Asturias

Rice pudding made with lemon and a cinnamon stick, and with a caramelized sugar top

The Casadiella is a typical dessert from Asturias. It consists of a pastry made of wheat flour, flavored with Anis de la Asturiana or wine, and filled with toasted hazelnuts or walnuts and sugar. They are mixed and they are fried together. The final shape is a tube approximately ten centimeters long with ends that are closed with a fork.

Flower-shaped pastries, made by dipping flower-shaped iron molds into the batter, then into hot oil

Crepes, sprinkled with powdered sugar, topped or filled with a variety of fillings

Doughnuts, made with wheat flour and, for example, lemon zest, anise, covered in icing, rosquillas in Latin America are made with corn flour

Apple tart

Cider is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, as well as the largest cider-producing companies. Ciders from the South West of England are generally higher in alcoholic content. Cider is also popular in many Commonwealth countries, such as India, South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and New England. As well as the UK and its former colonies, cider is popular in Portugal (mainly in Minho and Madeira), France (particularly Normandy and Brittany), northern Italy (specifically Friuli), and northern Spain (specifically Asturias and Basque Country). Germany also has its own types of cider with Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse producing a particularly tart version known as Apfelwein. In the U.S. and Canada, varieties of alcoholic cider are often called hard cider to distinguish it from non-alcoholic apple cider or "sweet cider", also made from apples. In Canada, cider cannot contain less than 2.5% or over 13% absolute alcohol by volume. The juice of most varieties of apple, including crab apples, can be used to make cider, but cider apples are best. The addition of sugar or extra fruit before a second fermentation increases the ethanol content of the resulting beverage. Cider alcohol content varies from 1.2% to 8.5% ABV or more in traditional English ciders, and 2.5% to 12% in continental ciders. In UK law, it must contain at least 35% apple juice (fresh or from concentrate), although CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) says that "real cider" must be at least 90% fresh apple juice. In the US, there is a 50% minimum. In France, cider must be made solely from apples. Perry is a similar product to cider made by fermenting pear juice. When distilled, cider turns into fruit brandy.

Apple cider from Asturias, Spain

Stewed cod and vegetables

Cachopo is a dish characteristic of Asturian cuisine. It consists of two large veal fillets and includes ham and cheese, and typically has a side of french fries . The dish is eaten fried and hot after being breaded in eggs and breadcrumbs, and it is usually served garnished with potatoes, peppers, or mushrooms. The first evidence of the cachopo dish is from doctor Gaspar Casal, in the early eighteenth century. There are multiple variations of this dish, including fish cachopos, chicken or pork cachopos stuffed with seafood, meat, mushrooms, peppers, cheese, asparagus, etc.

Squid stewed in its own ink

Slow-cooked beef and onions in a white wine sauce

Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve mollusc. The word is often applied only to those that are deemed edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the sea floor or riverbeds. Clams have two shells of equal size connected by two adductor muscles and have a powerful burrowing foot. They live in both freshwater and marine environments; in salt water they prefer to burrow down into the mud and the turbidity of the water required varies with species and location; the greatest diversity of these is in North America. Clams in the culinary sense do not live attached to a substrate and do not live near the bottom (whereas scallops do). In culinary usage, clams are commonly eaten marine bivalves, as in clam digging and the resulting soup, clam chowder. Many edible clams such as palourde clams are ovoid or triangular; however razor clams have an elongated parallel-sided shell, suggesting an old-fashioned straight razor.

Stew with beef, pork, chicken, bacon, chorizo, pig ear and trotters, vegetables, cabbage, garbanzo beans, dumplings

Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura , which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the thorax.[a] They live in all the world's oceans, in freshwater, and on land. They are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton. They generally have five pairs of legs, and they have pincer claws on the ends of the frontmost pair. They first appeared during the Jurassic period, around 200 million years ago. Crabs are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, composed primarily of highly mineralized chitin. Behind their pair of chelae (claws) are six walking legs and then two swimming legs. The crab breathes through gills on its underside; gills must be at least moist to work.

