Spain - Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2015

Date of issue: 28 January 2015

Printing Procedure: Offset
Paper: Gummed
Seal size: 57.60 mm x 40.90 mm
Size of Sheet: 150 mm x 105.60 mm
Postal value of stamps: € 0.90 each stamp
Block turnover: 220,000

With images that invite the tasting and the delight of the palate, the series Gastronomy Española is broadcast in a leaf-block format, with two stamps that highlight the gastronomic titles of Vitoria and Cáceres.

Vitoria-Gasteiz has held the title of Spanish Capital of Gastronomy in 2014. The birthplace of great chefs and the headquarters of some of the most important training centers in the Basque Country, the capital of Alava has a hotel sector covering more than 300 restaurants and 1,200 bars and cafes. Its cuisine is based mainly on seasonal products, which give rise to traditional dishes and other more imaginative of the so-called "new Basque cuisine." Typical of this land, as well as the rest of the Basque Country and Navarre, are the gastronomic societies, which prove that the culinary art transcends from the stoves to social life. These societies were created in the mid-nineteenth century for the exclusive use of men. At present they have been accommodating to gender equality and admit women.

Among the types of gastronomic shops that are located in Vitoria-Gasteiz are: the bakeries and workshops, with exclusive sweets from the capital of Álava, such as the basquitos and nesquitas; the delicatessen shops, with specialties of preserves, cheeses and charcuterie, and the enotecas, with the txakolis and the wines of the Rioja Alavesa.

In 2015, the title of Spanish Capital of Gastronomy is held by Cáceres. The choice was made by a jury, composed of 12 professionals from the hotel, tourism and journalism, who highlighted "the importance and variety of agro-food products" of this land. With eight appellations of origin and two protected geographical indications, the products of Caceres present in common the quality, the natural origin and the traditional elaboration that has lasted over time. Casar cheese cheeses, Ibores cheeses, paprika de la Vera, and Iberian hams and sausages from dehesas are some of the genuine products of the region.

In the seals they present, respectively, a bar of varied pinchos characteristic of Vitoria, Capital of the Gastronomy 2014; and a still life of typical products of Cáceres, Capital of Gastronomy in 2015. The images are prolonged in the block sheet giving continuity to the composition.

Yolanda Estefanía. Library of the Postal and Telegraphic Museum

Spain - Gastronomy, Protected Designation of Origin of Galicia 2015

Date of issue: 25 September 2015
Printing Procedure: Offset
Paper: Gummed
Stamp Size: 40.90 mm x 28.80 mm
Size of Sheet: 133.00 mm x 99.00 mm
Value of Stamps: € 1 each stamp
Block turnover: 220, 000

A new theme dedicated to Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) is initiated, which disseminates those products that have that nomination. The broadcast will continue in the coming years and, on this occasion, is dedicated to Galicia and the"Pemento de Herbón" and the "Mexillón de Galicia / Mejillón de Galicia" . Both products are reproduced in the block sheet and in the two seals that form it.

"Some stings and others do not", say of the well-known Pimientos de Padrón . It all depends on the amount of capsaicin they contain, which is the component that provides the most spicy. This small green fruit was recognized with the Protected Designation of Origin on July 1, 2009 as Pemento de Herbón . Its production is limited to an area of ​​the Atlantic slope that includes a set of valleys of low altitude, delimited by the Ulla and Sar rivers, and protected by several mountain ranges that isolate the area and provide the suitable climate for the crop. This variety of pepper was introduced by the Franciscan monks of the convent of San Antonio de Herbón, of Padrón City Council, in the 17th century, who brought the seeds from the Mexican state of Tabasco and started their cultivation.

The Galician Mussel / Galician Mussel , rich in minerals (iron, phosphate and zinc) and in vitamins, is a mollusk of appreciated gastronomic flavor that admits multiple recipes. The Galician Mussel Regulatory Council began its activities in 1994 with the aim of promoting the quality of this product so well known today. Due to its geographical location, the Galician estuaries constitute a special environment for mussel farming, since they concentrate an important source of nutrients caused by the confluence of ocean and river currents. The culture of the mollusk is done in rafts and, practically, most of the producers and of the companies that commercialize the mussel, both fresh and processed, are attached to the Denomination of Origin.

In 1945 the first punt was anchored in the Ría de Arousa. A few years later it became a cultivation of great development in the world of aquaculture, being one of the most important economic resources for the people of the area.

Yolanda Estefanía. Library of the Postal and Telegraphic Museum

Spain - Gastronomy, Protected Designation of Origin of Castilla la Mancha 2016

Date of Issue: 09 June 2016
Printing Procedure: Offset
Paper: Gummed
Stamp Size: 40.90 mm x 28.80 mm
Size of Sheet: 133.00 mm x 99.00 mm
Value of the stamps: 1.30 € each reason
Block turnover: 200,000

To say that a product has a "denomination of origin" means that it is subject to localized production in a specific area, with unique environmental characteristics and from which limited units are generated.

