More and more coeliac people

You might be wondering why this new trend in a village located in the middle of the Asturian mountain. Some years ago the rate of celiac disease increased inexplicably in the entire village. Nowadays, 4% of the 7,000 current inhabitants of Cangas del Narcea are coeliacs. This amount triples the Spain average. Therefore, the village decided to remove gluten from their products. Bakeries and restaurants wanted to adapt to a need of the citizens. The idea was to not deprive coeliacs of a good Sunday breakfast or a family lunch.

By this way, Cangas del Narcea has become the paradise for those who suffer from celiac disease. Handmade muffins, rosquillas de anís (Spanish anise doughnuts) and fresh bread are enjoyed by coeliacs every morning in an environment where people really care about them.

Enjoy the gluten-free gastronomy 

Cangas del Narcea is already a tourist destination for families in which some family member suffer from celiac disease. This decision gave life to the village. Thereafter, every weekend curious people visit the village in order to try this new gastronomic option. Gluten free tapas, cold cuts and beer can be found almost everywhere.

The elaboration of the typical dishes from Asturias without wheat flour and derivatives has become a tourist attraction. Furthermore, Cangas del Narcea is one of the best places to try amazing wines with protected designation of origin Cangas.

The success has been so overwhelming that the village have been celebrating a special event for three years now. This year, Cangas del Narcea has reunited coeliacs from all over the country during the III Jornadas Cangas sin Gluten (3rd Gluten free Conference), a cultural and culinary event that has turned this natural paradise into a gastronomic paradise. 

What are you waiting for? Do you have some coeliac in your close circle or do you just want to try a new gastronomic experience? Any excuse is good enough to visit a new place. Gluten is anymore an obstacle to enjoy a great weekend accompanied by a nice meal.

While some try these new recipes with enthusiasm, others think that traditional dishes should not be modified.

All these ingredients make up traditional dishes of our cuisine that give rise to recipes as appetizing as cocido madrileño, migas, paella... A myriad of delicacies that show the great variety of cuisine in Spain.

However, the years pass and the kitchen is modernized with avant-garde creations that try to invent new textures. Many of these creations are based on lifelong recipes. Reinventing traditional dishes that, later,  will have nothing to do with what they were originally.

Some try these new recipes with enthusiasm, appreciating the new flavors. Others think that traditional dishes should remain just that, traditional. However, what is clear is that the kitchen is advancing by leaps and bounds.

Potato Tortillas and Croquettes

In this way, the potato tortilla, a traditional and original recipe, has been turned into a deconstructed version that is totally different from how we knew it. Thus, the potato is transformed into a foam and the onion is caramelized.

The croquette, whether of ham or stew, is another of the traditional dishes that has been reinvented. This is one of the classics we remember from our grandmothers and mothers. Who hasn't stolen a freshly fried croquette because they could not wait to stick it in their mouth and instead ended up burning their tongue?! However, we now have a bechamel sauce of black pudding from Burgos that even includes Cabrales cheese.

Another of those amazing gastronomic inventions is the combination of these two traditional dishes. Thus was born the Croquertilla. A fusion of the croquette and potato tortillas that has revolutionized the world of tapas.

Gazpacho, meatballs and King Cake

Confectionery has also been reinvented, including the typical sweets of the festivities such as the Roscón de Reyes (King Cake). The classic is filled with cream and truffle will always provoke a sigh of pleasure, but some creations take it to the next level. The King Cake stuffed with Nutella or Jijona nougat are just some of the best representative examples. Now all we have to know is whether the figurine and the bean have been replaced by a pea and a Playmobil.

Text: María Jesús Colombo

Although its origin is not clear, every year on the 31st, families in Spain take this fruit to attract luck. But not in all countries there is this custom. If we move away a little we find other traditions of New Year's Eve consolidated as well.

Spain

In Spain it is a tradition to have twelve grapes to welcome the new year. On New Year's Eve the twelve grapes or grapes of luck are placed in front of each person. They should be eaten with the last twelve chimes of the clock to welcome the new year that begins and symbolize the twelve months of the year. The most famous place to take grapes in Spain is the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, in front of the Casa de Correos clock.

Italy

In the beautiful Italy, they eat lentils hoping to have good luck and this tradition goes back to the Middle Ages. The reason? At that time there was a custom of giving a small bag of this legume to friends and family to wish them good fortune. Nowadays, it is still thought that whoever eats this recipe (accompanied with cotechino) will have money the following year.

Greece

It is not the Roscón de Reyes as we know it here in Spain but the tradition is very similar. It is a delicious bread, called vasilopita, which hides a gold or silver coin inside. Whoever finds it will have luck throughout the year. This almond bread has a rounded shape, without holes, as if it were a sponge cake. It is a real delicacy, and in the end, the gift is the least important thing. People tend to share it and see who is the lucky one who discovers the coin.

