The Sierra Sur: cherries and cheese
Jaén is the third largest cherry-producing province in Spain. Specifically, the towns of the Sierra Sur: Castillo de Locubín (which celebrates the Cherry Festival in June), Alcalá la Real and Alcaudete, along with Torres in the Sierra Mágina region. In these beautiful mountains, the cherry trees are dressed in white in April and red in June, like the excellent local wine that accompanies it so well and that is also accredited as a Protected Geographical Indication. The region's cheeses is the perfect preamble. Specifically, there is one that uses goat's milk from this area that, in 2021, was named the best in the world.
When the snow disappear from these mountains, even before winter officially ends, a 1,200-hectare provincial area turns white again: Frailes, Castillo de Locubín, Alcalá la Real y Torres, where the colour of the cherry blossoms contrasts with the silver green of the immense sea of olive trees. It is quite a spectacle to climb the mountain and enjoy the cherry blossoms, an activity that has more and more regulars and is starting to appear on the offer of experiences of local companies.
More than one million kilos of cherries were harvested in the spring of 2021 in the Sierra Sur de Jaén, the main producing region in Andalusia and third largest in Spain of this crop. These cherries are coveted in countries such as Germany, France, Italy or Bulgaria. Each cherry tree usually gives between 30 and 50 kilos of cherries, producing both rainfed and irrigated. There are more than forty varieties in Jaén, such as the summit, grande and rojísima, which are excellent for direct consumption, or the lamper. This fruit is also used for luxury products, once bathed in alcohol; or in cocktails, after the stone has been removed.
Jaén cherries are a gastronomic jewel with deep cultural roots. Grown at more than 600 meters of altitude, they are picked individually . This fruit is dotted across the mountains of Jaén, complements dishes, and is present in popular festivals and the Provincial Cherry Show, which rotates through a dozen Jaén municipalities. If a local gives you an artisanal cherry in aguardiente, don't turn your nose up at it as it's a very tasty gourmet product. Watch out for graduation!
Many visitors arrive in the Sierra Sur in spring to enjoy the beauty of its flowering, as occurs in the Jerte Valley of Extremadura. Then, in June, they celebrate the Castillo de Locubín Cherry Festival Torres Cherry Gastronomic Days. Don't miss it!
The Sierra Sur offers much more. In addition to a native wine, which has nine varieties, it also produces some exceptional cheeses that have been served at the best tables thanks to the showcase that has been the Olavidia artisanal cheese. Although it is made in Sierra Morena, it is nourished with the milk of goats fed on the pastures of the Sierra Sur. In 2021, it won an award for the best cheese in the world at the World Cheese Awards (WCA), a prestigious contest in which more than 4,000 varieties from 48 countries participated. Made with goat's milk from Malaga, like most of those made in the area, these mountains are also home to artisanal and organic cheese factories in Ermita Nueva (Alcalá la Real), Valdepenas de Jaen and Frailes.
Alcalá la Real, the regional capital, is the door and showcase of this wealth of agri-food, which produces many jobs. The tourism area offers a wide range of experiences, packages and concerted visits that revolve around this enormous agricultural wealth, where the producers and their enogastronomic jewels are its protagonists.
