Description
Mantecados de Estepa PGI are baked dough sweets made from the basic ingredients of wheat flour, pork lard and icing sugar, with various additional ingredients that depend on the variety: Cinnamon, Olive Oil, Home-made style, Almond, Cocoa, Coconut, Lemon, Hazelnut and Vanilla.
Production Area
The production area of Mantecados de Estepa PGI comprises the municipality of Estepa, in the Province of Seville.
Production Method
the sweets must be packaged individually, either mechanically in heat-sealed cellophane paper, or mechanically/manually in tissue paper twisted at both ends. This must be done after the product has cooled to a temperature of below 10 °C, preventing breakage and ensuring that they retain their physical and chemical properties and organoleptic characteristics. Where the sweets are made with olive oil, the lard is replaced by extra virgin olive oil.
Appearance and Flavour
Mantecados de Estepa PGI are round in shape and weigh up to 50 grams. They are toasted chestnut colour, firm on the outside and soft inside, with a slightly cracked surface. They are smooth on the palate and melt in the mouth. The flavour depends on the variety.
History
The name Mantecados de Estepa has traditionally been used to denote a type of Christmas sweet that has been made in Estepa with the same recipe for over a hundred years. The mantecado dates back to the XVI century, and its origins lie between the cities of Antequera and Estepa, in central Andalusia. Documents in the archives of the Convent of Santa Clara in Estepa show that confectioners were employed to meet the demand from Seville and Madrid, where they sent their products. Old recipes for Mantecados de Estepa, show that they were made from a mixture of cereals and the excess pork lard left over from slaughter in December, explaining why this sweet has always been eaten at Christmas. Micaela Ruiz Téllez, who was born in Estepa in 1824, invented the current form of the Mantecado and in 1870 the Mantecados de Estepa was marketed with immediate success. In 1934 there were about fifteen small factories in Estepa: there are now over 25, most of which have been passed down from one generation to the next, with some now being run by the third generation.
Gastronomy
Mantecados de Estepa PGI should be kept in a cool, dry place away from direct light and heat sources. They are traditionally eaten during the Christmas season.
Marketing
The product is marketed as Mantecados de Estepa PGI in the varieties Cinnamon, Olive Oil, Almond, Cocoa, Coconut, Lemon, Hazelnut and Vanilla. They are packaged either individually or together with other Christmas sweets such as polvorones, alfajores and roscos de vino. The individually packaged Mantecados may be marketed singularly or in boxes of 100 grams to 5 kg.
Distinctive Features
Mantecados de Estepa PGI are of high quality, soft and crumbly due to the fact that the flour is refined and toasted.