Germany

Among the traditions that are popular in Germany we find some interesting stories. One of them is not to throw away the remains of the food before twelve o'clock; as it is assumed that this way there will be no shortage of food during the rest of the year. It is also common to eat the traditional raclette, cabbage and carrots as they will attract financial stability. All accompanied by Feuerzangenbowle, a hot punch that is made with red wine, rum, oranges, lemons, cinnamon and cloves and whose preparation is complicated because you must burn the alcohol of some of its ingredients.

Netherlands

Although the image looks like Spanish buñuelos, what we see is a sweet made in the Dutch houses for New Year's Eve: the Oilebollen. We can also find these puffs filled with raisins throughout Christmas in many of their bakeries, although the tradition is to do it at home with your family. This way they will be able to prepare the body, calorically speaking, so that later they do not suffer that much the plunge in the frozen water of the cannal (another of their traditions).

Venezuela

At first glance it might look like a gift wrapped in banana or bijao leaves. And it does not get too far away from reality since the hallacas are given away to wish good luck. It consists of a dough of corn flour pigmented with onoto or achiote that is stuffed with beef stew, pork and chicken. The truth is that there are many options and some people also fill them with fish. All these is added to a variety of other ingredients such as olives, onions, paprika... Finally it is rolled, as shown in the image, with banana leaves or bijao and then boiled. The result is beautiful and delicious.

Israel

The Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) is celebrated much later than ours, in September; and is typical to eat apple with honey and pomegranates. It is also common to welcome the year with the new fruits of the season and with fish. Some traditions that join with others more religious and that are carried out for several days... A genuine feast.

New stars and restaurants in Spain that conquered the 2023 Michelin Guide

Spanish restaurants with a new Michelin star

Barcelona is the city with most new restaurants winning a Michelin star: Aleia, COME by Paco Méndez, Enigma, Mont Bar and Slow & Low. Next up we have Madrid, with three of them: RavioXO, Ugo Chan and Zuara Sushi. We will also find new restaurants in large cities like Málaga, where Kaleja has made it to the Michelin Guide; or in smaller towns, like Padrón in Galicia, where O’Pazo has been awarded. These are the other names on the list:

• Adeje – San-Hô
• Albacete – Ababol
• Burgos – Cobo Evolución
• Cádiz – Código de Barra
• Casas-Ibáñez – Oba
• Es Canar – Etxeko Ibiza
• Illescas – Ancestral
• Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – Tabaiba
• Logroño – Ajonegro
• Loja – La Finca
• Málaga – Kaleja
• Murcia – AlmaMater
• Muro – Fusión19
• Ortiguera – Ferpel
• Ourense – Ceibe
• San Feliz – Monte
• San Lorenzo de El Escorial – Montia
• Santa Cruz de Campezo – ARREA!
• Valladolid – Alquimia Laboratorio
• Zaragoza – Gente Rara

Three new Spanish restaurants with two Michelin stars

Deessa in Madrid, Pepe Vieira in Serpe (Pontevedra) and El Rincón de Juan Carlos in Adeje (Tenerife) are three Spanish restaurants that have won a Michelin star in 2023 thanks to the quality of their food and services.

The first one lies next to the Prado Museum, and it belongs to the prestigious Ritz Hotel. According to the guide, it is “the best chance to get to know the cooking of chef Quique Dacosta and his particular understanding of culinary beauty in Spain’s capital city”.

In contrast, Pepe Vieira escapes the hustle and bustle of big cities and presents the Galician cuisine in all its glory. His restaurant does so from a little village next to Raxó, in the province of Pontevedra. The chef makes use of avant-garde elements, but always keeping close to the essence of the area. One remarkable aspect of this culinary experience is its “total sustainability”: usually, the customers first taste the starters walking through the orchard, the terrace, the kitchen…

“The restaurant of the Padrón brothers (Juan Carlos and Jonathan) is reaching new gastronomic levels from the 5^th floor of the hotel Royal Hideaway Corales Beach in La Caleta, Adeje (Tenerife)”, claims the guide. El Rincón de Juan Carlos rests in the dreamlike scenery of Tenerife, and it displays the flavours of the Canary Islands, with “great technique and creativity”.

Two new Spanish restaurants with three Michelin stars

According to the 2023 Michelin Guide, the highest award goes to two restaurants: Atrio in Cáceres and Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona. We could say the latter is the winning province on this gastronomic route, considering there are many restaurants in Barcelona that have been rewarded with new stars.

“This place that has found a new use for a warehouse in the district of Les Corts will leave us speechless several times, for walking through its gates always means to enter an alternate world which transcends reality and becomes sheer magic”, they write about Cocina Hermanos Torres. The restaurant of the twins provides both dishes and tasting menus for our palate’s delight.

