national geographic traveller uk basque experiences

Spain is home to an impressive array of Michelin-starred restaurants but the country also offers a wide range of affordable local food

experiences — from olive harvests in the Sierra Nevada to tapas tours in Madrid, wineries hosting sherry tastings, and food festivals celebrating

everything from spices to seafood and onions

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natgeotraveller.co.uk | National geographic traveller 7170 National geographic traveller | June 2014

Spain’s obsession with food is nowhere more conspicuous than in the capital’s world-renowned restaurants and tapas bars. Eating out is a fundamental part of life in Madrid, and with competition so fierce, it’s hard to eat badly. Not only does the city serve up the hearty specialities of the surrounding castile-la Mancha region, but its location, smack in the centre of Spain’s diverse agricultural landscape, means it draws in the finest produce and regional cuisine from around the country.

A perfect Madrid morning starts at a traditional cafe, with the favourite, churros con chocolate (hot chocolate so thick you eat it with a spoon and fried pastry for dipping). for the essential experience, join the locals poring over a chess game at the emblematic café comercial. restaurants are already flat

out by breakfast and hungry punters keep rolling in. the next onslaught is for the mid-morning sandwich, traditionally with jamón serrano, chorizo or tortilla. then comes lunch, evening tapas and, for those still standing, dinner around 11pm.

lunch is serious business here. for the full experience, try historic favourites like la Bola, where time stands still in dining rooms dressed with velvet curtains and celebrity photos. the same family has reigned here for 200 years, serving an unbeatable cocido, Madrid’s signature stew. for an affordable meal, try Andalucian specialities like tortillitas de camarones (shrimp cakes), chocos fritos (fried cuttlefish), and, of course, delicious gazpacho — best sampled at tapas bar la taberna Sanlúcar. or head to la Sanabresa, a traditional bodega with a great daily menu at around €10 (£8.20).

Squeeze in an afternoon snack from Madrid’s best bakery, Pomme Sucre, before taking to the streets of the la latina neighbourhood, dropping into bars along cava Baja, for deliciously plump, crisp croquetas (croquettes), hearty slabs of tortilla de patatas (thick potato omelette), pulpo gallego (galician octopus) or salty, fried green Padrón

peppers. or try the new wave of fusion tapas bars, like the ever-popular Nakeima dumpling Bar.

And of course Madrid’s frenetic food markets offer the ideal setting not just for shopping but also for some of the city’s best tapas. Mercado de San fernando has several interesting new stalls, all serving great tapas; or try a craft beer at la Buena Pinta. Why not grab a glass of vermouth on tap, and snack on olive skewers at the Sherry corner in Mercado de San Miguel?

Still got an appetite? you could do worse than Sobrino del Botín, the self-proclaimed ‘world’s oldest restaurant’ and, according to Ernest Hemingway, the world’s best. lavish dining rooms exude old world charm and tireless waiters serve up favourites such as tender roast suckling pig, the speciality of Segovia. or if you prefer a less formal experience and different regional flavours, ignore the average-looking facade at nearby Norte Sur for its superb Asturian fish dishes.

for off-the-beaten-track tours, try Madrid food tour’s half-day ultimate Spanish cuisine tour (from £80 per person). madridfoodtour.com elcafecomercial.blogspot.com labola.es latabernasanlucar.com pommesucre.com mercados-de-madrid.com botin.es marisquerianortesur.com

Madrid: top tapas spots

At historic favourite la Bola, time stands still in dining rooms dressed with velvet curtains and celebrity photos

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Exploring the rural heartland of cava, it’s hard to believe it’s less than an hour from Barcelona’s

cosmopolitan bustle. the sparkling wine synonymous with catalonia’s buzzing tapas

bars and sophisticated culinary scene, cava’s historic base is the bucolic Penedès region, where tractors overflowing with grapes idle through valleys swathed in vineyards and

rustic villages, all set against a jagged, mountainous backdrop.catalans are fiercely proud of their

cava, which has become one of the distinctive tastes of Spain. Produced

using the same method as champagne, it’s traditionally made from local Xarel-lo, Macabeo

and Parellada grapes, although other varieties, including chardonnay are now used. once dismissed as cheap and cheerful, cava’s reputation is rising as ambitious cellars gain international acclaim. A trip to catalonia wouldn’t be complete without extensive sampling. Barcelona’s cava bars range from local joints such as can Paixano — where the cava slips down easily and the tapas is hearty — to wine bars such as the upmarket Monvinic. And sipping a local cava at the venerable la vinya del Senyor, by the Santa Maria del Mar church, is a quintessential Barcelona experience.