Fabada asturiana, often simply known as fabada, is a rich Asturian bean stew, originally from and most commonly found in the autonomous community of Principality of Asturias, but widely available throughout the whole of Spain and in Spanish restaurants worldwide. Canned fabada is sold in most supermarkets across the country. Fabada is a hot and heavy dish, and for that reason, it is most commonly eaten during the winter and as the largest meal of the day, lunch. It is usually served as a starter but may also be the main course of the meal. It is typically served with Asturian cider or a red wine. Fabada is made with fabes de la Granja soaked overnight before use; lacón (shoulder of pork); pancetta or bacon (tocino), morcilla (a kind of blood sausage from Spain); chorizo, olive oil, sweet paprika, garlic and salt.

Fabes con almejas is a clam and bean stew that originated in the principality of Asturias in the 19th century as peasant fare. It is a lighter variation of Asturian fabada whose primary ingredients are sausage, beans and pork. The traditional recipe for fabes con almejas calls for small clams, fava beans, onions, garlic, salt, saffron, bay leaves, olive oil, parsley, bread crumbs and sometimes sweet paprika.

Many species of fish are caught by humans and consumed as food in virtually all regions around the world. Fish has been an important dietary source of protein and other nutrients. The English language does not have a special culinary name for food prepared from fish like with other animals , or as in other languages (such as Spanish pez vs. pescado). In culinary and fishery contexts, fish may include so-called shellfish such as molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms; more expansively, seafood covers both fish and other marine life used as food. Since 1961, the average annual increase in global apparent food fish consumption (3.2 percent) has outpaced population growth (1.6 percent) and exceeded consumption of meat from all terrestrial animals, combined (2.8 percent) and individually (bovine, ovine, porcine, etc.), except poultry (4.9 percent). In per capita terms, food fish consumption has grown from 9.0 kg (19.8 lb) in 1961 to 20.2 kg (45 lb) in 2015, at an average rate of about 1.5 percent per year. The expansion in consumption has been driven not only by increased production, but also by a combination of many other factors, including reduced wastage, better utilization, improved distribution channels and growing consumer demand, linked with population growth, rising disposable incomes and urbanization.

Chickpeas with cod, common during Easter

Hake is a type of fish belonging to the Merlucciidae family, related to cod and haddock, and is known for its mild flavor and flaky texture. It is commonly found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is often used in various culinary dishes.

Liver and onions is a dish consisting of slices of liver and bulb onions. The liver and the onions are usually sautéed or otherwise cooked together, but sometimes they may be sautéed separately and mixed together afterwards. The liver is often cut in fine slices, but it also may be diced. Liver and onions is widely eaten in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and in Germany,[citation needed] where it is usually eaten along with boiled or mashed potatoes. Beef or veal liver is common in the US; veal or lamb liver are the usual choices in the UK. In the French traditional recipe the liver is fried with butter and bacon. In Catalan cuisine olive oil is used, instead of butter, and fried garlic is added to the mixture. In Italian cuisine, the fegato alla veneziana (lit. 'Venice-style liver') recipe includes a dash of red wine or vinegar and the fegato alla romana ('Rome-style liver') a dash of white wine and is cooked in lard.

Lechazo is a Spanish dish made from "cordero lechal". The meat used is from unweaned lambs, and is similar to veal, or the meat of "cochinillo" . The autonomous region of Castile and León has a distinctive version of lechazo referred to as "Lechazo de Castilla y Leon". It is one of the most important dishes of the cuisine of the province of Burgos. Aranda de Duero is known as the heart of the dish, with numerous restaurants that specialize in lechazo and feature "hornos de leña", or wooden stoves, in which the lamb is roasted. The lamb used in lechal must derive all its nutrition from its mother's milk, and must be no more than 35 days old and weigh between 9 and 12 kilograms at the time of slaughter.

Lentil stew, may also contain pork (lentejas estofadas con cerdo), chorizo, vegetables

Stewed hake (merluza), clams, vegetables, apples and cider

Goose barnacles, also called percebes, turtle-claw barnacles, stalked barnacles, gooseneck barnacles, are filter-feeding crustaceans that live attached to hard surfaces of rocks and flotsam in the ocean intertidal zone. Goose barnacles formerly made up the taxonomic order Pedunculata, but the group has been found to be polyphyletic, with its members scattered across multiple orders of the infraclass Thoracica. Some species of goose barnacles such as Lepas anatifera are pelagic and are most frequently found on tidewrack on oceanic coasts. Unlike most other types of barnacles, intertidal goose barnacles depend on water motion rather than the movement of their cirri for feeding, so are found only on exposed or moderately exposed coasts.

Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs , some of which are edible. The term prawn is used particularly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth nations, for large swimming crustaceans or shrimp, especially those with commercial significance in the fishing industry. Shrimp in this category often belong to the suborder Dendrobranchiata. In North America, the term is used less frequently, typically for freshwater shrimp. The terms shrimp and prawn themselves lack scientific standing. Over the years, the way they are used has changed, and in contemporary usage, the terms are almost interchangeable. The terms shrimp and prawn are common names, not scientific names. They are vernacular or colloquial terms, which lack the formal definition of scientific terms. They are not taxa, but are terms of convenience with little circumscriptional significance. There is no reason to avoid using the terms shrimp or prawn when convenient, but it is important not to confuse them with the names or relationships of actual taxa.

Salmon is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera Salmo and Oncorhynchus of the family Salmonidae, native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (Salmo) and North Pacific (Oncorhynchus) basins. Other closely related fish in the same family include trout, char, grayling, whitefish, lenok and taimen, all coldwater fish of the subarctic and cooler temperate regions with some sporadic endorheic populations in Central Asia.

Salmon cooked with cider or white wine, may also include Serrano ham

Sea bass is a common name for a variety of species of marine fish. Many fish species of various families have been called sea bass. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, the fish sold and consumed as sea bass is exclusively the European bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. Sometimes referred to as sea bass include the following: Family Serranidae

Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs , crustaceans (e.g. shrimp, crabs, and lobster), and echinoderms (e.g. sea cucumbers and sea urchins). Historically, marine mammals such as cetaceans (whales and dolphins) as well as seals have been eaten as food, though that happens to a lesser extent in modern times. Edible sea plants such as some seaweeds and microalgae are widely eaten as sea vegetables around the world, especially in Asia. Seafood is an important source of (animal) protein in many diets around the world, especially in coastal areas. Semi-vegetarians who consume seafood as the only source of meat are said to adhere to pescetarianism.

A squid is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida (though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting these criteria). Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, and a mantle. They are mainly soft-bodied, like octopuses, but have a small internal skeleton in the form of a rod-like gladius or pen, made of chitin. Squid diverged from other cephalopods during the Jurassic and occupy a similar role to teleost fish as open water predators of similar size and behaviour. They play an important role in the open water food web. The two long tentacles are used to grab prey and the eight arms to hold and control it. The beak then cuts the food into suitable size chunks for swallowing. Squid are rapid swimmers, moving by jet propulsion, and largely locate their prey by sight. They are among the most intelligent of invertebrates, with groups of Humboldt squid having been observed hunting cooperatively. They are preyed on by sharks, other fish, sea birds, seals and cetaceans, particularly sperm whales.

Asturiana de los Valles and Asturiana de la Montaña cows raised in Asturias, Spain

Afuega'l pitu is an unpasteurised cow's milk cheese from Asturias, one of four Asturian cheeses to have been recognized with Protected Designation of Origin (Denominación de Origen, DO) by Spain and the European Union. The name literally translates as "strangle the chicken" in the Asturian language and legend is that when the chicken ("pitu" in Asturian) is dead the cheese is ready. Production is centered in the municipalities of Grau, Les Regueres, Morcín, Pravia, Riosa, Salas, and Yernes y Tameza, the first having the largest production and being the headquarters of the council of Denomination of Origin. The cheese is produced all year long although principally in spring and winter due to the elevated fat content in milk in the spring and winter months. Since 2008 it has enjoyed the recognition of the European Union as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

Afuega'l pitu is an unpasteurised cow's milk cheese from Asturias, one of four Asturian cheeses to have been recognized with Protected Designation of Origin (Denominación de Origen, DO) by Spain and the European Union. The name literally translates as "strangle the chicken" in the Asturian language and legend is that when the chicken ("pitu" in Asturian) is dead the cheese is ready. Production is centered in the municipalities of Grau, Les Regueres, Morcín, Pravia, Riosa, Salas, and Yernes y Tameza, the first having the largest production and being the headquarters of the council of Denomination of Origin. The cheese is produced all year long although principally in spring and winter due to the elevated fat content in milk in the spring and winter months. Since 2008 it has enjoyed the recognition of the European Union as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