Toño Pérez is the chef of Atrio, a restaurant we can find right in the old town of Cáceres. The Michelin Guide defines this place as “a landmark of Spanish gastronomy every gourmet should get to know”. Its dishes are known to enhance “the traditional flavours of Extremadura, letting us enjoy with countless nuances the culinary richness of this land”.

You can read here the full list of restaurants with Michelin stars in Spain and Portugal.

This restaurant has been on first position for almost eight years, until recently, the Quique Dacosta restaurant broke the record with a 2000-euro menu. Both restaurants are in Spain.

How can food be so expensive?

Many people probably believe that no food or immersive experience, no wine nor champagne can be worth such an exorbitant price, not even the sum of them all. However, there is always people willing to pay a high amount of money to eat and enjoy a pleasant evening. Considering all this, in the case of the Sublimotion, which is located in Ibiza, the answer to the question is quite simple. You are not only paying for the exquisite dishes designed by experts. You are also paying for everything surrounding the menu.

In fact, the mastermind behind the Sublimotion, the two Michelin star winner Paco Roncero, shaped this project with the aid of chefs, musicians, coreographers, designers, illusionists, script writers, and even engineers.

The high price of Quique Dacosta comes with its Plenitude 2 menu, a collaboration between the brand Dom Pérignon and the Quique Dacosta restaurant in Denia. A menu for two people amounts to 4000 euros, mostly due to the two bottles of Plenitude 2.

Moreover, this menu consists of three dishes: flower bread, fish bones, and lamb, all accompanied by Dom Pérignon. The actual price of the menu is 220 euros, only the bottles of Plenitude 2 make it more expensive.

The immersive experience of Sublimotion: turning the table into a stage

The aim of Paco Roncero is to turn the table into a stage, and that is precisely the differential factor that makes the Sublimotion stand out among other similar restaurants. It is not just a good dinner with a show, but a dinner where the client comes to take part in the very show.

This way, a table with 12 diners every night (and not more) fills in with lights that change with every dish. The clients go from being under the sea to a futuristic scenery. Eating in this context means three hours of enjoying nigiri dishes, almond and Norway lobster vichyssoise and, of course, some caviar. An experience with an exclusive taste.

The most expensive restaurant in the world

Chef Quique Dacosta owns multiple restaurants, although only one of them has his name: the Quique Dacosta Restaurant, located in front of the beach of Las Marinas. The main character here is the chef with three Michelin stars who won the 2020 Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts. Dacosta’s cuisine is heavily influenced by the surroundings of his restaurant, and the aesthetic of his dishes has been praised several times.

Likewise, the restaurant’s webpage states that, in their view, “the table is the perfect stage and the food is the perfect means of connecting with people through experiences”. They also add that “we develop our sense of taste through other people, in a sociable act which remains inside us throughout our lives”.

Extremadura: the first one

The initiative has been carried out in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Gastronomy (RAG). The Community chosen to launch the project "Spain in 19 dishes" is Extremadura, with a stamp dedicated to Extremadura lamb stew. With this stamp, the essence of Extremadura's gastronomy is gathered, a simple cuisine with rural origins. In addition, along with the popular recipe will appear Extremaduran chef Javier Garcia, as one of the peculiarities of this project is that it plays with augmented reality.

In this regard, Correos will launch a series of stamps through which to learn the best recipes from each community thanks to augmented reality. Thus, the stamps will not only incorporate the sensation of smell and taste characteristic of the dish, but through the mobile phone will be able to see how the recipe is made and will have access to a tutorial to cook it at home. A very ambitious and innovative project, so the rest of the stamps will be launched over the next few years.

Dishes from every Community

Other dishes chosen to support the project are: Andalusia and gazpacho, fabada from Asturias, Aragon and its chicken with chilindrón, tumbet from the Balearic Islands, cocido montañés from Cantabria, papas arrugadas with mojo from the Canary Islands, lechazo from Castile and Leon or perdiz toledana from Castile La Mancha. But this is not all, Catalonia will be represented with the suquet de peix, Valencia with the paella, Galicia with the octopus a la feira, Madrid with the traditional cocido, La Rioja with the potatoes a la riojana... Along with other dishes such as vegetable stew from Navarre, the Murcian caldero from the Mar Menor, the cod pil-pil from the Basque Country, the monkfish casserole a la rusadir from Melilla and the typical chicken hearts from Ceuta.

But this place is not only famous for this important historical event. It is also famous for being the birthplace of the typical Granada sweet par excellence, the pionono. This small cake is a delight to anyone who tastes it, quite hard to forget. We can identify two parts in this little cake. A very thin layer of moistened pastry rolled up into a cylinder, filled with a special cream and cinnamon. The other one is the toasted cream on top.

We will tell you a little more about one of the oldest treats in Spain. Although there are signs of the existence of a similar sweet in the Arab era, due to the ingredients used in its elaboration, it was not until 1879 that it emerged in Granada.

