Plundering Asturias

If this a treasure map be

Over mountains, through valleys

No doubt, you will eventually see

That in this land lies more than gold:

Furious waves, beaches of dark sand,

Opulent & rustic architecture of old,

Local people eager to lend a hand.

Fickle weather: grey clouds or drizzling rain,

Broken at random with streams of sunlight,

Quickly return to their seasonal refrain.

To find respite from the precipitation,

Ducking into the nearest sidería

Offers necessary and cheery resuscitation

For any spirits that may be weather-affected,

The notable regional dishes and flavorful pichos

Will surely make things stand corrected.

These are the riches you will find

If you come to Asturias

And leave the rest of Spain behind.

This small region of Spain holds so much within its borders. SK and I set off to discover some of the Asturian delights and to visit Ida, who’s now teaching in Gijon. After an overnight bus trip, we arrived groggy and a little delirious early Saturday morning. Ida gave us the tour of her new city after we had some time to nap in her darling little apartment. We were quite impressed by the beauty and charisma of this coastal town. Inspired by the landscape and a park playground, we imagined we were pirates for the weekend, seeking out the riches of Asturias, which translated to plundering a number of bars and restaurants for their spectacular cuisine. Fortuitously, Gijon was having a pincho competition with 75 different eating establishments seeking to win glory and fame for the most appetizing and best-looking delicatessen of them all.

Asturias is known for its sidra (cider) and its sidrerías (cider houses). On Sunday afternoon, we fought through the torrential downpour that took us by surprise and arrived at Tierra Astur, soaked and hungry. (http://www.tierra-astur.com/) With a dry seat between the window and an assemblage of hanging cider bottles, glittering like emeralds in front of the open kitchen, we were challenged with the task of ordering from a rather large menu of enticing treats to feast upon. What we thought would be an easy battle, turned out to be a challenge of epic proportions...

We decided on sharing a tabla de quesos asturianos. The cheeses were simply incredible… the best thing since sliced bread (which complimented the cheese quite nicely)! We destroyed it and kept no prisoners.

Since my cohorts did not take my advice, we each had an entree to follow the cheeses. But these were not normal Spanish entrees, and rather they fell under American standards of size. Thus, we were not prepared for the immense scope of our order.
Ida had a savory hamburger (yes, a burger in Spain... but Asturias is known for its cow products); Sk ordered the pot of fabada (a rich bean stew and Asturian specialty); I got the medallones de buey (ox sirloin steak).
When our server brought us our meals, we had to ask "Did we take on more than we could chew? Literally?"

Yes, we did... this was one battle we could not win.

On Monday, SK and I set sail (if busses had sails) from Gijon because we wanted to spend a few hours in Oviedo, the capital of Asturias. Although Oviedo doesn’t have the beach, it does have a mysterious romantic quality to it, which perhaps is evoked through the elegant and whimsical city exterior and the abundance of bronze statues that greet visitors in plazas and on street corners. I was captivated by the way the raindrops clung to the stone surfaces and the way that cobblestone streets shone like silver in the cloudy light.

We toured the 14^th century cathedral, strolled through a park and fought off an army of pigeons, and hid from the rain in none other than Oviedo’s Tierra Astur. This time, we only ordered a half portion of the cheese plate… and we conquered it in the most graceful-pirate-manner possible.

Asturias: The land of green hills and sounds of bagpipes, reminiscent of the British Isles. The land known for its savory palate and rich flavors. The land of unending culínes de sidra, poured from above and over the head into a glass far below. The land where umbrellas are a necessity and where the rain falls at will. Truly enchanting.