to explore cava’s roots, head to the village of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, where cava is a way of life. grape vines stretch as far as you can see and even burly farmers in local bars nurse

dainty glasses of bubbly. to get an overview, take the train from Plaça de catalunya straight to freixenet, a producer of around 140 million bottles a year. directly across from the train station, regular tours include a train ride through the labyrinthine underground cellars. the tour is an eye-opening exploration of cava’s mix of ancient traditions and cutting-edge technology, and the sheer scale of the operation is impressive in itself. Spain’s first cava was made by codorníu, a nearby rival producer based in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia. It’s worth visiting for its cathedral-like modernista buildings, designed by Antoni gaudí’s rival, Josep Puig i cadafalch.

for a more intimate visit, many smaller cellars offer tours, although booking is always necessary. the best place to start is the new cava Interpretation centre, in Sant Sadurní, where the tourist office organises visits and several exhibits revolve around the history and production of cava. cava Emotions offers day tours from Barcelona (from £108 per person), including a vineyard and winery visit, picnic lunch and an afternoon learning how cava is produced. Better still, come for the annual cava festival, cavatast, an annual three-day extravaganza at the beginning of october. canpaixano.com monvinic.com lavinyadelsenyor.com freixenet.com codorniu.com turismesantsadurni.com cavaemotions.com/en

In the bucolic Penedès region, tractors overflowing with grapes idle through valleys swathed in vineyards and rustic villages

cava country

from left: can Paixano; cavatast; cava cellars, codorníu

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Spain’s varied geography and long history are reflected in the extraordinary diversity of its cooking. Even tiny, far-flung communities are fiercely proud of their gastronomic heritage and unique produce. the ‘volcanic cuisine’ of the garrotxa, a small region north of Barcelona, stands as a delicious example of the hotly defended culinary traditions found throughout Spain.

I have my first ‘volcanic’ meal after a hike in the Pyrenees foothills, where fields and hills enfold majestic farmhouses and villages such as the medieval clifftop castellfollit de la roca. It’s a far cry from the dusty Spanish stereotype, yet locals insist it’s not only the extra rainfall that sets their food apart, it’s the rich soil fed by the 40 extinct volcanoes in the Parc Natural de la Zona volcànica de la garrotxa.

la garrotxa’s volcanic cuisine group was formed in 1994 by chefs to protect and promote their local culinary identity and indigenous products, from tiny, white Santa Pau beans (held in such regard they even have their own festival) to buckwheat and boar, turnips and truffles. While this is a formal association, it represents the Spanish tradition of ensuring local customs are passed between generations, culinary cultures survive and small producers don’t disappear.

the countryside here is populated by artisanal charcuteries producing fuet, butifarra and jamón. And then there are the cheeses — including the blue garrotxa cheese, recently rescued from extinction by local cheese makers.

the volcanic cuisine group also use their produce in daring, modern ways — they’re only a stone’s throw from elBulli, Spain’s vanguard restaurant, which closed in 2011. garrotxa has its own cutting-edge star, the beautiful les cols, an elegant restaurant with two Michelin stars, whose inspired reinventions of local dishes bring tourists flocking.

But volcanic cuisine’s specialities, like pig’s trotters with chestnuts and wild boar confit, taste so good after a forest trek it’s hard to resist the rustic family restaurants. try restaurant Hostal dels ossos for Santa Pau beans with butifarra sausage and mushrooms, pig’s feet with black turnips, or mushroom

volcanic cooking

confit salad with truffle oil. Wherever you eat, wash it down with keks beer, brewed by a local chef using buckwheat, and finish with ratafia, an ancient herb liqueur

to best explore the region, stay at least a weekend. Book a room at Mas la garganta and enjoy a warm welcome, excellent cooking and beautifully restored historic accommodation; a snip at €40 (£33) per person, per night, B&B. verntallat.com lescols.com hostaldelsossos.com verntallat.com hostaldelsossos.com masgarganta.com turismegarrotxa.com