Producers who benefit from the designation of origin, are committed to maintaining product quality as high as possible and follow production protocols.

There are regulatory bodies that monitor compliance with the rules and authorize the display of the corresponding label that grants that category.

This year Correos continues with the series Gastronomy and issues a block sheet dedicated to the Protected Designation of Origin of Castilla la Mancha , where the Manchego cheese and saffron are the protagonists.

Manchego cheese . Manchego cheese is made with sheep's milk of the Manchego breed that feeds on grass throughout the year. It is subjected to a minimum maturation of 30 days for small cheeses, and 60 days for larger cheeses. It is done well with pasteurized milk or raw milk, although in the latter case, it must be labeled as "artisan". It is a pressed cheese, hard crust and firm and compact, with a color ranging from white to yellow. Its smell is intense and easy to identify. Its taste is something acidic, strong and very characteristic.

The saffron of La Mancha. The saffron comes from the stigmas of the flower that bears the same name after drying them through a process of roasting over low heat. It was introduced by the Arabs in the Iberian Peninsula around the 11th century. The first written reference on this product, dates from the year 1720.

The importance of saffron in Castilla la Mancha is reinforced by works of a pedagogical nature such as Jiménez Martín's practical azafranero, and has even given rise to a vocabulary of his own collected in works such as The Lexicon of Saffron in La Mancha speech. Saffron from La Macha is considered the best in Spain and one of the best in the world.

Spain - Toledo, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2016

Date of issue: 20 January 2016
Printing Procedure: Offset
Paper: Gummed
Seal size: 57.60 mm x 40.90 mm
Value of the stamps: EUR 0.57 
Production: 220,000

Toledo has been elected Spanish Capital of Gastronomy during 2016, year in which, in addition, the 30th anniversary of its declaration as a World Heritage City and the 400th anniversary of the death of Cervantes is commemorated.

The Capital of Gastronomy choice has been based, above all, on the creative combination between heritage, culture and gastronomy, which is full of mixed recipes and inheritance of the three cultures that coexisted for centuries: the Jewish, the Christian and the Muslim

The cuisine of the imperial capital was already praised historically by the greatest writers such as Cervantes or Pérez Galdós, even by foreign authors such as Alexandre Dumas or Theophile Gautier. It was in Toledo also where the first cooking treat in Spanish was published, Libro de Guisados , by Ruperto Nola, in the year 1529.

Its cuisine is nourished by simple and humble products, which give rise to recipes such as stew, porridge, crumbs or pot. Among its typical dishes is hunting, both stews and pickles. It has a great wine tradition worthy of three Designations of Origin, such as La Mancha, Méntrida and Uclés.

One of the products of La Mancha known worldwide is Manchego cheese, made with sheep's milk native to the community and very present in the menus of Toledo.

Toledo presumes, in addition, to be the birthplace of great chefs that shine in its Michelin Stars restaurants and that elaborate a modern cuisine that is reinvented from tradition, local products and a unique heritage.

The current issue includes the image of marzipan, a typical Toledan sweet, much appreciated at Christmas, with a Protected Geographical Indication and which has been produced since the 8th century. Its main ingredients are sugar and almond, marcona or largueta.

Spain - Huelva, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2017

Technical Details:
Issue Date: 20 January 2017
Printer: Offset
Size: 57.60 mm x 40.90 mm
Values: Tarifa A2

About Huelva - Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2017:

As in previous years, a province of our country has been chosen as the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy during 2017. This year, Huelva has been selected.

For the first time a coastal province has been chosen. The jury has recognized the cuisine of the sea, all those products that every morning arrive in boats to the market where they are selected to become exquisite dishes.

We can not stop talking about white shrimp, coquinas and puntillitas, or cuttlefish, a select ingredient to prepare dishes such as meatballs.

But Huelva is not only sea, also, its products of interior like the ham of Jabugo, the slaughterings of the Mountain range of Aracena; Also the famous strawberries known in the whole world.

The vegetable garden offers us typical dishes like chickpeas with spinach, beans "enzapatás" or the game dishes and mushrooms of the area as the gurumelos.

But not everything is to eat, Huelva also has wines worthy of mention as the Orange Wine of the County of Huelva that owns the Denomination of Origin.

The pastries also give us irresistible recipes such as chestnut stew, "pulleys" or snowy eggs.

For all this and much more, Huelva deserves to carry throughout the year the title of gastronomic capital of Spain around the world, and Correos, by dedicating a stamp to this event, as in previous years, intends to spread our gastronomy through a stamp that can travel and be showcase and promotion of the same.

The stamp that is issued, includes the image of the logo of Huelva Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2017, which forms a fan with some of the typical products of the place: choco, ham, strawberries, prawns and wine. On a white background, these products take all the protagonism on a trace of black ink, sepia, that always gives a touch of elegance to the dishes.