Morteruelo
(Pâté de fois gras manchego, Morteruelo conquense)
Morteruelo is a dense, savory pâté-like dish from the province of Cuenca, located in the Castilla-La Mancha region of central Spain. It is commonly served warm as a starter or tapa and is recognized for its rich combination of liver and meats finely ground and bound together in a thick, spiced paste.
The dish has long been associated with rural Spanish cuisine, where it emerged as a practical and flavorful way to make use of preserved and accessible meats during colder months. Historically, morteruelo is believed to date back to the Middle Ages, when game and organ meats were more commonly used in everyday cooking, particularly in interior regions far from the coast.
The name itself is linked to the Spanish word mortero, meaning mortar, referencing the original method of pounding the meat by hand to achieve a smooth consistency. The preparation begins with slow-cooking a mixture of meats, which often includes pork liver, lean pork, partridge, chicken, or hare, depending on local availability and family preference. Read more
Once tender, the meats and offal are shredded or finely minced, then combined with a base of reduced cooking broth, lard or rendered fat, and breadcrumbs to achieve its thick consistency. The mixture is seasoned with warm spices such as cumin, black pepper, and paprika, lending the dish a deeply savory and mildly earthy profile.
It is then cooked again to bind all components into a cohesive, spoonable paste. Morteruelo’s distinct character lies in its texture and intensity. It is smoother and more spreadable than a meat stew but coarser than a mousse or pâté.
In Cuenca and surrounding towns, it is widely considered a symbol of regional gastronomy and can be found in local taverns and family gatherings, especially in cooler seasons. While it remains lesser-known outside Castilla-La Mancha, morteruelo holds a strong culinary identity within the region, reflecting the historical reliance on preserved game, offal, and slow cooking as essential aspects of rural Spanish foodways.