Its origin is credited to Ceferino Isla, who created it as a tribute to Pope Pius IX (Pio Nono in Italian). Ceferino set up his workshop in Calle Real de Santa Fe (which he called Casa Isla). Due to his great devotion to the Virgin Mary, he decided to create a sweet for the Pope who had proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

The little cake is reminiscent of the Pope not only by name but also by its shape. Therefore, it is short and kind of chubby, represented by the cylindrical shape of the cake; covered with a white balandran (a folded paper basket in which the cake is placed) and with a zucchetto like the one that covers the top of the Pope's head, represented by a crown of toasted cream that forms the top of the pionono.

This sweet little cake was liked by everyone who tried it, even King Alfonso XIII was so delighted with its taste that he gave Casa Isla the title of official supplier of the Royal House. This is why the coat of arms of Casa Isla has the five-pointed royal crown.

The recipe is a secret only known in the workshop, although due to its 116th birthday they have reinvented it with new flavors: dark chocolate, white chocolate and tangarine.

If you visit Granada, you have to try them! Both in the capital and in the two establishments in Santa Fe. They will become a bite hard to forget!

The croquertilla is an unusual tapa. It is a croquette on the outside and a potato omelette on the inside. 

The croquertilla is an unusual tapa since it is a croquette on the outside and a potato omelette on the inside. As its creator says, “the croquertilla is open source”. He therefore encourages everybody to prepare it and reinvent it. Everybody can try it!

Where does this crazy (and delightful) idea come from? Jano Cabello loves cooking and decided to join the program “La Batalla de las Tapas” broadcast by Aragon television where participants should reinvent a Spanish tapa. He came up with the idea while having dinner with his family and friends at home. With the crunchy texture of a croquette together with the juiciness of the Spanish omelette, the croquertilla is here to stay.

Do it yourself! 

As said in the website croquertilla.com, the croquertilla is easy to cook. You just have to stay positive and open your mind. The croquertilla may have more in common with the Spanish omelette than the croquette itself since this one has bechamel sauce. However, omelette flavour is more present. His creator is currently thinking about different combinations which include black pudding or chistorra (a type of sausage) inside. We will try the croquertilla so far and encourage you to prepare it.

Ingredients

• Salt
• Oil
• Potatoes (5)
• Eggs (7-8)
• Onion
• Breadcrumbs
• Flour

Directions

1. For a juicy omelette, potatoes and onions must be fried on a low heat. Do not add onion if you do not like it. When they are almost done, brown them over a high heat.
2. Beat the eggs and mix them with the potatoes and the onion (draining the old oil). Add salt.
3. Let the potatoes suck the egg for a while and do not be in a hurry to put the mixture in the frying pan, this will make the interior juicy. 
4. Now put the mixture in the frying pan, turn it a few times so that the egg sets and take it out.
5. Time to get dirty. Shape the tortilla into a ball and pass it through the flour. Then, pass it through the egg and breadcrumbs.
6. Fry over high heat so that they are made only on the outside. Then it is time to enjoy! Do not be anxious, or you will get burned.

The Beer Spa uses local products such as the famous Alhambra, as well as beauty products elaborated in a lab located in the city.

Beer baths consist on entering in a hot water barrel that contains the components of this beer: yeast, hops and malt. Cinnamon is also found among its ingredients as a natural flavour intensifier. Only 20 minutes inside the barrel are needed to let the ingredients act in the skin. And what about the plans while taking a beer bath? The answer is of course drinking the popular Alhambra beer and trying a traditional tapas. At the end, you will end up revitalized both inside and out.

There are also a sauna and barley bed in the Beer Spa. Thanks to the fresh barley bed, the skin ends up absorbing the extracts from the beer.

The opening of the Spa has been a success, therefore it is expected that other Beer Spas will be opened inside and outside the country. There is no doubt that it is an innovative business model that may attract all kinds of public. What about you? Are you ready to try one of their circuits?

Beer Spa benefits

According to Beer Spa, there are many benefits of taking a beer bath. 

• Easing of muscle tension
• Skin rejuvenation
• Prevention of flaccidity
• Absorption of vitamins
• Reduction of stress
• Cleansing of pores
• Improved blood circulation

Cervecería Plaza Mayor

The sandwiches here are undoubtedly one of the most popular and tastiest. They prepare it with a thin, non-greasy flour, achieving an extraordinary result. They have a wide terrace and a lounge where you can enjoy every bite. This place is ideal to relax while eating one of the best sandwiches in Madrid at the same time you enjoy this nice square. Is there a better offer?

Cervecería Sol Mayor

This bar very close to the Plaza Mayor is also a must. Their sandwiches are excellent and include a great number of squids inside. Furthermore, make the most of your time there and try some of the portions they offer such as the patatas bravas.

La Campana

Three generations have been selling squid sandwiches in La Campana (although it used to be called something else). It is said that they are some of the most delicious and, taking in account the number of people who goes there every day, we do not exagerate. Its wide and crunchy bread is always filled with yummy squids of different sizes.

