What to see in Rute with its 7 gastronomic museums!

Visiting Rute in the province of Córdoba

In this article you’ll find all the information you need about what to see and do in Rute :

• A few words about Rut
• Where is Rute in Andalucia?
• What to see in Rute
• The main annual festivities in Rute
• Book accommodation in Rute
• What to do in the province of Córdoba
• What to see and do around Rute
• Useful links
• The latest articles on authentic Andalucia

A few words about Rute

The small town of Rute is part of the small Subbética de Córdoba region and lies almost equidistant between Cordoba and Málaga.

That said, Rute is ideally placed, around 1H15 from Málaga, Córdoba, Jaen and Seville.

Rute has long been a commercial crossroads between these 4 cities. Nowadays, the main reason for visiting Rute is to discover its 7 gastronomic museums.

The best time to visit Rute’s museums is from early November to late January. All the museums are open during this period. You can sample an impressive number of local products during each visit. This is also the time to see the world’s largest nativity scene made of …. chocolate 🙂 .

The origin of the name Rute is somewhat uncertain. The most likely hypothesis is that Rute was a small Jewish settlement during the Visigoth period. Indeed, the word ‘Rut’ is an anthroponym with Hebrew roots, which could mean ‘beauty’ or ‘vision of beauty’.

What’s more, Rute lies next to Lucena, nicknamed the Sephardic Pearl. Lucena has an absolutely unique history in al-Andalus.

In 1433, Rut was conquered by the Catholic kings and became Rute.

Where is Rute in Andalucia?

What to see and do in Rute, Cordoba – Andalucia

1 – Anisette Museum and Patio de Anselmo

2 – Machaquito aniseed distillery

3 – Casa Museo del Jamón

4 – Park of Nuestra Señora del Carmen

5 – The religious temples of Rute

6 – Museo de la Chacina – Sausage Museum

7 – Museo del Azúcar – Sugar Museum

8 – Museo Artesanal del Turrón, Mantecado y Mazapán

9 – The Chocolate Nativity Scene – Belén de chocolate

10 – Rute Agricultural Cooperative – olive oil

11 – El Canuto tower

12 – The landscapes of Rute

Rute is a pleasant place to visit. You could almost ask yourself what to eat in Rute? It offers so much gastronomy in its various museums.

If you go at the end of the year, you can also enjoy the charangas and zambombas performed in the various squares.

During your visit to Rute – nicknamed the town of aniseed – you’re sure to come across the Aniseed Monument. It was created by the Rute town council in conjunction with the Rute anisette and liqueur manufacturers’ association. It was inaugurated on 13 May 1995 as a tribute to the culture and tradition of the town.

1 – Anisette Museum and Patio de Anselmo

This museum is open all year round.

It is possible to take a guided tour of the museum and the Patio d’Anselmo. The tour lasts approximately 30 minutes. It includes a visit to the distillery… in operation since the seventeenth century, the cellar and a patio cordobés, with a possible tasting of course 🙂

Note 1: Aniseed brandy has been known as a beverage since ancient times and its production in Rute is attested to in writings from 1630.

Note 2: The Patio Anselmo is a marvel, reputed to be one of the most beautiful in the province of Cordoba!

Address: Paseo del Fresno, 2

2 – Machaquito aniseed distillery

This distillery is also open all year round.

As I’m not going to show you everything about the different museums, I’m going to present this one a bit more.

Aguardiente anisado de Rute – also known as anís de Rute – is an alcoholic beverage with deep roots in Rute. Rute has been one of the main centres of aguardiente production in Spain since the 17th century.

Historical note: it is estimated that in the early 20th century there were 65 distilleries in Rute. A stroll through Rute in those days must have been even more…intoxicating 🙂

This distillery has been in operation since 1876, and is just 50 metres from the Anise Museum, right in the middle of the town. It has always been a family-run business, and the distillery is now run by the 5th generation.

Visits are mainly at weekends or when there is no distillation going on.

The tour is highly instructive, as it takes you through the entire distillation process from A to Z, including double and triple distillation! The tour begins with the shed where the olive wood for the fire is stored.

Then, of course, there are the stills and the distillation storage area.

This drink is characterised by its aromatic preparation based on green anise (Pimpinella anisum). It is known as matalauva or matalahúga. It comes mainly from cultivated fields in the province of Málaga, and more specifically around Ronda.

At the end of the visit, visitors are invited to a tasting session, and can choose to buy a bottle or more if they wish. Several distillation processes are used to obtain a characteristic distinction between the 3 possible forms of aguardiente: extra dry aniseed, dry aniseed and sweet aniseed.

There’s also a small museum of the distillery and its brand, right next to the sales outlet.

Address: Calle Paseo del Fresno, 7

Website: Anis Machaquito

3 – Casa Museo del Jamón – Ham Museum

This museum is open all year round.

The Casa Museo del Jamón is also located in the centre of Rute, in an old colonial-style house.

This ham is also a speciality of Rute, and has been known for centuries.

Cervantes mentions Rute ham in two of his works: ‘La Gran Sultana Doña Catalina de Oviedo’ and ‘El Casamiento Engañoso’.

The tasting after the visit is not the most unpleasant part of the day 🙂 .

Address: Calle Ntra. Sra. de la Cabeza, 5

Website : Jamones de Rute

4 – Park of Nuestra Señora del Carmen

This park is located in the centre of the village and is an ideal break during a gastronomic tour of Rute. It is usually a meeting place for everyone. Plus, there’s a little churrería to wait on if you need to 🙂

It’s also home to Rute’s tourist office and a lovely poem by Rafael Alberti, an honorary citizen of the town.

