Helado/ ice cream

Flan, rice pudding, sweets, fruit, etc.<br>
Flan, arroz con leche, dulces, frutas, etc.

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Eric Smith Fernandez
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Helado/ ice cream

Post by Eric Smith Fernandez »

¿Come mucho helado en Asturies? ¿Cuál sabores son más comunes?

Fuí al resturant de persía ayer con algunos amigos. Comimos helado de azafrán y pistachios (no sé si estoy escribiendo sufficiente en castillano), y también tenía el sabor de limón. ¿Hay algo como eso en Asturies?
Eric Smith Fernandez
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Post by Eric Smith Fernandez »

I was asked to write my post in english to be more convienent for everyone. (i will keep that in mind for future posts).

The questions i posed were:

Do Asturians eat alot of ice cream?

What are some popular flavors in Asturias?

I also spoke of visiting a persian restaurant with some friends. I ate a kind of ice cream flavored with lemon, saffron, and pistachios.

Lo siento porque no escribí en íngles y español juntos/ Sorry i didn't write my post in both english and spanish.
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is
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Islandia (Xixon)

Post by is »

That is some funny 'bastani' you had at the Persian restaurant. The word 'bastani' means ice cream in Persian. And if you've ever had a sherbet, that's also a word of Persian origin ('sharbat').

Sherbet is unknown in Asturias. Ice cream is a different matter altogether. Remember the climate in Asturias is North Atlantic (rainy, foggy, windy and snow in the mountains), so no pistachos can possibly grow there. Ditto for saffron (crocus). I think the best saffron grown in southern Spain comes from La Mancha or Extremadura.

As for pistachos, they are an Iranian delicacy. The word is 'peste' in Persian and their main production area is around Rafsanjan (SE Iran), home to a famous Iranian cleric and politician, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Californian pistachos are smaller and not as rich. I've tried both and the Iranians win 10-2.

Anyway, you might be interested to know that saffron is thought of as an eminently Persian ingredient. Iranians swear theirs is the best in the world. I once brought some back for my mother from Rasht (northern Iran), however, and she said Spanish saffron was more intense. Let's leave that up to the geneticist-cooks. Bob?

Now to your question about ice cream in Asturias, this could be a long post. But I'll just forward two sentences from my brother's girlfriend, who visited Xixon this past July (2007). She's actually Iranian-American, so she knows her pistachos and saffron. But this is about CABRALES ice cream, among other flavors I've never tried...

"If you can, check out heladeria Islandia in xixon. They have bizarre ice cream flavors like centollo, sidra, y cabrales. not sure if it's pasteurized or not. if not, Mara [my sister], shouldn't eat it. also, they have the wonderful ecological market one weekend a month."
Eric Smith Fernandez
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Location: Granite City Illinois

Post by Eric Smith Fernandez »

Gracias por tú respuesta y la información.
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granda
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Post by granda »

It is true the best saffron in the world is the Spanish one, it is has a more intense red colour and it more intense in the flavour. For many years Spaniards marketed and sold saffron all over the world. Nowadays more than 80% of the world commerce of saffron is in Spanish hands However the production is from Iran ie 100 years in the Mancha area the production of saffron was just over 400.000 kgs, last season just over 3000 kgs.....

Saffron ice cream is just fantastic. UAE is full of iranian restaurants.

Regarding Asturias and the ice creams, I must say that in Oviedo we have the best turron (nougat in french) icre creams in the world. They are sold by Helados Verdu in Cimadevilla st. In summer they sell ice creams and for Xmas proper turron, mazapanes or any other type of Xmas sweets.

Do Americans eat special sweets for Xmas? I know that the english have Xmas pudding (they are like bombs, very heavys and fillings) and custard pies.

In Oviedo also I remember the heladeria Los Italianos (just in front of La Jirafa) my mum used to buy my brothers and us an ice cream there after a stroll in Campo San Francisco. The place only opened half of the year and it was closed in winter.
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Bob
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Post by Bob »

I'm not at all sure about the genetics of saffron (azafran), but I trust a small company in San Francisco to get me the best and have never been disappointed, see http://www.saffron.com/ If you call, ask for Juan, the owner. Sometimes the saffron is from Spain and sometimes it is Iranian, but it is always very, very good. They sell primarily to restaurants, but are always willihng to accomodate individuals. I buy an ounce every year or so. We use a lot of saffron.

