Oviedo, Spain.- It may be famous only for the Princess of Asturias Awards and the personalities it brings together each year, but even in the most succinct summary, this region of Spain is worth talking about for a long time.
Oviedo, Principality of Asturias, is already arriving with a distinctive seal: Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2024. Then, with these ideas, the surprises begin.
We are in the Spanish paradise of cider or of the famous Asturian fabadas, cachopos, of the renowned Cabrales cheeses and more than 300 other varieties. Or of the curiosity of two sweets that are probably unique in the world: Moscovitas and Carbayones.
In the Confitería Rialto, near the Cathedral of Oviedo and established since 1926, they began to produce Moscovitas, fine almond and chocolate pastries that have nothing to do with the capital of Russia.
The origin of the name is not exactly known, but the truth is that they are made one by one, by hand, with Marcona almonds and a milk chocolate coating, which can vary from dark to white, explains Francisco Gayoso, who runs the business with his sister Angela.
They are the heirs of the third generation that was driven by their father, Paco Gayoso, until his death in 2024. They do not have an export line, although they have expanded with shows in New York, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and some purchases from Chile.
It is consumed with relish in Oviedo, where Confitería Rialto never ceases to have customers and also has a branch in Madrid. 15 million Moscovitas are produced, following the tradition of their great-grandfather.
A short distance away, another long-standing confectionery stands out, the Confitería Camilo de Blas, founded in 1914, and whose production of Carbayones cakes caught the attention of filmmaker Woody Allen when he was filming the movie Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona in Spain.
Paloma is the great-great-granddaughter of Camilo de Blas and continues the business. The emblem is the Carbayones, made of puff pastry, covered with a handmade Marcona almond cream, bathed in a layer of egg yolk and finished with a sugar coating that gives it the shiny appearance and crunchy flavor.
THE CARBAYONES
One of the many statues of Woody Allen, who fell in love with Asturias, remains in Oviedo. Also, in some way, his love affair with the Carbayones (the cakes and the citizens).
The people of Oviedo are called Ovetense, but they are affectionately called Carbayones. The name is due to a century-old oak tree whose roots sank into the ground on Uría Street.
With a trunk measuring nine metres in circumference, it had to be cut down in 1879 due to its poor condition. A commemorative plaque near the Campoamor theatre commemorates this and shows off this way of calling the Asturians.
There is little to add to the region’s food and cider offerings. Generous dishes of a wide variety confirm its reputation as a foodie.
As for drinks, we enter a field that contradicts the belief of most cider lovers in the world, the sin of drinking authentic Asturian cider without the process of pouring it. Just as in the rest of Spain people go out for tapas (appetizers) and cañas (glasses of beer) or wine, as a recreational plan in the evenings and weekends, Asturians go out for ciders and tapas.
However, it is not the cider bottled for long periods and with which some celebrate Christmas and New Year, although the essence is the same, the Asturian apple with more than 100 varieties.
Oviedo is a charming and sublime city. You cannot visit it without going to the Boulevard de la Sidra, Gascona, where, in addition to the Gascona tavern itself, there are a dozen other places where you can pour the drink, one of the greatest pleasures.
Walking through the city is already amazing, as the Spanish would say, or rather the surprising appearance of dozens of sculptures.
From Fernando Botero, the famous Colombian artist, to a replica of the famous Mafalda by Quino (the extraordinary Argentine cartoonist), or the Campoamor theatre where celebrities such as the American actress Meryl Streep or the Brazilian politician Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have passed through to collect the Princess of Asturias Awards.
At the La Reconquista hotel in Oviedo there are a thousand and one stories of famous people who came as winners of the award, called the Prince of Asturias Award from 1981 to 2014. Among them, Nelson Mandela, Allen and Quino themselves, Pedro Almodóvar, Leonardo Padura, Javier Sotomayor, Oscar Niemeyer, Juan Rulfo, Umberto Eco and, in 2024, Joan Manuel Serrat.
SCAN CIDER
Cider splashes are part of the atmosphere in bars and restaurants in Oviedo, because when pouring the drink into the glass, some drops always end up on the floor.
When pouring the cider, a fine and persistent foam is created, awakening the most volatile flavours by enhancing their organoleptic profiles, explained Danka Rodríguez, heir to these traditions at Llagar Herminio, founded in 1943.
We make two types of cider, all natural. One is the Herminio brand that can be made with any variety of apple for this drink, and the other is Zhytos, our Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), from 76 varieties of Asturian cider apple, explained the young expert.
Danka tells us that Llagar Herminio produces 500 thousand litres of cider a year, although there is capacity for up to a million litres. “Most of it is sold on the national market. It is part of the Asturian identity and wants to be Intangible Heritage of Humanity,” he added.
In the case of natural cider, the gas it contains arises from fermentation, it is small and therefore so pure when the pouring process is carried out at a certain height, with the idea of hitting the glass of the glass.
“This one vibrates a little and seems to awaken that gas and you can drink it in one go,” Danka Rodríguez concluded the idea.
The combination with meals has to do with the espichas, which is a tradition established after the end of production.
We always invite people to come and try it, and this ritual is called espichas; more people joined and then it became a ceremony in which people eat and drink to welcome the new cider. As much as you can, he said.
Taken from Prensa Latina
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