White Santa Pau beans are held in such regard they even have their own festival

from left: Medieval bridge, Besalú, la garrotxa; Santa Margarida

volcano, garrotxa volcanic Zone Natural Park,garrotxa

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I first went to the la rioja region for the legendary reds, but it’s the entire rioja experience that keeps me coming back. the most beautiful of Spain’s wine regions is home to a glorious mix of undulating hills and medieval villages; its weighty history echoing through traditional bodegas, in stark contrast to the dazzling, ultramodern architecture by international ‘starchitects’. And then there’s the food — from hearty stews and dishes highlighting the abundant fresh vegetables, to creative pintxos (Basque tapas).

My favourite base is the fortified medieval town of laguardia, in rioja Alavesa, with sweeping views and ancient cobbled streets, lined with bustling tapas bars, timber-beamed restaurants and bodegas. the nearby wine hub of Haro hosts a fascinating cross section of wineries, which are well set up for visitors — although booking is always recommended. Here, you’ll find institutions such as Bodegas Muga, which offers winery and vineyard tours, and tasting courses. And old world lópez de Heredia viña tondonia, with a cutting-edge annex, designed by architect Zaha Hadid. At roda, take a tour or just enjoy the wines and vineyard views from the wine bar’s terrace. And for an overview, visit dinastia vivanco Museum, which offers a beautiful and informative look at the history and culture of rioja’s winemaking.

cristina Alonso, the owner of wine tour company vintage Spain, aims to showcase the different faces of rioja in her varied itineraries. My one-day introduction began at small, family winery Agrícola labastida. the owner led me around the labyrinthine underground cellars — some dating from 1400 — offering me tasters of the diverse range of wines (including impressive whites), straight from the barrel. His father dropped by with a warm tortilla, then his brother arrived and before I knew it I was having to race through my next intriguing visit, to

the starkly modern Bodegas Baigorri. only a glass cube — designed to integrate with the landscape — is visible from the outside, while seven floors of dazzlingly high-tech winery descend underground.

A laid-back garden lunch at restaurante Asador José María showcased local specialities

such as tiny lamb chops, patatas (potatoes) a la riojana with spicy chorizo, and menestra, a stew of local vegetables. In the medieval village of Elciego, we visited the Marqués de riscal winery, whose historic cellars stood in stark contrast to the landmark frank gehry-designed Marqués de riscal Hotel, with its curved titanium roof and asymmetrical walls. vintage Spain organises self-drive tours of the region, starting at £80 per person, per day.

you’ll find a huge range of tours available in rioja, including vineyard walks, which are a superb way to absorb the rhythms of local life. tours by Arblaster & clarke are led by great local guides and visit wineries, boutique hotels and restaurants that showcase the rich character of the region.bodegasmuga.com lopezdeheredia.com roda.es dinastiavivanco.com/bodega/bodega.asp vintagespain.com tierrayvino.com bodegasbaigorri.com hotel-marquesderiscal.com vintagetravel.co.uk winetours.co.uk

red red rioja

the Marqués de riscal Hotel’s curved titanium roof contrasts starkly with the ancient wine cellars

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11 ways to savour Spain

2 Pintxos in Bilbao

Basque country food is revered — for everything from rustic fare to Michelin-starred creations.

But Basque tapas (pintxos) is its best-known offering. San Sebastián’s pintxos are rightly famous, but locals swear Bilbao’s are better. Wherever you go here there’s a pintxos bar in sight — on the riverfront, tucked between boutiques or in the historic centre — and fierce rivalry ensures quality. the pintxos vary from simple perennials, like pan-fried scallops and red peppers stuffed with salt cod, to the 2013 champion pintxo: an elaborate creation of smoked and toasted salt cod, foie gras and red pepper with a soy and balsamic vinaigrette.