The most characteristic feature of the park is a house for ducks and birds :

There’s no hunting here… just cooing….

5 – The religious temples of Rute

This is the perfect opportunity to explore the town and work up an appetite for what’s to come.

There are 6 religious temples in Rute:

• Parish church of San Francisco de Asis.
• Parish church of Santa Catalina Mártir.
• Sanctuary of Our Lady of Carmen.
• Hermitage of San Pedro.
• Hermitage of San Sebastián.
• Hermitage of Vera Cruz :

Note: In my opinion, the most beautiful temple to visit in Rute is the church of Saint Francis of Assisi. Address: Plaza Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza, 13

6 – Museo de la Chacina – Delicatessen Museum

Open from mid-October to January, generally from 12 October to 6 January.

This museum is located opposite the Museo del Azúcar.

This traditional cold meats company has been in business for 40 years, and often surprises visitors at Christmas time. It has managed to set several world records:

• the biggest sausage in the world – 2013 –
• the world’s largest cold meats Christmas tree – 2014 –
• the world’s biggest sausage, 480kg – 2015 –
• the world’s biggest chorizo, 120kg – 2016 –

Address: C/ Málaga,30

7 – Museo del Azúcar – Sugar Museum

This museum is on the outskirts of Rute, but can be easily reached on foot from the centre. The Sugar Museum is opposite the Museum of Cured Meats. It is only open at the end of the year.

It belongs to the Flor de Rute company.

In the small museum, you can see very sweet reproductions of the Duchess of Alba, Lola Flores, Picasso and Dalí.

You can also see various monuments from around the world, as well as other Andalucia monuments made entirely of sugar.

The shop is beautiful too 🙂 .

Address: Calle Málaga, 21

Website: Museo del azúcar 

8 – Museo Artesanal del Turrón, Mantecado y Mazapán

This is the Artisanal Museum of nougat, mantecado and marzipan. The museum is open from mid-October to early January.

This gastronomic site also belongs to Galleros Artesanos. It’s a fairly quick visit and appeals to adults and children alike, with sweet decorations such as sweets, meringues and wafers.

You can also find out how these sweets are made.

Address: Ctra. Lucena – Rute, Km. 18’50

Times: 10:30 to 13:30 h. and 16:00 to 19:00 h.

Website: Museo del Turrón

9 – The Chocolate Nativity Scene – Belén de chocolate

This chocolate cot can only be visited at the end of the year.

Admission is free for children under the age of 4, and €1.50 for other family members. If you buy something, the entrance fee is deducted from the purchase price. Other museums open only at the end of the year operate in the same way.

This cot covers an area of 52 m2, where everything is made from different types of chocolate. It’s the biggest chocolate cot in the world.

It’s a titanic task: it takes around 4 months to prepare all the characters and decorations for the cot, using 1,500 kg of chocolate!

Note: this nativity scene is made by Galleros Artesanos, a family business founded 90 years ago.

Address: Ctra. Lucena – Rute, Km. 19 (just outside the town)

Website: Galleros Artesanos

10 – Rute agricultural cooperative – olive oil

Here’s an eighth and final gastronomic address to discover: the Rute olive oil factory.

This agricultural cooperative was founded in 1949. It currently has 1,000 members who grow the hojiblanca variety of olive.

Address: C. de Blas Infante, 76

11 – El Canuto tower

This watchtower is called Torre del Canuto by the locals. From this tower, high above the town, you can see Iznajar and its famous water reservoir, and Lucena.

This tower is of Christian origin and was built in 1347 as a defensive tower against the kingdom of Granada. Rute was the scene of many battles, changing hands several times between 1240 and 1341.

12 – The landscapes of Rute

Rute’s natural environment is stunning. On the road to Iznajar, the scenery is nothing short of spectacular.

The main annual festivities in Rute

Fiestas de Carmen – mid-August

Feria Real de Rute – end of August

Book accommodation in Rute

Below, you will find live rentals or accommodation available in Rute, after selecting your dates:

What to do in the province of Cordoba

Below you will find a number of ideas for activities and visits, classified by theme. You can book them online today.

The plus point: all activities can be cancelled up to 24 hours before the planned date:

What sights and activities are there in the Rute area?

There are some fabulous sites to discover in the area around Rute. Here are 3 ideas for visits fairly close to Rute.

Zuheros

Zuheros is a delightful white village in the province of Cordoba. It is part of the Pueblos más bonitos de España network.

Here’s a link to visit Zuheros.

Iznajar

A small town in the province of Córdoba, very close to Rute, with a beautiful centre. The area around Iznajar offers exceptional views.

Here’s the link if you’d like to visit Iznajar.

Lucena

Lucena is a small town in the province of Cordoba, nicknamed the Sephardic Pearl. Its history is quite unique from the period of Al-Andalus. Worth a visit!

Here’s the link if you’d like to visit Lucena.

Some ideas and useful links

The links below can be very useful depending on where you are staying and what you need to do to have a wonderful time in Andalucia.

• An interactive map of Andalucia to find lots of ideas for visits around you, off the beaten track.

• link to book a rental car at Malaga airport.

• link to book a rental car anywhere else in Andalucia with the rentalcars platform.

• If you’re on the Costa del Sol and looking for ideas for excursions in Andalucia, you can use the following link to book a tour departing from Málaga, Torremolinos, Estepona or Benalmadena.

Discover more of Andalusia’s beautiful sites in the Andalucia blog pages.

Here is the link to receive our blog newsletter.

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