‘Grelos’ are turnip shoots or tops and a staple food in Galician cuisine. A delicacy when they are tender, these leaves should be harvested just before flowering, when they present a smooth, shiny and spotless appearance. In Galicia, this activity is called 'grelar' and the best times to do it are in winter and early spring; although thanks to greenhouse techniques they can be found throughout the year. The origin of this plant is not very clear. Some place it in Asia, others in Europe, but the truth is that in Spain they were only consumed and cultivated for many years in Galicia. What I have discovered is that turnip greens can help prevent cancer. In the stud

The Roscón de Reyes is a donut-shaped bun which is never missing from the Spanish tables on January 6, the Epiphany. It is started in the morning with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee, and continues throughout the day. This bun with milk, flour, sugar, eggs and orange blossom water can be served filled with whipped cream, vanilla cream, truffles, marzipan and chocolate, and usually has sugar, candied fruits and nuts on top. The special thing about this dessert is that hidden inside there is a figurine and a dry bean: he who finds the figurine in his piece of roulade will be lucky for the whole year, he who finds the bean, however, will have to pay for the roulade. Th

  Borja is a small town in the province of Zaragoza with a huge wine tradition. The difference with other areas of vineyards lies in the peculiarity of its first winery, built centuries ago in the rock of the hills. 19th-century Borjan traders served from within the mountain and their offices were converted over time into family residences and holiday homes. In any case, wine remains a benchmark in the Campo de Borja region and the Moncayo, its neighbour. It is true that a few months ago the region’s, and the world’s, attention was drawn to the controversial restoration of the church’s Ecce Homo by a lady with the priest’s agreement. However, the world

  It takes energy to go for a stroll in the country, and a lot more so if it is in the mountains of the Picos de Europa. If there is one right dish to load us up with energy for trotting off into the mountains it is stew, which consists of a saucepan with water in which meat, delicatessen, vegetables and other additions are cooked together. Present in the indifferent Spanish culinary traditions, the variety from Cantabria is the only one in Spain that does not use chickpeas.  Mountain stew, a very appropriate name for the region, is an inland dish, rich and very sturdy. According to the organisers of the seventh edition of the Cantabria Week of Gastronomic Products, the

The Galician company Coren, known for its chickens, had an idea for his pigs. Seeking to recover the traditions more deeply rooted 'no terruño', Coren thought he could make a product half way between the whitest pig and the most refined Iberian. This meat, nicknamed Selecta, has already made the leap and is being marketed in Japan. This new line has three basic premises: a selected breed, a natural diet based on chestnuts and a traditional farming method. These ideas combined result in a juicy meat that recovers its flavour 'da terra'. This Galician pig raising takes about five months. During the first three, they are fed a lot of grain and feed, rich in v

  That sherry is one of the best wines in the world is clear even to the Japanese. This is the defence of the prestigious journalist Yoshiko Akehi, a specialist in Spanish wines, who has given in to the charms of this particular wine from Jerez. Its taste and its aged aroma, universally appreciated, are the fruit of gifted lands in the Andalusian provinces of Cadiz and Seville. The climate of the area is the great ally in making this liquid miracle behind which there is exhaustive work in a millenary legacy. The well-known Marco de Jerez (frame of Jerez) is a privileged geographical Triangle where excellent wines and brandies have their origin. From these, a whole tourist r

"Que no te la den con queso" (Don’t be given it with cheese) is a very popular Spanish expression that warns us against lying. It roughly translates to "not be fooled" and comes from a trick that winemakers formerly used when they wanted to sell a poor quality wine to merchants. The trick was to serve them a slice of cheese before they tried the wine to hide its defects. In fact, finding harmony between wine and cheese is difficult but not impossible, and what before had a negative connotation, has now become compulsory for all gourmets. Today, many books and specialized courses teach us how to correctly combine cheeses and wines. This is pairing, th

Since the ninth century, the fields of La Mancha have grown one of the most valuable spices on the planet, saffron rose, a humble flower but one of great flavour. It is not its striking violet colour, but rather it is red stems that are used in a multitude of macerations of Spanish gastronomy, such as the famous pincho moruno or paella. Saffron fashion is a centenary tradition. In October, whoever might go to La Solana (Ciudad Real, a few kilometres from Madrid) or Consuegra (very close to Toledo), will see women sitting at their tables in the streets separating the stems from the leaves while pleasantly chatting. It is a laborious process that justifies the name of “red gold&rd

Few things are as peculiar to Spain as the concept of tapa. This distinct item of Spanish gastronomy has been exported to the rest of humanity and finds literary references in texts by Quevedo, for whom they are “avisillos”, or Cervantes, who refers to ‘tapas’ as “llamativos”. And just like everything that is good, many lay claim to its authorship. From the primitive custom of accompanying alcoholic drinks with ‘something’ to eat to mitigate its effects, supposedly promoted by Alfonso X, the Wise, to the fact that they say that the country workers used it to prevent the flies from landing in their drink. But the most widespread of the t

Very brave you have to be to compete with your culinary skills in a region of good eating and good drinking like Valladolid. For a few days in November, the Castilian capital further enhances its offer with the best of haute cuisine in miniature, as the centre for the National Competition of Kebabs and Bites, receiving only the most talented and imaginative. People able to recreate the planet Mars with egg dumplings and mushrooms or dress a vertical salad. The flavours in Spain (and the rest of the planet) concentrate in one place. Professionals come from around the country who usually serve in their bars. Besides choosing three winners, the best concept is valued, the most avant-gar

Want to buy a Spanish wine, but have no idea how to decipher the myriad of choices available? Spain's Rioja region wine labels ease the process by including the following two (2) markers: The DOCa" (Denominación de Origen Calificada) seal, which verifies that the wine meets the stringent qualification necessary to be labeled an authentic Rioja wine. The Rioja Classification label, four (4) different colored labels describing the expected level and method of aging in barrels/bottles: Joven or Cosecha (Green Label): Typically young wines 1-2 years old, focused on freshness and fruitiness. Also occasionally used to describe wines outside the other three wine categories. Easy-