La Rioja's gastronomic pantry, stocked with the products of the area's abundant market gardens, offers a complete range of vegetables, including peppers, asparagus, artichokes, and cauliflowers. These form the basis of the community's most unique dishes, such as vegetable stew (the region's classic dish), its famous Riojan potatoes (made with chorizo), "caparrones" (a delicious type of kidney bean), and "pochas," a type of white bean that is served "immature".
Lamb cutlets with vine shoots, offal—lamb trotters, "patorrillo" (sheep intestine), "lecherillas" (lamb sweetbreads), and "embuchado" (sausage in intestine)—pears in wine, and fruit compotes complete the repertoire of specialties that comprise the "taste of La Rioja," whose roasts, sauces (fried), and spices (chillies and paprika) make it so distinctive.
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