Basque Experiences offers a 2.5-hour private tapas tour of Bilbao or nearby villages, from £25 per person. basqueexperiences.com

1 olive oil trails

this ‘liquid gold’ is central to Spanish life, a vital part of the economy and the source of countless medicinal

benefits. the image of endless olive groves defines southern Spain — there are 20 denominaciónes de origen (controlled denominations of origin, or dos) across the country.

olive groves here predate the roman era; today, a nascent olive oil tourism industry is flourishing, offering everything from olive estate visits to tastings and festivals.

olive oil tour offers tours from granada that take in olive groves in the beautiful Sierra Nevada, a traditional mill, where extraction techniques and classifications are explained, plus a guided tasting. Alternatively, the Mora olive tree festival includes tastings and cookery displays, while golearnto.com offers the olive Harvest and Spanish cooking Holiday, from £369 per person, which includes helping farmers with their harvest. oliveoiltour.com mora.es golearnto.com

3 Spain’s islands

No self-respecting Spaniard would leave

Majorca without a spicy, paprika-rich sobrasada sausage, or the snail-shaped ensaïmada pastry. And a visit to Minorca wouldn’t be complete without a caldereta de langosta (lobster stew) in a waterfront restaurant in the village of fornells.

the Balearic and canary Islands are famed for their seafood. What many don’t realise is that they also produce excellent cheese and wine. the canary Islands’ goat’s-milk Pimentón curado de Arico recently won the top prize at the World cheese Awards. And canary wines, which have grown on the archipelago for over 500 years, are gaining fans worldwide. Walking tours of lanzarote’s vineyards start at €60 (£49) (turismolanzarote.com). Minorca has long been famous for its dairy farms, and its Mahón cheese is a key export. on Majorca, local wine is resurgent. Winery tours are available from €35 (£29). mallorcawinetours.com

4 calçotada

the excitement before calçot season sums up the extent of Spain’s food obsession. Not only does

this humble spring onion have its own festival, it sees sober catalans flocking to calçotadas (celebrations of the crop) across the region each year. they don paper bibs and plastic gloves before making an almighty mess scoffing the onions, washed down by red wine from shared porrons (pitchers).

calçotes are said to have originated in valls, tarragona, where a farmer heaped earth on his onions so more of the stem stayed white and edible. And valls retains an annual festival, next held on 25 January 2015. calçotadas take place across catalonia each winter, during which barbecued bulbs are eaten everywhere from city plazas to village squares.

for an authentic calçotada, head to can Marti a mountain restaurant in tibidabo with superb views of Barcelona.

calçotada menus start at €25 (£20.50). canmarti.info from top: Man selling local flor de guía cheese — made from sheep

and goat’s milk, at a Sunday market, teror, gran canaria; bread with

olive oil; pintxos, Bilbao Above: olive plantation with view to limones, Moclin, granada


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5 galician seafood

Spain’s wild and stunningly beautiful Atlantic coast produces some of the world’s best seafood

— from percebes (goose barnacles) to navajas (razor clams), spider crabs, scallops, rock lobster, the sweetest prawns imaginable and tiny coquina clams. the best place to try all of the above is at the 10-day seafood festival in picturesque o grove, each october. locals set up stalls, selling the finest seafood in all its guises, while galician chefs battle it out in a mussel cooking competition, celebrating the village speciality. the festival’s programme also includes sailing regattas, traditional rowing boat races and theatre performances, plus plenty of galician music and dancing. And, of course, the seafood wouldn’t be fully appreciated without the superb local rías Baixas wines; there’s no better accompaniment than Albariño whites.turismogrove.es

6 Paella

Spain’s most talked-about dish is a simple yet glorious mix of some of its finest ingredients. the

best paellas use local seafood, game and vegetables, while the all-important rice and saffron were introduced by the Moors. your best bet is to head to valencia, paella’s birthplace, then find a busy beachfront haunt such as l’Estimat or El coso. Beware the expensive, average paellas in the city centre; stick to local favourites like chust godoy.

legend has it that paella was first cooked at the village of El Palmar on the shore of the lake Albufera, just outside valencia, and many excellent restaurants here are run by retired fishermen. locals say the only good paellas are cooked in private homes or over open fires in the countryside. If you can’t rustle up an invitation to a valencian kitchen, try a rural paella cooked in the open at a local winery on the Spanish thyme traveller’s three-day the Paella Project, which includes a hands-on session making your own paella. three nights from £535 per person. restaurante-cocinamediterranea.com/es elcosodelmar.com chustgodoy.com thespanishthymetraveller.com/food-and-wine-tours-spain.html

7 Priorat

the wines produced in Priorat — with its steep slopes, gnarled vines and medieval villages — burst

into the global spotlight in the ’80s, yet the tiny region’s twisting roads deter busloads of wine buffs from flocking here, only enhancing its authentic, unspoilt charm.

