Nice one Chris. My wife is Spanish and whenever we pay a visit to some of the family based in Valladolid (the capital of Castile) I always nip round to a wonderful fruit and veg shop that sells this cider and pick some up. It's probably about $2 euros a bottle. Even though cider is gaining popularity throughout Spain expressions like this are for a minority of serious food and drink people even in the region of production. We have an aunt that lives in the Asturian countryside and she would share in some if I opened a bottle. I'm also able to get my hands on some very craft stuff produced on a small scale and higher, natural, abv. It's not so easy to find and is completely still with a cork capsule. You almost have to come from a family with some background in the country and cider to enjoy it. You will find some of this stuff in the good siderias which are informal country restaurants in the north. The best food to have with it is, not surprisingly, large meaty dishes with plenty of fat such as roast pork or lamb. Good quality chorizos too and they can be cooked in cider. By the way, I recently made a belter of a dish by Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall which is leeks and mussels cooked in cider. Cheers. WT
Nice one Chris. My wife is Spanish and whenever we pay a visit to some of the family based in Valladolid (the capital of Castile) I always nip round to a wonderful fruit and veg shop that sells this cider and pick some up. It's probably about $2 euros a bottle. Even though cider is gaining popularity throughout Spain expressions like this are for a minority of serious food and drink people even in the region of production. We have an aunt that lives in the Asturian countryside and she would share in some if I opened a bottle.
I'm also able to get my hands on some very craft stuff produced on a small scale and higher, natural, abv. It's not so easy to find and is completely still with a cork capsule. You almost have to come from a family with some background in the country and cider to enjoy it. You will find some of this stuff in the good siderias which are informal country restaurants in the north. The best food to have with it is, not surprisingly, large meaty dishes with plenty of fat such as roast pork or lamb. Good quality chorizos too and they can be cooked in cider. By the way, I recently made a belter of a dish by Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall which is leeks and mussels cooked in cider. Cheers. WT