Maribel

I wouldn't know about the hotel bookings during the tuna festival in Barbate because I've not been during any of the May almadraba festivals, Chiclana, Barbate, Conil, etc. These are more local events, not drawing many tourists from outside, I would think, like the Retinto festival and the lomo en manteca international day in Vejer. The main tourist season is during Easter or in summer, all the way through September, when mike is very luckily there.

edited to add: Well, I shouldn't have written that about the hotels, as I see that the 4-star Antonio in Zahara is fully booked for May 18-19, the weekend of the festival. Hmmm.

Maribel

See Zahara's tapas with bluefin here:
https://www.rutadelatun.com

Maribel

A slide show of the Palacio de Viana's patios during the ongoing Patio Festival in Córdoba (these photos are far better than mine taken in March; there will be far fewer crowds here outside of the festival).
I have an ad blocker on Safari so needed to switch to Chrome to see them.

https://www.diariocordoba.com/galeri...2.html#foto=17

Maribel

For anyone interesting in enjoying the Costa de la Luz beaches ("Cadizfornia") during the summer season, these are the ones that once again hoist a blue flag for water cleanliness and safety:

Zahara de los Atunes
Sancti Petri and La Barrosa in Chiclana
El Roche (thankfully sheltered from the levante and poniente winds), La Fontailla and Los Bateles in Conil
El Palmar in Vejer

Maribel

Rather than post Andalusian culinary delights on the Idematte5028 thread "Andalucia 9 day itinerary", we should probably keep our Andalusian food discussions here.

As I noted on that thread just now,
The berenjenas con miel de caña is a very typical Cordoban dish. I don't usually see it outside of Córdoba, honestly. There was an Andalusian restaurant in Madrid with a Cordoban chef, Manuel Urbano Torres, but his La Malaje is now closed. He has opened the Bar Campillo in Lavapiés, but it´s not especially Andalusian.

Paco Morales actually recommends that one enjoy berenjenas con miel de caña at Casa Pepe de la Judería, which you and I missed on our recent trips.
I did have them at La Montillana, which is just around the corner from Casa el Pisto and another typical taberna cordobesa serving a huge chalkboard menu of Montilla-Moriles wines by the glass. Their honey, by the way is from Montoro, and the dish also has goat cheese from Zuheros on top.

I'm glad you purchased the cookbook Andaluz. It's quite good.

Maribel

There´s an article today in the gourmet section of a leading newspaper about Retinto beef, along with an interview with a breeder from Bolonia, talking about the “over popularity” of the breed. There are 280 breeders and 20,700 heads of Retinto cattle in Andalucía and also Extremadura (didn’t know Retinto cows populated Extremadura).

Apparently, according to the article, fraud is high, at 80% (fraud as well there is regarding “buey”, or oxen). It’s a breed that is in risk, eventually, of extinction.

Juan Valdés of La Castillería was quoted: "It’s very low in fat, has exceptional flavor and is high in omega 3.”
They weigh 50 to 100 kilos less than other varieties of cattle; ergo, that’s the problem, that buyers prefer weight over quality and don’t want to pay the price of genuine Retinto beef.

But speaking of the cows themselves, there's also an article today in the Diario de Cádiz about how these cows take over the area's beaches.
https://www.diariodecadiz.es/cadizfo...901511249.html

Here's a funny video of a Retinto cow, named Paquita (apparently famous on social media), leisurely strolling down the highway, responding to the question of a passing motorist, "where is Bolonia?".

ekscrunchy

Maribel this is priceless!!!!! It is one of the funniest bits I've seen in a long time!! I love the subtle nod of the head to indicate the proper direction!!!!
I am sending this to my sister this minute!!

Those cows certainly make themselves comfy in El Palmar, but next time I ought to bring them a few tubes of sunscreen, since they are light skinned....do not want winkles to mar that pretty coat!!

Speaking of mislabeling of food products, there was a recent raid by the carabinieri in Rome and in Fiumicino where they found many restaurants were using adulterated extra virgin olive oil...surprisingly, the press even named the restaurants.....and the "guilty" producers of the oils.

We leave day after tomorrow for another visit to Spain and I am beyond myself with excitement.
This time the beef will be from Galicia.

Maribel

In Galicia, instead of Retinto, you'll find Rubia Gallega, the "queen" of Galician cows. Enjoy your trip!

andyhoney

Look forward to hearing more of your adventures!

ekscrunchy

Thank you, Andy, but this adventure has now been completed, and documented!!


We leave tomorrow for Santiago de Compostela....

Maribel

¡Buen viaje, eks!

Maribel

ekscrunchy,
Some day, I'm bond and determined to be in the Vejer-Barbate-Zahara-Conil-Tarifa area in the month of May to witness the almadraba process first hand by going out in a boat.
There's an article in Diario de Cádiz today about this company that takes you out to see the almadraba action with a guide. The boat leaves from the Puerto Deportivo in Barbate and the trip lasts for 5+ hours, with, of course, a tasting of blue fin tuna.
https://marineatlantes.com/barco/rut...ba-de-barbate/

ekscrunchy

Maribel if you decide to go, I would be very much swayed to join you!!!

Maribel

OK, let's do it someday! It would be so much fun!!

ekscrunchy

Yes, we will!!

I am about to write to "my" place in Vejer to request dates for 2025.

But right now, have just arrived in Galicia, so will soon begin report (brief!!!). Incredibly happy to be back...

Maribel

ekscrunchy,
Hope you have a wonderful time in Galicia and in Lanzarote as well. As for Lanzarote, I know you'll take very good, as in very copious! notes for me!

ekscrunchy

Maribel..too tired now but a few words:


ABASTOS 2.0
PULPO

!!!!!

ekscrunchy

One more idea for the future:

A combination of the Almadraba and the Romeria del Rocio! (joking, really, I doubt if I could partake of the Romeria! For one thing, the heat!)
I am looking at photos on tv and online of this pilgrimage; yesterday they were crossing at the Baja de Guia in Sanlucar.

I did not realize that there is a also a pilgrimage route from Andalucia to Santiago de Compostela.

Maribel

The Romerío???? No way, I'll give a hard pass to that incredibly hot, dusty, crowded, rowdy, hugely uncomfortably ride going on now!

There are a 49 Caminos in Spain and 9 in Portugal. You're seeing lots of pilgrims I would expect? I have a friend who did it twice from Porto on horseback.

I was in the Mercado de la Paz today looking for burrata (nope, no national brand sold there, only Italian--La Boulette cheesemonger insisted that all burrata in Spain was Italian, but I didn't press the issue, since La Boulette doesn't purchase burrata from Zucca in Valladolid (whose owner is Italian and follows the traditional Italian recipe----the only place in Madrid for Zucca burrata, I believe, is Formaje (but this is a topic you and I discussed on HO.

The Almadraba Experience was again, surprisingly empty. You would think now, since they're getting fresh blue fin from Barbate that the place would be busy, but no. Don't know how long it will continue to exist since Petaca Chico had to close its store on Ayala.
But many restaurants here are now featuring freshly caught blue fin. Dani García even came up a few weeks ago personally to do a ronqueo at his new Lobito de Mar in La Finca Gran Café (in Pozuelo), but we missed it.

Raf tomatoes at Frutería Mari Carmen were priced at 12.95 per kilo.