La Ideal

La Ideal is a small bar near the Plaza Mayor. Its most famous dish is of course the squid sandwich. You will probably try it outside the bar since it is usually crowded. It is also worth a visit because of the funny atmosphere and the good service.

El Brillante

El Brillante is located near the Reina Sofía Museum. It is a very popular bar, specially for those who looks for a delicious squid sandwich after partying. It opens early in the morning and closes late at night, so any time is good to go. It is worth mentioning that is the most expensive one (6,50€ beverage included). The good news is that you can choose the kind of bread.

Magerit

The last bar of our list is located at the arcades of the Plaza Mayor and it is another great option to try this delightful sandwich. The local is bigger than the previous ones and it also has a terrace to enjoy this delicacy. Moreover, they  include other traditional dishes in their menu. 

The Valencian paella should not have onions or peas

For example: Valencian paella does not contain squid or prawns. For the Valencians, this would not be considered a seafood paella, but only rice with products from the sea. The ingredients of a paella that is 100% Valencian are the following: chicken, rabbit, garrofón (a type of bean), and plain green beans.

There is only one paella

As we said before, for Valencians, “rice with things” is not the same thing as paella. Authentic Valencian paella contains a clear list of ingredients, and there is a very precise way of cooking it. No one voluntarily imagines a tripe with prawns or a fabada with lentils. Why? Because this would be sacrilege; but we didn’t see it that way with Valencian paella.

D.O. Rice with water (Never broth!)

To make authentic Valencian paella, you can’t use just any kind of rice. You can’t use basmati, whole, or wild rice. This recipe should be prepared with round rice, a D.O. rice from Valencia. A Valencian can overlook the D.O. aspect of the rice used in paella, but they would never use anything but round rice.

In addition, one should always cook the rice in water, not chicken or seafood broth. The Valencian paella boils in the broth that the paella itself ends up making.

There is only one acceptable cooking dish for paella

The “paellera” is the name referring to the person who cooks the dish or the stove where the dish is cooked. If you think this sounds weird, think about what the person who makes cakes (“pasteles”) is called in Spanish. That’s right: “un/a pastelero/a.”

The thickness of the paella is another factor to consider. It should not exceed the width of your finger. So, if the paella is being prepared for four to six people, you’ll need a very big pan. This makes it difficult to prepare in a regular household.

The water should be measured carefully

It’s true that this part of the recipe is one of the most controversial as well as one of the parts that is the easiest to mess up. If you measure it by hand, you could go overboard with the water or fall short, but the Valencians have come up with a way to avoid this. You should have approximately three parts water and one part rice in your paella recipe. You also have to pay attention to the heat at which you cook the dish.

Valencian paella also must be made from dry rice. If you use Arroz Caldoso, it’s not paella.

The restaurant with the most abundant menu of the day is in Asturias, specifically in Callezuela, a locality that does not have more than 100 inhabitants. Take note of the name, because it is one of those places that all visitors should go to at least once in their lifetime: La Tenada. A simple restaurant that stands by the slogan "Today we have what we have everyday," as the sign says on the doorstep.

This menu of the day has nothing more and nothing less than six main courses, a dessert to choose from, a drink, coffee and a shot of orujo on the house. On this menu of the day, all the dishes are included for 22.50 euros. Of course, Asturias has always been famous for great dishes, but La Tenada really gives you the best meal for its value. In addition, on Wednesdays the menu includes a good dish of Asturian fabada.

The trick is not to fill up with the first dish, the favorite of diners, since you can serve yourself directly from the pot with as much as you want. And of course, you want to eat and eat until you're stuffed. Don't make this mistake!

Of the six dishes you can try if you eat in this restaurant, some are classics of Asturian gastronomy and are made with fresh ingredients:

1. Pot of cabbage with homemade compango (other ingredients like bacon, sausage, lacón and chorizo)
2. Homemade loin with french fries and village fried eggs
3. A picadillo dish
4. Tripe
5. Lamb roast with potatoes
6. Veal stew with potatoes

Although it seems too good to be true, you don't have to choose just one dish. There are six different dishes for each brave (and hungry) soul. People might think it doesn't make the restaurant profitable, but the truth is that it does. The secret lies in the fact that the ingredients are fresh from the earth and the recipes are prepared homemade from beginning to end.

Desserts also deserve a special mention. You can choose from La Peral cheese with quince jelly, rice with homemade milk, and chilled cake (tarta helada) or frixuelos (a typical Asturian desserts). With this filling menu of the day, Cabrales cheese is also a good pairing.

Text: María Jesús Colombo

The gala at which the list of the 50 best restaurants in the world has been announced was held at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao. The Italian chef Massimo Bottura again achieved, as in 2016, first place on the ranking, followed by the restaurant of Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca and the local French restaurant Mirazur, which received third place.

