Villancico The Spanish word for Christmas carol has its origin in the old Castilian word villano, meaning ‘villager’ – as opposed to noble or squire. During the 15th and 16th centuries the villancico was a jolly sort of song-and-dance knees up for country folk, and it was only in the following centuries that the songs [...]
So here we go again, rolling out the Christmas stuff. Last year, you may recall, I got my act together enough to write a post about the caganer, and very popular and well-received it was. For newbies, or those too lazy to click on the old post to refresh their memories, the caganer is one [...]
If you think that December is an ordinary working month with a bit of extra shopping and a few days off for Christmas, think again. Here, December is about as productive as August, when the whole of Spain grinds to a halt. You simply cannot expect to buy a house, get a new kitchen put [...]
OK, so it’s January 7 and you really need to give the liver a break from tipples of any kind for at least a few days. However, yesterday was a holiday, today it’s if it was one, and the weekend began a shot of anis and a rosco de vino ago. So, one last licor [...]
Crema de orujo might not have the beautiful people-filled TV commercials, but it’s every bit as delicious as the latest fancy Baileys creation. Made from post-squashed-to-death grapes, orujo or aguardiente is the most shudderingly-blow-your-mouth-off spirit on the planet, with a 50 % alcohol content (that’s 100º proof!). Tamed with cream, coffee, cocoa and caramel, though, and [...]
