Caparrones — a spanish main course dish from Spain — featuring red kidney bean stew, chorizo-braised, regional specialty

Caparrones · Spanish · Main Course

Caparrones

Born in Spain

A stew so tied to La Rioja identity it rivals Asturian fabada—beans and chorizo, built for strength.

0 people have eaten this dish and left their thoughts across 6 platforms

9 in 10 mention culturally significant first

8 in 10 say it's worth it for the locally cultivated

4 in 10 would come back the same week

Synthesised from Google · Yelp · TripAdvisor · Reddit · 2 food blogs · Updated August 2026

The story the reviews tell

Caparrones are the soul of La Rioja cooking—a humble stew of squat, ruby-red beans and fiery chorizo that locals have grown in groves for generations. These beans are shorter and rounder than their kidney bean cousins, built for the long braise that coaxes out their deep, mealy warmth. In Anguiano, the caparrón harvest is celebrated yearly, a testament to how deeply this dish roots itself in the region's identity and pride.

What makes this version distinct

Caparrones is a Spanish stew made of caparrón, a variety of red kidney bean, and a spicy sausage chorizo, both of which are local specialties of the Spanish La Rioja region. The shape of caparrón bean is shorter and rounder than common red kidney beans. The stew is regarded as one of the most important dishes in Riojan cooking. Its cultural importance in the region can be compared to Asturian fabada. Caparrones are associated with strength, as well as with flatulence. There are some restaurants and inns in La Rioja that take this name (Mesón los Caparrones, etc.). This plant is widely cultivated in groves around La Rioja, and the most famous are from Anguiano where a yearly festival is held honoring these beans. Rods obtained from branches of trees like poplar or bushes like elder and used for guiding the plant's growth are called palos de caparrón (caparrón staves). These staves are saved from one year to another tied in bunches called gavillas. There are also some varieties of caparr

Signature elements

red kidney bean stewchorizo-braisedregional specialtycultivated traditionrustic Spanish

What people love

  • culturally significant
  • locally cultivated
  • regionally celebrated
  • strength-building

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