On the list of the 50 best, seven Spanish restaurants ranked very highly:

2 - El Celler de Can Roca

9 - Mugaritz

10 - Asador Etxebarri

18 - Disfrutar

31 - Arzak

32 - Tickets

43 - Azurmendi

Of these seven Spanish restaurants, Arzumendi, with Basque chef Eneko Atxa, has been awarded for being one of the most sustainable restaurants. However, there have been some disappointments. For example, Etxebarri has not maintained its high ranking that it has had for the past few years, instead dropping down to position 10. The attendees expected the restaurant to be among the top positions, since last year it was ranked in 6th place.

Spanish restaurants are also known for being ranked between the top 51 to 100 restaurants. In total, there are 13 Spanish restaurants that have managed to be among the best in the world. Of these, seven are in the Basque Country and four in Catalonia:

57 - Nerua

68 - Quique Dacosta

76 - Martín Berasategui

77 - Elkano

96 - Enigma

97 - Diverxo

Text: María Jesús Colombo

Types of Wine

Knowing how to distinguish a good wine from the others is very important. There exist many different types of wines in Spain, but the most well known are reds, rosés, and whites. Those with the best reputation are those that are recognized under a Denominación de Origen Protegida (Protected Designation of Origin).

Red wine is one that comes from red grapes. The grapes are fermented with their skins still attached, producing the powerful color. The wine is aged in casks and bottles, and depending on the duration of the aging, this can produce young wines, crianzas, reservas, or grandes reservas (the names of the different stages of aging). The longer the duration of the aging process, the better the wine will be. The carbonic maceration is used to identify young wines.

White wine should be made with white grapes, giving the product its characteristic color: straw yellow, golden yellow, or greenish yellow. Dry white wine is the best known among the white wines popular today. These stocks are aromatic and acidic to varying degrees. Sweet wines are those whose fermentation is cut short, preventing all the sugars from turning to alcohol. Sparkling wines are, for the most part, white wines. Depending on the degree of residual sugar, you can find dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, and sweet white wines.

Rosé wine is a red wine with little maceration. It should have a characteristic pink color, which ranges from clear to almost violet. This depends on the grapes and the techniques used during production.

How to Distinguish a Good Wine from a Poor One

When determining a good wine, taking into account aroma and color are also important. The aroma should never seem moldy or rancid. As for the color, it should correspond to the type of wine. A red wine that has spent a lot of time in a cask should be a burgundy color. A white wine should be a straw-like or pale yellow.

How to Taste Wine Like an Expert

If you wish to understand the nuances necessary to differentiate a good wine from a not-so-great wine, you will have to keep a few guidelines in mind.

First, take a look at the wine in your glass. On a white background, examine the shade or the hue of the wine. The intensity of the color of the wine will reveal the potency of the flavor that you will experience when you taste it. In addition, you should hold the glass by its stem so as not to heat the wine.

The third step is the best; you get to taste the wine. Choosing a good wine requires care. You should hold the first sip in your mouth so that it covers the entire tongue, allowing you to capture all its flavor. Thus, the guidelines for tasting wine are complete.

How to Enhance the Wine Through Pairing

Red wine is best consumed with cold cut meats, cured cheese, and some blue cheese. Red meat grilled over burning coals or charcoal also pairs nicely with red wine. For example, sirloin steak or roasted lamb are always good options.

White wine is usually best paired with starters or appetizers. It is also a good accompaniment to fish and seafood. Rosé is a good wine to drink while eating salad, pasta, seafood rice, or even dessert.

Visitors can taste handcrafted, Spanish beers from master brewers. Beermad also brings us low-fermented beer, commonly known as Lager. You will find distinct styles of ale, a highly fermented beer, like Pale Ale, Weizen, Saison, Porters, Brown Ale, and Amber Ale. You will become familiar with the fabrication process and its characteristics. Spanish and Madrid brands will be at this festival.

Food and beer almost always come together, and Beermad is no exception. Street food comes to the festival along with the clothing stalls: the caravans of street food. Some of the plates that you can try in the 16 stands are “molletes de carne mechada” (a sort of meat pie), empanadas, and hamburgers, as well as bocadillos de calamares (fried squid Poboy), papas arrugadas (boiled potatoes), croquettes, pinchos de tortilla de patata, cheeses, and Iberian products (jamón ibérico).

Beermad also brings us an extensive program of workshops where thematic tastings, beer and cheese pairings, and cooking shows are the big attractions. To participate, you have to sign up for each activity ahead of time, and the price can vary from 15 to 20 euros. Even the little ones can enjoy Beermad with the kids workshops, in which they make beads and clay figures. These activities will cost around 4 euros per hour.

