A guide to enjoying Asturian cider

Whoever comes to Asturias and does not go to a cider house, does not get to know the Asturian popular culture. