Soooo, I have been procrastinating on writing the next chapter of our adventure because it is a really emotionally hard thing to do, so I have decided to write about something a bit more lighthearted, something that I love about Asturias.
Most people think of Spain and they think of hot, dry weather, beaches, flamenco dancers, paella (or "pallela" as most guiris like to pronounce it) and wine...
But what if I told you that the north of Spain (more specificically Asturias) is celtic in origin? That we share ancestry with the Irish, the Scots and French Brittany? What if I was to tell you that it looks like this....
So yes, up there we have rain (lots of rain) all year round, we play bagpipes and drums, we eat a hearty bean stew called Fabada and we drink cider, lots of cider (about 50 million litres for a region with 1 million population). Not only do we drink cider but we have a unique set of customs that come with it.
1. CIDER IS POURED IN A PARTICULAR WAY; we call it "escanciar"
It is easier for me to show you than to tell you so here you go...
We don't just do it because we like being cool (;D) we do it because this is still 'natural' cider from a particular type of apple and by beating it against the side of the glass we release gases/bubbles, reduce the presence of some acids and also release aromas in the glass that, being so wide at the top, bathe you while you drink it. This is the only region in the world where cider is poured this way.
2. CIDER IS SERVED IN SINGLE PORTIONS; we call them "culines" (which translates to 'little bottoms')
They tend to be 1 - 2 fingers depth and this is because if it is let to sit for too long you will lose the gas, increase the acidity and lose the aroma, undoing all the work done when it has been "escanciada". So we drink it relatively quickly, on several gulps but not for too long because the rest of your group might be waiting for you to finish. Why would that be? I hear you ask....
3. SEVERAL PEOPLE SHARE THE SAME GLASS
So we take it in turns to drink. You might think that is rather disgusting, but what we do is we don't drink the whole "culin" we leave a little bit at the bottom that we throw out and when we do we make it go past the bit of glass we had drunk from, so sidrerias (the places where you go to drink it) tend to have the floor covered in sawdust to avoid slippery floors.
4. YOU NEVER POUR THE WHOLE BOTTLE
The last culin is left int he bottle and it is know as "la madre" (the mother) and tends to have some sediment hence why it does not get drunk (unless you are a cash strapped teenager looking to get sozzled that is).
5. FINALY BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY
We do not like to drink it sitting down, and that is because it is one of those drinks that creeps up on you. You think you're fine, then you suddenly go to get up and you realise that even though it is only 5%, you are drunk because you have been having so much fun sharing the drink and food with your friends that you have not realised you have polished 12 bottles between you...
That is all for today folks... Hope you have enjoyed learning a little bit about my corner of the world. Will tell you more soon because the North of Spain is a hidden gem I would love to share with you all.