Cabrales is a blue cheese made in the artisan tradition by rural dairy farmers in Asturias, Spain. This cheese can be made from pure, unpasteurized cow’s milk or blended in the traditional manner with goat and/or sheep milk, which lends the cheese a stronger, spicier flavor. All of the milk used in the production of Cabrales must come exclusively from herds raised in a small zone of production in Asturias, in the mountains of the Picos de Europa. The milk is first heated and curdled by the addition of rennet. The whey is removed from the curds, which are then packed into cylindrical molds called arnios, salted and left to cure and harden. After the initial curing period of around two weeks, the Cabrales is then aged a further two to five months in natural caves in the limestone mountains of the area. The cheeses are placed on wooden shelves known as talameras, where they are periodically turned and cleaned. Relative humidity in these caves is typically 90% and the temperature is a cool 7–13 °C (45–55 °F), conditions favoring the development of penicillium molds that produce blue-green veins throughout the cheese.

In Spanish, cecina [θeˈθina] is meat that has been salted and dried by means of air, sun or smoke. The word comes from the Latin siccus , via Vulgar Latin (caro) *siccīna, "dry (meat)". Cecina is similar to ham and is made by curing cow, horse or rabbit meat. The best known cecina is Cecina de León, which is made of the hind legs of a cow, salted, smoked and air-dried in the provinces of León and Palencia in northwestern Spain, and has PGI status. The word cecina is also used to name other kinds of dried or cured meat in Latin America.

Chorizo cooked with apple cider

Charcuterie made with pork loin and tongue, seasoned with pimentón (paprika), garlic and salt, stuffed in pork casing, then smoked and cured uncooked, from Tineo, Asturias, Spain

Charcuterie made with pork loin and tongue, seasoned with pimentón (paprika), garlic and salt, stuffed in pork casing, then smoked and cured uncooked, from Tineo, Asturias, Spain

Dried white kidneys beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) from Asturias, Spain

A sausage made with lard, bread, oil and flour, farinato does not contain meat

Gamonéu cheese is a fatty Spanish cheese made in certain parts of the Principality of Asturias. Taking its name from the village of Gamonéu where it was originally made, Gamonéu cheese has a Protected Designation of Origin. It is a lightly smoked cheese with a thin, natural rind that is coloured brownish with some red, green and blue patches. Moulds on the rind slightly invade the interior of the cheese. Similar to other cheeses in the region, Gamonéu is made from a combination of cow, goat and sheep milks. Gamonéu cheese is sold in the form of a truckle cylinders with flat ends in weights varying between 500g (18 oz) to 7 kg (15 lbs). Gamonéu comes in two distinct forms: "del Puertu", which is made in the high passes and "del Valle", which is made in the lower valleys. Gamonéu del Puertu is harder and drier and is the rarer of the two forms as production is limited to the summer months in the uplands. Gamonéu del Valle is richer and creamer and production continues year-round.

Cheese with mold-ripened rind, made with cow's milk, sheep's milk and goat's milk, from Asturias, Spain