Monks were making wine here in the 12th century but many vineyards were later abandoned. It was only recently that winemakers rediscovered the potential of the local black llicorella soil. they include Alvaro Palacio, who produces l’Ermita, one of Spain’s priciest wines. you may have to call ahead for a wine tour, but you’ll often find winemakers show

you around personally. Accommodation is best in restored country houses like Hotel cal llop. the abundance of top-notch local restaurants in which to sample choice vintages

include El celler de l’Aspic. cal-llop.com cellerdelaspic.

com vinslaconreria.com turismepriorat.org/en

8 Jamón extremadura

Jamón is revered in Spain and a single, melt-in-the-mouth slice of the marbled jamón ibérico de

bellota is enough to explain its allure. A taste may well be all you can afford, though, as top varieties of this elite ham are among the world’s most expensive foods. Production is strictly controlled — with only the black Iberian pigs that roam the pastures and oak forests of Spain’s western provinces eligible. A taste of Spain offers bespoke tours that can include Ibérico ham carving workshops in Madrid or day trips to a traditional artisan producer with a farm lunch.

longer tours offer the chance to stay at a farm, exploring the countryside, the ancient customs and the whitewashed villages — if you’re feeling brave, you can even participate in a traditional Ibérico pig slaughter. day trips start at £172. atasteofspain.com

Above: Hotel cal llop, Priorat.

opposite, clockwise from top: Black Iberian pigs; preparing seafood

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10 Pimentón

Introduced to Spain by franciscan monks returning from the colonies, pimentón

(smoked paprika) provides the glorious brick-red hues of Spanish chorizo and the distinctive smoky flavour of classic dishes such as fabada austuriana (bean stew) and tapas including patatas bravas (fried potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce) and gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns). Spain’s most celebrated pimentón is from vera, in Extremadura, where

pimentón de la vera is produced each october. the Museo del Pimentón in Jaraiz de la vera, details the history of the region’s mainstay, while the Parador de Jarandilla de la vera, set in a 15th-century castle, is an ideal base for exploring the region. or sign up for A taste of Spain’s eight-day Spanish Spices, the Saffron and Pimentón route — ideal for those seduced by both saffron and peppers. from €2,835 (£2,340) per person.

parador.es/es/paradores/parador-de-jarandilla-de-la-vera atasteofspain.com

9 Jerez

Jerez de la frontera is the 2014 European city of Wine, so this might just be the year sherry finally

swaps its image as granny’s favourite tipple for its rightful reputation as a sophisticated drink. those who like a chilled fino before dinner, a crisp manzanilla with their jamón serrano or a Pedro Ximénez after dark can enjoy the hip sherry bars emerging worldwide. Sherry’s roots, however, are firmly entrenched in Jerez de la frontera, an Andalucian city of stately avenues and grand plazas, famous for its dancing horses, flamenco and glorious, cathedral-like sherry cellars.

In June, the city’s bars, bodegas and restaurants unite to celebrate International Sherry Week, and in July and August Summer Nights sees a 12th-century fortress host flamenco, tango and theatre. the Wine Harvest festival takes over the town from 9-14 September, with tastings and fiestas.

visit any time to explore cathedral-like cellars such as gonzález Byass, with its dazzling, gustav Eiffel-designed dome. A question of taste offers excursions of the region from Seville, from £102 per person. isherryweek.com jerez2014.es aqot.com/wine-excursion-jerez

11 Saffron festival

known as oro rojo (‘red gold’), the world’s most expensive spice adds colour and depth

to Spanish staples like paella. gathering it is highly labour-intensive: the flowers must by picked the day they bloom and the thread-like stigmas plucked for drying. It takes around 150,000 flowers to produce a kilo of dried saffron. the finest comes from la Mancha — don quixote country — and a romantic allure surrounds both the spice and the windswept landscape of white villages and ancient windmills. the Saffron rose festival, held every october in consuegra, is the perfect opportunity to explore the town, with its beautiful windmills and 13th century castle. It coincides with the picking of the flowers and includes folklore displays, processions and cooking and picking competitions. spain.info

clockwise from top: Preparing saffron; saffron flowers; Parador de

Jarandilla de la vera, Jaraiz de la vera

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