Baños de la Encina: a town in southern Spain not to be missed

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The South of Spain has municipalities of great beauty. In addition to the most popular and most touristy, there are others that are perhaps less well known, although they also attract many tourists, who are well worth a visit. Not in vain are they part of the list of the most beautiful towns in the country for this year 2021 . And which are they? Prepare a trip to head to Jaén because one of them is in this Andalusian province.

What to see

The trip to Jaén takes us to Baños de la Encina. A town that is in the middle of the Sierra Morena , right next to the Rumblar reservoir, where there is also the Caliphal fortress that was ordered to be built by al-Hakam, ending in 968.

In addition to this fortress, which was for many the gateway to Andalusia in the battles that Muslims and Christians fought, this town has a rich cultural and artistic heritage for which it was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1969 .

In this town, you should not miss the Gothic-style parish church , its mills dating from the 18th century and the palaces. Great attraction is the Hermitage of Cristo del Llano where you can see the dressing room decorated with polychrome plasterwork with allegorical figures, saints or angels, which are mixed with natural motifs of fruits and vegetables and exotic birds.

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What to eat

And, of course, you have to try its rich gastronomy that is based on the local products of the area. Among the most typical, there is the spoon that is like a bread bun that is filled with virgin olive oil, salt and ripe tomato, which is divided into pieces and whose intake is accompanied by bacon, olives or sardines.

Game dishes are also characteristic for the great tradition that exists in this area. For example, among the typical dishes is venison a la bañuesca , venison marinated with vegetables, aromatic herbs and wine, which is fried.

Nor should you miss the bañuelo roll that is characteristic of the Virgen de la Encina pilgrimage and is made with minced meat and kneaded with breadcrumbs. The filling is made with ham, bacon, and hard-boiled egg.