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Showing posts from 2013

Legumbres Pedro - keeping a finger on the pulse

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One of the biggest attractions of Alcalá for me is the locally produced food (along with the people, the weather, the scenery, etc etc).  I've already written about our cheeses , retinto beef , vegetables and breads , and am conducting ongoing research into the pork-meat products of  Embutidos Gazules (i.e. eating my way through the catalogue) for a future post.  But today it's the turn of the pulses, those protein-packed dried seeds that are a staple of the Mediterranean diet - lentils, chickpeas and beans. In 1969 Pedro Benítez Barroso founded Legumbres Pedro  to package and sell the garbanzos traditionally grown in the area by small farmers. By the 1980s the business had grown to cover growers in the whole of Andalucia, and subsequently expanded into supermarkets, widened its product range to include rice and flour, and started to supply the catering trade via the  HORECA  distribution channel. In 2008 Legumbres Pedro moved into its current premises on the Poligono

Summer waves goodbye

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Last night we had the first proper rain since May, clearing the dust from the air and sparking off the growth of lush winter grass which our livestock farmers depend on.  We don't get polite little showers here, it comes down by the bucketful ( llueve a cántaros ) and soaks you to the skin in  seconds. Back in May the forecasters were predicting the coldest summer in Spain for 200 years .  Well, if that was a cold summer, bring on some more please.  Daytime temperatures peaked in the low 30s Celsius (90s Fahrenheit) and we didn't get that extended sweaty humid period that usually keeps us awake on August nights. As always, Alcalainos took full advantage of the summer months to celebrate their fairs and festivals.  Here are some pictures recording the summer of 2013 by a young local photographer, Pedro Martín Sánchez, more of whose excellent work can be seen on his blog Alcalá a través de mi objetivo . 9th International Music Festival Candlelit concert in the patio of

Summer Nights on the Playa

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5comentario, now open all year round Beach parties in Alcalá?  But it's 50 km from the coast! "Paseo de la Playa" is a street-name more usually found in seaside resorts, as it means a promenade along the beach.  But we have our very own Playa.  Its origin isn't clear: some say it is named after a bar that's not there any more, others will tell you it's because there used to be a large sandy area where the municipal park is now.  But it remains an enduring source of confusion for visitors. The Playa has long been an area for social activities, and being one of the few flat places in Alcalá, it's the ideal place to parade your new baby up and down or take your aged grandparents for a constitutional stroll before dinner.  Until the 1930s it was home to the bull-ring (now converted to flats, thankfully) and the August fair used to be held there until it moved to the purpose-built Recinto de Feria on the outskirts of the town. Twenty years ago, before t

This Pamplona thing - what's it all about?

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The nine-day San Fermin festival ends today, and the world´s media is once again aghast at the number of people (mainly foreigners) gored and trampled during the infamous 8 a.m. bull runs through the streets of Pamplona . Three people gored during Pamplona bull run (The Independent) Australian gored at Spain bull run in 'very serious' condition  (Reuters) Pamplona bull-running festival ends after 50 sent to hospital  (Fox News) Horror at Pamplona: Video shows the shocking moment bulls crash into a wall of people crushing dozens of spectators  (Daily Mail) The question they are all asking is why, in the 21st century with all its health and safety regulations and increasing concern for animal welfare, is this event still allowed to take place?  I can't begin to answer that, but none of the runners take part without knowing the risks, and (unlike the bulls) they have chosen to do it. Some of these same newspapers are equally horrified at idea of their personal li

Alcalá's new favourite sons

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This year has seen the adoption of two new hijos predilectos (favourite sons) by the town of Alcalá de los Gazules - one long dead and one very much alive. The former is Diego Ángel de Viera , the priest who gave up his worldly goods to set up the charitable institution known as the Beaterio  in 1788.  There are various  actos de homenage  at the Beaterio throughout the year, including a musical evening on 6 July and an exhibition on 9-11 August. The latter is the prolific artist, sculptor and writer  Jesús Cuesta Arana , who lives and works in the town and is very much a part of its cultural character. His wife Isabel taught for many years at the local secondary school, and they have recently become grandparents.  Cuesta Arana has been described as a modern-day "Renaissance man".  Ever on a quest for new projects, he has recently taken up jewellery designing and engraving. Cuesta Arana's paintings are full of life and colour, magic and mystery, humour and ambi

A trip to Zahara de la Sierra

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Zahara de la Sierra Last Sunday we visited Zahara de la Sierra, a  pueblo blanco in the Sierra de Grazelema, the mountainous northern part of the Province of Cádiz.  We went with members of El Pavo Trotón , a group based in Alcalá which organises regular excursions.  The journey took about an hour and a half, passing through some stunning scenery. Our trip coincided with the religious festival of Corpus Christi .  Zahara's celebrations, which originated in the 15th century, are famed throughout Spain and have been declared a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional .  The locals get up early to harvest esparto grass, rushes and oleander from the surrounding countryside, and use them to line the narrow streets and alleyways, which are then decorated with flowers, and embroidered sheets are hung from the first-floor windows. Church of Santa Maria de la Mesa At 11 a.m. there is a Mass in the church, and then the symbolic body of Christ is borne by the faithful through the str