A blue cheese made with cow and sheep milk

Casín cheese is a Spanish cheese made in the Principality of Asturias. Its name is covered by a protected designation of origin (PDO). It is made from full-fat, unpasteurized cows' milk from specific breeds, namely Asturian Mountain (Asturiana de la Montaña, a.k.a. Casina), Asturian Valley (Asturiana de la Valles), Friesian and any crosses between these breeds. Specifically the geographic area of manufacture is the southern part of Asturias which includes the Redes Natural Park (Parque Natural de Redes) and associated land, this is within the municipalities of Caso, Sobrescobio and Piloña. The cheese is classified as hard and semi-hard, and can be semi-cured or cured. It takes its name from one of the breeds of cattle whose milk is used, in turn named after the town of Caso. The shape of the cheese is a thick disc-shape, sometime more conical, of 10–20 cm diameter and 4–7 cm in height. The weight is between 250 and 1,000 g (8.8 and 35.3 oz). The milk used must come from suppliers who are registered with the regulating council. The cows must have fed on local, natural foodstuffs. The milk is coagulated by using animal products, fermenting products are also used along with calcium chloride. The milk is heated to a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F) for the coagulation, this takes about 45 minutes. The curd is then cut with lyres and the temperature is raised by 2 °C and at the same time the curd is stirred for a minimum of 10 minutes, until it has become coarsely granular, the grains being the size of a hazel nut. It is then left to rest for about 10 minutes. Next the broken curd is put into sacking bags or plastic containers with fine holes to allow the whey to drain. The cheese is then placed in ventilated rooms at 15–20 °C (59–68 °F) for 3 or more days during which they are turned over daily. The cheese is then moulded into its characteristic shape either manually or mechanically. At this time a little salt is added. It is then stored in ventilated rooms for a period of between 5 days to 2 weeks, each piece being turned over daily. Finally the cheeses are given another pressing to give them an aesthetic appearance and the decoration and the mark of the manufacturer is added on the rind. They are left a further 2 more days in the ventilating room. The final maturation takes place in a room between 8–10 °C (46–50 °F) and a humidity of 80%. A period of 2 months is necessary between the coagulation of the milk and final maturity. The cheese is wrapped before sale to protect the surface of the cheese as it is intended that all the cheese will be eaten. It can be wrapped in paper, cardboard, wood or culinary grade plastic.

Casín cheese is a Spanish cheese made in the Principality of Asturias. Its name is covered by a protected designation of origin (PDO). It is made from full-fat, unpasteurized cows' milk from specific breeds, namely Asturian Mountain (Asturiana de la Montaña, a.k.a. Casina), Asturian Valley (Asturiana de la Valles), Friesian and any crosses between these breeds. Specifically the geographic area of manufacture is the southern part of Asturias which includes the Redes Natural Park (Parque Natural de Redes) and associated land, this is within the municipalities of Caso, Sobrescobio and Piloña. The cheese is classified as hard and semi-hard, and can be semi-cured or cured. It takes its name from one of the breeds of cattle whose milk is used, in turn named after the town of Caso. The shape of the cheese is a thick disc-shape, sometime more conical, of 10–20 cm diameter and 4–7 cm in height. The weight is between 250 and 1,000 g (8.8 and 35.3 oz). The milk used must come from suppliers who are registered with the regulating council. The cows must have fed on local, natural foodstuffs. The milk is coagulated by using animal products, fermenting products are also used along with calcium chloride. The milk is heated to a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F) for the coagulation, this takes about 45 minutes. The curd is then cut with lyres and the temperature is raised by 2 °C and at the same time the curd is stirred for a minimum of 10 minutes, until it has become coarsely granular, the grains being the size of a hazel nut. It is then left to rest for about 10 minutes. Next the broken curd is put into sacking bags or plastic containers with fine holes to allow the whey to drain. The cheese is then placed in ventilated rooms at 15–20 °C (59–68 °F) for 3 or more days during which they are turned over daily. The cheese is then moulded into its characteristic shape either manually or mechanically. At this time a little salt is added. It is then stored in ventilated rooms for a period of between 5 days to 2 weeks, each piece being turned over daily. Finally the cheeses are given another pressing to give them an aesthetic appearance and the decoration and the mark of the manufacturer is added on the rind. They are left a further 2 more days in the ventilating room. The final maturation takes place in a room between 8–10 °C (46–50 °F) and a humidity of 80%. A period of 2 months is necessary between the coagulation of the milk and final maturity. The cheese is wrapped before sale to protect the surface of the cheese as it is intended that all the cheese will be eaten. It can be wrapped in paper, cardboard, wood or culinary grade plastic.

Semi-hard unpasteurized or pasteurized cheese made with cow's, sheep's or goat's milk, from Desfiladero de Los Beyos gorge in Asturias and Castile and Leon, Spain

Semi-hard unpasteurized or pasteurized cheese made with cow's, sheep's or goat's milk, from Desfiladero de Los Beyos gorge in Asturias and Castile and Leon, Spain

White wine-based sauce with Spanish paprika, onions, garlic, parsley, used in the dish almejas a la marinera, or Spanish style clams