You absolutely can’t miss the musical lineup of Beermad 2018 either. At this venue, you can enjoy music from the best live artists and groups from Madrid. Cañones y Mantequilla, Papawanda, and Charly & The Coconuts just some of the 12 performers that will play during the festival.

Beermad 2018 Schedule:

• Friday, June 8^th 5-12 PM
• Saturday, June 9^th 12 AM- 12 PM
• Sunday, June 10^th 12 AM- 6 PM

Anticipated Entrance Prices:

• General Admission for 1 Day: 5 €
• 3 Day Pass: 8 €

Prices at the Box Office:

• General Entrance: 6 €

Buying a ticket both in advance and at the box office gets you an official Beermad glass, a market map (as well as one for the breweries in Madrid), a raffle ticket for a weekend trip, a trip to brewery, and a sample and a token for your first tasting.

Seville: a drink facing Torre del Oro

Ibiza: relax in the countryside

Santander: summery dinner among roses

Vigo: the sea is yours

Murcia: an orchard haven

Zaragoza: a soda next to the Expo

San Sebastián: unwind at La Concha

Vinoteca Moratín

Vinoteca Moratín is a small house with food by Marcos Gil. It has a few tables accompanied by soft lights and simple decorations, with some contemporary works, that create a romantic atmosphere for any special occasion. The focus of the romantic evening will be the cuisine. They offer a small menu which is good, since you will want to try everything. A great option is the steak tartar, that many consider one of the best in the capital, or the pollo al albariño (chicken), another of their specialties. All of this can be accompanied with some of the wines from their menu, all of them are delicious. You must make a reservation by phone, as there are only a few tables and they don’t double book, which is perfect if you want to stay longer.

La Bodega de los Secretos

It is a classic romantic spot although we have to leave Madrid’s center to enjoy this special restaurant, but it’s worth it. Why is it so special? This restaurant is an old train car that Benito, its owner, picked up from the scrapyard to remodel and create one of the most special restaurants in the capital. Considering some of the most prestigious individuals ate here (the very King Alfonso XIII, for example) the service is impeccable and ordering lunch or dinner here is unforgettable. The food they offer is in season and they also have a sampling menu at 60 euros, which is ideal in case you don’t know what to choose.

El Vagón de Beni

It is a classic romantic spot although we have to leave Madrid’s center to enjoy this special restaurant, but it’s worth it. Why is it so special? This restaurant is an old train car that Benito, its owner, picked up from the scrapyard to remodel and create one of the most special restaurants in the capital. Considering some of the most prestigious individuals ate here (the very King Alfonso XIII, for example) the service is impeccable and ordering lunch or dinner here is unforgettable. The food they offer is in season and they also have a sampling menu at 60 euros, which is ideal in case you don’t know what to choose.

El Invernadero de Los Peñotes

We change the light, colors and decorations in general for a more natural romanticism. Invernadero de Los Peñotes is like going to the jungle, but with the facilities and amenities of an unbeatable restaurant. It is built in an old greenhouse that belonged to the Los Peñotes gardening center, the natural light is just as impressive as their menu. It is characterized by Mediterranean cuisine with the salad “El Invernadero”, croquetas, a rich milanesa de pez emperador (emperor fish) with tartar sauce and the albóndigas de pollo (chicken dumplings) with curry sauce and wild rice. To finish, you should opt for their ice cream or crispy mousse de plátano (banana mousse). The cherry on top of a unique meal.

Restaurante Sacha

Do you know other restaurants that would have to be on this list?

Lemon is a citrus fruit whose major component is water, with a low energy value. In addition, it contains a number of nutrients, such as vitamin C, flavonoids and fiber, which are necessary for the proper body function and cellular activity. Therefore, this fruit has been attributed a series of benefits ranging from acting as a diuretic, skin rejuvenate, acne eliminator, and a way to combat depression and prevent cancer.

Water with lemon, for its ease of preparation and its low cost, has become one of the most used forms to take advantage of all the possible benefits of this citric.

However, it should not be consumed in without know-how. The daily portion of water with lemon should be half a glass of water with juice of a half a lemon or a glass of water with the juice of a whole lemon. When these amounts are respected and you do not suffer from some conditions that will be mentioned later, drinking water with lemon is actually very good for you.

BENEFITS OF THE LEMON WATER

• It helps to cleanse the liver as citric acid increases the segregation of bile. This can have an indirect effect when it comes to losing weight, since it helps start the metabolism.
• It provides a great dose of Vitamin C (25% of the daily recommended amount per glass), which not only strengthens the immune system, but also has a great antioxidant effect giving us a bright skin. Attention to its abuse, a dose superior to 2,000 milligrams per day can cause stomach discomfort.
• Provides nutrients like flavonoids, fiber and has an alkalizing effect as it regulates the pH of the body.
• It has a diuretic effect, which together with a balanced PH helps prevent urinary tract infections.
• It can prevent obesity and cardiovascular diseases, since hesperidin (flavonoid) has vaso-protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, lipid-lowering and diuretic actions that can be related to a potential prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases.
• It acts as a boost in the immune system. The vitamin C helps to create the material between the white blood cells which are essential for the proper development of the immune system. It is known that lemon water also contains citric, malic, acetic and formic acid, which can enhance the action of vitamin C and possess an antiseptic action. That is to say, it helps fight bacteria and other pathogens that threaten the body.
• It also helps to absorb iron better so it can help fight anemias if consumed with foods rich in iron.
• It improves digestion, especially if you have ingested high amounts of fat, stimulating a greater production of gastric acids. But do not forget that having a varied diet, eating the necessary amounts of food and performing moderate physical activity, are an essential part of a healthy life.

