It is known that taking culinos in excess can lead to a certain intoxication, light or substantial, because despite its low alcohol content, cider has the necessary spark so that, encouraged by the conversation and the bustle of the glass circulating from hand to hand, we reach a high degree of harmony with the environment and the observations of our fellow members. They also arrive, if they pride themselves, the typical exaltations of friendship, some popular song ... If there is bagpipes in between, much better knows the cider and better is passed.
Cider houses, taverns and cider mills
All this happens most commonly in the so-called cider houses, that over the years have been occupying a privileged place in Asturian leisure, giving specific physical space to the art of pouring and animosity. As headquarters Those who drink cider usually stock up on a good number of boxes of cider so that it doesn't go bad, but in addition to the more typical decoration, they also have the appetizers that best suit the Asturian liquid.
It is in certain cider houses with an unbeatable atmosphere and packed to the rafters where we usually stumble upon the sarcasm which often accompanies these popular gatherings. Everything is full of people, green bottles, corks, sawdust on the floor, trays with crabs, barnacles or potato omelette. On the walls you can often see hanging signs with some legendary motto that attributes to cider, and to those who drink it, magical powers or, at least, the gift of joy:
The one who muddied two pucheres
stayed with an Easter,
falatible and gayasperu,
without headquarters no week.
And do not think: what alone
enriquez to the one that faga,
give gift to the one who does not have
and horros and cases lifts.
In some cases, cider houses are "undercover" restaurants where the high kitchen It is the norm and main dishes taste better with a little (or a lot) of cider. Great chefs have understood its potential. A delicate white fish finds its perfect companion in natural cider. Fabada is lightened and becomes brighter with its presence. Powerful cheeses, such as a well-cured Cabrales, find in a good “culín” a refreshing counterpoint that cleanses the palate and prepares it for the next bite.
And not only is it cooked with it, it is also masterfully harmonized. sparkling cider, Elegant and complex, it rivals the best wines when it comes to accompanying haute cuisine dishes. ice ciderWith its balanced sweetness and vibrant acidity, it closes a menu with the precision of a flourish.
Actually you can drink cider anywhere, and is usually abundant in festivals and pilgrimages, country trips and folixas of all kinds that are celebrated outdoors. We can also take it, in a very unique way, in the fabulous espichas that host the cider mills, the temples of cider, the place where the apple stops being a fruit to become a liquid element. A sanctuary where time passes at the slow pace of fermentation. Between chestnut barrels and century-old presses, which coexist with modern stainless steel tanks, the cider begins its journey. It all starts in autumn, when the apple, carefully picked, arrives at the cider press. It is selected, washed and ground until obtaining a thick pulp that is subjected to the mayadoThe resulting must, sweet and dense, rests in the barrels, where the natural yeasts begin the miracle of fermentation. Cider makes itself, say the cider makers, but the process requires patience, experience and knowledge that is passed down from generation to generation.
However cider mills are not just cider factoriesThey are meeting points, places for cider parties, where friends and strangers share a glass of cider after a glass of cider, where young cider is tasted, fresh from the barrel. It is in the cider press where the cider speaks for the first time, where it is decided whether it will be strong or smooth, whether its acidity will be lively or more tamed.
Apart from being a friend of the cider mill, of bar gatherings, of opulent meals, of festive relaxation, cider also acts as Special seasoning for many regional recipes and as a unique accompaniment on the table. There are a good number of Asturian dishes that without it lose their reason for being.
History of cider and Denomination of Origin
If we did a little history We would see that cider is not a minor matter. The cultivation of the apple tree in Asturias goes back to the time of the Astures, although it is certain that the terms pomar or pumares have their origin in the Roman epoch. Throughout the Middle Ages, there is a constant mention of the term pomares, as well as dicotations apple, apple, pumares, pomiferous, etc, all names that, with its extension, did not give more specific importance to the apple in Asturias, which was soon known outside its natural territory. From the Middle Ages to the present day, the apple is leading a continuous expansion of cultivation, displacing other fruit trees, such as citrus and some cereals, whose cultivation was basic in the region until the 19th century.
In recent years the cultivation has improved a lot, with the insitu study of the problems that affect the native apple tree and with aids and subsidies for lost fund for the farmers that want to dedicate themselves to this activity.
The last impulse given to cider, goes through the debate of turning it into a product with denomination of origin. For this purpose, recently all the bottles present a labeling of the producer that guarantees a higher quality. You can also learn a little more about the history of cider, approach its virtues, experience its consumption and recreate the environment of the windlass in the Museum of the Cider of Nava, town that also turns out to be one of the largest cider centers of the Principality.
Dictionary of cider
>Culete, culín: Amount of cider that is poured and eaten at one time.
>Chigre: Bar where cider is sold mainly. Spanish: cider house
>Scand: Throw the cider from above so that when it falls on the edge of the glass it manifests in its amplitude all the organoleptic qualities.
>Espalmar: Scarce permanence in the time of the foam when the cider is poured.
>Make vasu: Enough presence of carbon in the cider that gives more "life" to break in the glass.
>Wound: Local where the cider is made. Press used to obtain the must.
>Mayar: Crush the apple to facilitate the extraction of the must during the pressing in the wound.
>Palu: Set of organoleptic qualities (color, aroma, flavor ...) that define a particular cider.
>Stick: When drinking, the cider covers the walls of the glass with a thin curtain of bubbles. The smaller these are of better quality is the cider.
>Pipa: Coffer where fermentation and cider is made. Espichar a barrel or a pipe is to practice a small hole to be able to taste the liquid and, thus, decide the optimal moment of bottling. It is also used as equivalent to 450 liters.
Festivities that surround cider
>Cider tasting on Gascona street, Oviedo, first half of June.
>Festival of Natural Cider in Nava: 2º weekend of July.
Nava Cider Festival
Nava has cider in his veins. There is cider pride everywhere, not in vain is the Cider Museum the headquarters and…
>Party of Natural Cider in Gijón: mid-August.
Festival of Natural Cider of Gijón
To make it perfectly clear that nowhere is the culture of natural cider experienced like in...
>Apple Festival in Villaviciosa: month of October.
>Cider Festival in La Felguera, coinciding with the Feasts of San Pedro.
>Cider Festival in Avilés
>Gastronomic Days of Dishes to the Cider in Nava: at the beginning of May.
Cider Museum
If you want to know the world of cider in depth, we recommend visiting the Cider Museum, located in the town of Nava, which offers a broad overview of all the stages of Asturian cider production.
Cider Museum
Few things have such a capacity to represent the Asturian essence in such a minimalist way as a…
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
