Zújar, in common with the rest of the region of Baza, is an area which became characterized first as a frontier (within the Muslim Kingdom of Granada) and later as place of Christian occupation. It's cultural development has been defined by its geographical position as a through-route between the provinces of Murcia, Alicante and Valencia to the east and Granada to the south.

These factors have helped develop a culture of great contrasts - something which can be easily observed in its traditional gastronomy, Castilian and Andalusian, Moorish and Christian.

Its confectionary, very popular in the region, relies on olive oil, almonds and flour. There are various kinds of doughnuts (wine, fried, liqueurs, loja, etc), pork crackling pies, and a select range of traditional pastries and puff pastries.

Its most typical dishes are Castilian in origin, adapted to the climate of the kingdom of Granada, particularly those dishes connected
to the annual slaughtering of pigs (one example is migas
de matanza - see recipe) and any number of traditional
stews, casseroles, soups and porridges.

There are many traditional methods of cooking and
eating meats, from marinades or in almond-based
sauces, fried dishes using summer produce, to a vast
variety of ways to prepare and preserve pork; the many types
of sausage and black pudding for which Spain as a whole is famous (chorizo, morcilla, longaniza, salchichon, carne embuchada, butifarra, blanquillo, etc.), or simpler but just as tasty; charcoal-grilling or frying.

The area's traditional wine deserves a special mention. During the 19th Century an expansion in the cultivation of vinesplace in previously unirrigated lands took place - resulting in the production of a great deal more wine. However, after the outbreak of the Phylloxera virus the commercial production of wine was devasted and only home-made production continued. It is a hearty, slighty fruity and young wine, which depending on its origin can acquire a very high alchoholic proof.