Biting ants and other mardi gras delicacies from Galicia

Carnival in Galicia

Carnival in Viana do Bolo

Wouldn't you just love to be here in Galicia, enjoying one of our best celebrations of the year: the Carnival or Entroido, as we call it.  Celebrations have been going on for some weeks now and will end officially  this coming Wednesday, February 22nd with the burial of the sardine. This festival is just one more reason to invest in Galicia!

Some of my favorite places to enjoy the Carnival (besides Caión of course) are Manzaneda (picture on the left), Viana do Bolo (photo on the right), Laza, Xinzo and Verín.

I came across a page that shares some very interesting information "...about biting ants, torched hay, men in lingerie and ample amounts of cow bell." Just click on the image below to visit it.

Manzaneda

The Spanish Christmas Lottery

December 22nd is a big day in Spain: the Christmas lottery. Buying the plot of land showcased on this blog is like winning "el gordo" (the fat one), the grand prize, except the odds are better.

Recipe for Galician Easter Bread

In Lendo, the tiny village in Galicia where my mom was born, the so called Easter Bread was made during the festivity of  St. Julian, the village's patron saint. The celebrations took place on January 7th, a day after the Epiphany. I guess that's why my mother associates the bread ring to St. Julian's festivity and not to the coming of the three magi, like in many other parts of Spain.

Lendo: the house where
my mom Clara was born

In the district of Bergantiños, where both Lendo and Caión are located, the typical dessert on any special occasion is the Easter bread in the shape of a ring or braid, accompanied by the typical mild cheese of Galicia. An exquisite combination!

Traditionally during Easter, godparents give their godsons and goddaughters Easter bread as a present. This Easter bread is made from the same dough as the Easter bread ring, but instead of giving it a ring or braid shape, they might be shaped like a loaf. According to my mom, lately (which in her terms means about 30 some odd years ago), these Easter loafs started to include a boiled egg in the center. Unfortunately for them, once they marry, godsons and goddaughters no longer receive this tasty present!

In case you'd like to savor one of the most typical desserts of Galicia--and of many other Christian cultures across Europe--you can download my mother Clara's own recipe here.

By the way, when my parents owned a restaurant and small hotel in Caión many years ago, people used to say that her Spanish tortilla was much better than the famous one from "As Casillas" in the small town of Betanzos, near A Coruña. But I'll leave that controversy (and recipe) for a later post.