Two municipalities of the European Cheese Route — Vilalba and Villaluenga del Rosario — among the winners of the 2025 Spain Food Awards
15 de July de 2025
Vilar de Santos
8 de April de 2026
Monesterio
Badajoz
Monesterio is located on the northern slope of Sierra Morena, serving as a natural border with Andalusia, and through which one of the most important historical routes that connect the peninsula is channeled, the ancient Roman road of the Silver Route that coincided with route XXIII of the Antonine Itinerary that linked the mouth of the Anas –Guadiana river– and the current Astorga passing through Mérida, being used by successive cultures that left their traces throughout the Extremadura route.
The municipality
Today, Monesterio is a service-oriented town with an unbeatable selection of hotels and restaurants. This, combined with the sustainable use of resources linked to the dehesa (pastureland) and the food industry—especially the processing and production of Iberian pork products—and the launch of new business ventures, makes the town the economic engine of the Tentudía region. Monesterio is primarily defined by its dehesas, a clear model of sustainable economic development. Holm oaks and cork oaks shape the typical landscape of the area—approximately 16,000 hectares—where the Extremadura Iberian pig lives and is raised. An entire gastronomic culture has been born, thrives, and is carefully cultivated around this pig, enjoying worldwide renown thanks to its exquisite ham and delicious cured meats. For all these reasons, we consider the meat industry to be the main processing industry associated with pig farming. The production of pork products involves the rise and development of companies dedicated to the sector, complemented by a cheese industry and an almost artisanal production of oils that maintain that same constant of natural quality with little manufacturing.
The cheese