Like everything else, saffron quality is based both on genetics and environment, and the latter varies enormously from year to year. I look for color and intensity of taste.
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Art
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Post by Art »

granda wrote:.... Do Americans eat special sweets for Xmas? I know that the english have Xmas pudding (they are like bombs, very heavys and fillings) and custard pies. ...
Hi, Granda,

I don't think many Americans eat Christmas puddings.

We often have "candy canes" which have a peppermint flavor.

Image

My family used to eat "candied apple rings" which were slices of apple cooked in a sauce that included peppermint for color and flavor. They were very deep red and spicy.

Pumpkin, apple, and lemon meringue pies are a common dessert for Christmas meals and gatherings. My family doesn't like custard pies, but I've seen them elsewhere fairly often.

There are lots of other candies available at Christmas, but I can't think of others that are highly associated with the holiday. Maybe some one else will have an idea.

By the way, one dessert that I tried (many times) in Asturias this fall, and and that I enjoyed a lot, was requesón [a simple, slightly bitter cheese curd dessert]. Yum! I like that it's not sweet.

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granda wrote: [trans. Art] .... ¿Comen los norteamericanos dulces especiales para Navidad? Sé que los ingleses tienen un budín de Navidad (que son como bombas, muy pesados y que llenan muchísimos) y tartas de crema. ...
Hola, Granda,

No creo que muchos americanos comen budín de Navidad.

A menudo tenemos "candy canes" [caña f de azúcar, dulces de forma de bastón], que tienen un sabor de menta.

Image

Mi familia comía "candied apple rings" [anillos de manzana azucarados o confitados], que son rodajas de manzana cocidos en una salsa de menta que da color y sabor. Estaban rojo intenso y picante.

Tartas de calabaza, manzana, y limón con merengue son unos postre común para reuniones y comidas de Navidad. Mi familia no come tartas de crema, pero he visto en otros lugares con bastante frecuencia.

Hay un montón de otros dulces disponibles para Navidad, pero no puedo pensar en los otros que están muy relacionados con las fiestas. Tal vez otra persona tenga una idea.

A propósito, un postre que probé (muchas veces) en Asturias este otoño y que prestame mucho es requesón. ¡Riquísimo! Me gusta que no es dulce.
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granda
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REQUESON

Post by granda »

How did you have the requeson? on its own? or with honey? I love it with a honey topping. Requeson is far better than the italian ricotta version which I find of bland taste

Como comiste el requeson? solo? or con miel y nueces? me encanta con esta ultima combinacion. El requeson es mucho mejor que el ricotta o quesos similares. Ricotta para mi no tiene sabor alguno
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is
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requeixon

Post by is »

You mean 'requeixon', Art! That's the Asturian and Galician word for the dessert we had at El Casino in La Puela.

Too bad we didn't have time on the way back from Grandas and Samartin d'Ozcos to go up to Abredo, just outside of Cuana (Coana, where the Celtic hillfort is next to the road) to buy some fresh requeixon. Theirs is the best commercial brand around, although apparently Reny Picot also has its own version:
http://www.oepm.es/internet/bopi/bopi03 ... G08156.PDF

Up in Abredo, there is a farmstead that specializes in West Asturian requeixon. According to the instructions on the side of the container you are supposed to warm it up and blend in some milk make it creamier.

At La Nueva Allandesa, Qique's aunt makes it from scratch and it has a lemon-like tang to it, which is fantastic. The one in El Casino was topped with local heather honey, if I remember correctly. Busto and I later had yet another version of requeixon at El Chino de L.linares, about 7km SE of La Puela. It too was topped with honey.

Requeixon is very popular in West Asturias, but I have rarely come across it in Central Asturias. Anybody know why?
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Art
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Post by Art »

Is explained it well. I had it three or four times on that trip to West Asturias. I think it was always served with honey on top. I don't remember it any nuts, but that'd be great!

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Is lo explicó bien. Lo comí tres o cuatro veces en este viaja al oeste de Asturias. Creo que siempre tenía miel por encima. No recuerdo nueces... ¡pero seguramente sería muy buena!
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