Northern Spain’s beloved apple cider

Exploring sidra and its wonderful food pairings

One of the best ways to stay warm in the long winter months, in my opinion, is with something delicious in your glass. In Spain, this time of year is the start of cider, or sidra, season—especially along the northern coast, from the the place where I was born, Asturias, where apples grow everywhere, to Basque country. In Basque country, sidra is called sagardoa, and the season is referred to as txotx season, when the cider houses open up and you can go taste the new vintage.

Here in the U.S., we might think of apple cider as being a fall drink, but in Spain, it is very much a winter thing, and the season lasts all the way up until spring.

Do I look like a pro?

In Asturias, sidra is a way of life, and it has been around for thousands of years—people, I think that they know what they’re doing! Today, Asturias produces about 80% of all of the cider in Spain, and many of the houses that make it—known as llagares—use apples grown in Asturias for the right to sell their cider officially labeled by the protected “DOP” of the region (remember “DOPs” when we talked about asparagus? It’s a way to know that what you’re buying meets a certain standard). So you know that when you drink cider from Asturias, you are tasting the orchards of the land itself—whether you're in Spain, at Jaleo, or at home. And Asturians take their sidra seriously…the average Asturian drinks 60 liters per year. It’s a good way to stay hydrated!

Spanish ciders are different in style from ciders made in other places, which will probably be the first thing you notice when you try them. You might be used to many of the ciders from here in the States, or Ireland or the UK, which are usually on the sweeter side. But in Spain, our sidra is very dry, with a nice tartness and very low carbonation, and a bit cloudy. All of this makes it a perfect drink with food. They are also usually low in alcohol, so you can drink a lot of it!

When my family and I go to Asturias, you can find us in the cider town of Mieres, where we hang out in the central plaza’s sidrerías (cider houses). If you watch this clip from José Andrés and Family in Spain, the girls and I drink sidra the way Asturians drink it—remember, there is a special way to pour Spanish cider! The people who serve it to you are called escanciadores and escanciadoras, and they pour sidra from high above their head into the glass to give it some carbonation. These people are so good at what they do that they can pour cider into the glass while staring straight at you! It is its own art form. Each pour is pretty short, about an ounce or two, to keep the bubbles in it while you enjoy it—and it’s meant to be drunk at once…so have another, and then have some more!

The amazing, comforting Fabada Asturiana is perfect with sidra

So, what do you eat when you’re drinking sidra? Of course you can eat tapas, because so many of the salty, savory bites of tapas are perfect with sidra. When we are in Mieres, we eat lots of shellfish and chorizo, which are also amazing with sidra. You could make my Fabada Asturiana, a hearty, comforting Asturian bean stew with spicy chorizo and smoky bacon, and lots of garlic and pimentón—with a hunk of crusty bread, it’s perfect for this time of year. And also, think about how good apples and blue cheese are together—sidra and blue cheese are an amazing combination (it reminds me of my mother, who taught me to love blue cheese, and she loved blue cheese so much there is one named after her, Rey Silo’s Mamá Marisa—which we have on the menu at Jaleo!). You really can’t go wrong…in fact, I’d love to hear what you pair with cider!

If you live here in the US, you might have to search a little bit to find sidra. You might be able to find some local cider houses that make their cider in the style of Asturian sidra. You can of course order it online and have it shipped to your home (and if you do, you have to send us pictures as you become your own escanciador!). Or you can always come visit us at Jaleo or Mercado Little Spain, where we serve Trabanco Cosecha Propia, which is directly from Asturias (and “cosecha propia” means it’s made from apples that all came from the same estate)!

Tell me, have you ever tried Asturian sidra? What did you think?