Huétor Tájar

Located in the valley of the Río Genil, Huétor Tájar is located on a wide plain with some of the most fertile land in the province. This land has been used for decades for the intensive cultivation of green asparagus, which has the status of protected geographical indication.

This town was made up of two villages that merged in 1483. In that same year it was devastated by King Fernando and his attempts to conquer the Moors’ lands. Both towns have ancient origins: Huétor used to be a Roman settlement called ‘Vesci Faventia’ (literally meaning ‘fertile land’) and had a coin mint. Tájar had a mainly Arab population and was called ‘Tarayat’ by Ibn al-Khatib, hence the name ‘Taxara’, which later changed into ‘Tahara’ and finally into ‘Tájar’.

It was finally conquered in 1497, but its Moorish population continued to live there. Examples of their settlement are an Arab tower, which still stands today among the village houses, and a fantastic irrigation system. Many mulberry bushes grown for the production of silk have now been replaced by asparagus bushes.

Green asparagus is the main ingredient of the traditional dishes of Huétor Tájar. They can be fried in tortillas, boiled in soups, grilled or eaten with almond sauce.  To get the very best asparagus, we recommend that you go directly to the cooperatives and buy yours there.