As for the consumption of lemon as a supplement to lose weight, you can drink the juice by squeezing a lemon and mixing it with a cup of warm water, in the proportions mentioned above. It can be taken in the morning, but depending on which cases, not with the stomach completely empty, since it can produce acidity and some types of ulcers if its consumption is too frequent. In any case, water with lemon will not make anyone thin, it is simply a good method in moderation to purify the body, eliminating toxic substances and strengthening the defenses.

Contraindications:

• Weakening of dental enamel resulting from the excessive intake of citric acid, which in the medium term can generate sensitivity in the teeth.
• Frequent acidity when ingested in abundant amounts. Although the lemon helps to balance the pH of our body avoiding acidity, if we ingest it in excess we can get the opposite effect. If you have a slow metabolism, it can be consumed at intervals, but it is not necessary to exceed, being the most recommended in this case its maximum consumption of 10 to 14 days.
• It can lead to dehydration if its consumption is abused, because this drink is diuretic and should be taken in moderation to replenish liquids. Don’t forget to drink the right amount of water needed throughout the day.

Text: Nutritionist Isabel Cangas

When buying Jamón Ibérico, you should hesitate and think twice before you go through with the transaction, but do not worry. It is helpful to keep in mind a few keys to distinguish a good Jamón Ibérico from one that is not so great. To keep from being duped, take note in the following tricks.

The Label for Jamón Ibérico

• Negra: ham of the highest quality, whose pigs are 100% Iberian, fed with acorns in a pasture. They are the only ones that can be called Pata Negra ham.
• Roja: They produce mixed-breed pigs that are 75% or 50% Iberian, with a diet of acorns and raised in a pasture.
• Verde: Jamón Ibérico (it could be 100%, 75%, or 50% Iberian) that was fed with regular animal feed and kept free range or in an outdoor pen.
• Blanco: Jamón Ibérico (it could be 100%, 75%, or 50% Iberian) that was fed with industrial animal-feeds in a farm with limited movement.

The Hoof

The size matters because an excessively fat ham isn’t good (even though we said it should be well-fed). The Iberian pigs were free to wander, and therefore they are long and slim.

The Origin of the Jamón Ibérico

The origin is very important. The ham is very closely related to the ecosystem, and in the meadows of Salamanca (D.O Guijuelo), Extremadura (D.O Dehesa de Extremadura), Huelva (D.O Jabugo) and Córdoba (D.O Los Pedroches) one finds the Iberian pigs with the highest quality diet. The acorn-fed Jamón Ibérico of the Sierra de Sevilla is another that has an unmistakable taste.

The Texture of the Fat

Where you find the fat is also important. The acorn-fed pigs have fat between the muscles, and those that were fed animal feed have fat distributed through the muscle. This means that the good ham will not have many veins, while the others will have much more. The veins contain oleic acid, which is very good for the heart.

Color and Price

Another trick is to be suspicious of insanely low prices. The acorn-fed Jamón Ibérico is of the highest quality, therefore, stay away from the ham that is excessively cheap. For example, an acorn-fed Jamón Ibérico between 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs.) and 8.5 kg (18.7 lbs.) should cost around 155-190 euros (0-0). For the most part, an acorn-fed Jamón Ibérico should cost between 250-300 euros (0-5).

How Do You Store the  Jamón Ibérico?

For how long the ham is good depends on its quality and the conditions to which it is exposed. There are some who consider the best way to store a Jamón Ibérico is to cover it with a cotton cloth or with its own fat. If you are going to eat it immediately, this is a good option, but after a long time, the cloth will absorb the fat and it can transfer certain odors to the ham. The fat produced from a pig that was fed animal-feed spoils quicker. Therefore, many experts simply advise that you cover the pig in plastic wrap.

Another option is to ask for a professional to cut the ham and keep it in bags. This way, if you are going to cut it more, you can cut it by hand instead of with a machine. You notice the difference.

Mojo Potatoes - Papas arrugadas con mojo

Iberian Ham - Jamón ibérico

Spanish Omelette - Tortilla de Patata

La Paella Valenciana

Quesada Pasiega

Galician Octopus - Pulpo gallego

Paparajote