘Saborea Guara Somontano’

The traditional cuisine of Somontano is being renewed without losing its soul. Nine restaurants in the area have joined the project Saborea Guara Somontano, driven by the Comarca de Somontano in collaboration with the Aragonese Center for Gastronomic Innovation (CIGA), to incorporate locally reinterpreted recipes into their menus. The new offerings will be available starting on May 1, and are part of a cookbook edited with an author’s imprint and a vision for the future.

Recipes with roots and creativity

Each restaurant has selected a recipe from Aragonese popular cuisine, made with local products, and has transformed it while respecting its essence. The result is a catalog of dishes that combine memory, territory, and culinary personality. From snails with ajaceite at Casa Pardina to royal rabbit with stewed shoulder at Hotel San Ramón, including a unique oven-baked rice with chireta at La Lonja del Vino or Swiss chard stalks with cured meats at Victoria Gastrobar. Other notable dishes include the lamb stew from Restaurante Sommos, the chiretas a la importancia from L’Usuella, or the Aragonese salmorejo with rice tortilla and Graus longaniza marinade offered by Trasiego. The milk soups from La Oveja Negra and the ricotta with honey and nuts from Tres Caminos complete a selection that speaks of the landscape, the products, and the people.

Territorial cuisine as a rural driver

The project is part of the Tourism Sustainability Plan in Destination Saborea Guara Somontano, funded by Next Generation EU funds, and aims to not only promote Somontano’s cuisine but also strengthen culinary identity as an economic, cultural, and touristic resource.

“We want to defend our gastronomic heritage as a driving force for rural development,” stated Saúl Pérez, president of the Comarca de Somontano, during the official presentation. “Our products are excellent, and this project is the result of the union between producers, chefs, and administration.”

The cookbook has been coordinated by Ismael Ferrer, gastronomic director of CIGA, who has guided the creative process of the chefs. For Ferrer, the project represents “a unique opportunity to showcase the culinary diversity of the region, with dishes that reflect its cultural identity”. He also emphasizes the value of collaboration as a tool to create a strong, sustainable, and differentiating offer.

The cookbook, designed and produced by Stendhal Estudio, is also a key piece: elegant, visually appealing, and rich in content that blends tradition, innovation, and visual attractiveness. It will be available for consultation at www.comarcadesomontano.org and www.turismosomontano.es.

The recipes will not only be a seasonal promotional action: they will be permanently included in the restaurant menus. However, during the May bridge, all participating establishments will highlight them in a special joint action, inviting both visitors and locals to try this new way of savoring Somontano.

This project, in addition to strengthening local dining, aims at the heart of wine and gastronomy tourism as a strategy for the future. It is part of the National Wine and Gastronomy Plan, within the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, which aims to consolidate sustainable destinations linked to their territory.

In Ferrer’s words: “This cookbook is more than just a book: it is an invitation to discover a territory through its flavors”.