Mantecados de Estepa

Mantecados de Estepa are baked dough pieces produced exclusively in the municipality of Estepa, province of Seville, from a base of wheat flour, pork lard and icing sugar. Nine named varieties are recognised. Each piece is round and weighs up to 50 grams. The designation is registered as a PGI under file number PGI-ES-0761, with EU protection granted on 18 February 2009.

About this designation

Mantecados de Estepa are baked dough pieces whose production and packaging must both take place within the municipality of Estepa, province of Seville, the sole defined geographical area. The specification recognises nine varieties — cinnamon, home-made style, olive oil, almond, cocoa, coconut, lemon, hazelnut and vanilla — differentiated by their additional ingredients. The three basic ingredients are wheat flour, pork lard and icing sugar; in the olive oil variety, the lard is replaced by extra virgin olive oil. Wheat flour must constitute between 40 and 55 percent of the formulation depending on variety, and sugar between 22 and 26 percent. The specification sets mandatory physical and chemical parameters for the finished product: moisture below 5 percent, water activity below 0.650, and pH below 6.5. Pieces are round and weigh up to 50 grams. After baking, the sweets must be cooled to below 10 degrees Celsius before individual packaging, which is carried out either mechanically on a flow-pack line in heat-sealed cellophane or in tissue paper twisted on both sides. Individually packaged pieces may be marketed alone or in boxes weighing between 100 grams and 5 kilograms. Both individual wrappers and outer boxes must bear the words 'Indicación Geográfica Protegida', the name 'Mantecados de Estepa' and the official logo. The applicant body is the Consejo Regulador de las IGPs «Mantecados de Estepa» y «Polvorones de Estepa». The designation is recorded in the eAmbrosia register under identifier EUGI00000013940.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 18 February 2009 under file number PGI-ES-0761, recorded in eAmbrosia as EUGI00000013940.
• Production and packaging must both take place within the municipality of Estepa, province of Seville; no other location is permitted.
• The specification mandates cooling to below 10 degrees Celsius before individual wrapping to prevent breakage and preserve physical and chemical properties.
• Nine distinct varieties are recognised; in the olive oil variety, pork lard is entirely replaced by extra virgin olive oil, with lard set at 0 percent.

Tasting notes

Andalusian shortbread cookie IGP from Sevilla (Estepa). Distinctive crumbly buttery texture (with manteca/lard), sweet flavor, often with cinnamon, sesame, almond, or lemon variants.

HoReCa use

Mantecados de Estepa are a Christmas speciality, traditionally packaged individually or in assortments alongside other seasonal sweets such as polvorones, alfajores and roscos de vino.

Packaging

• retail-pack-300g
• retail-pack-500g
• gift-tin-500g

Seasonality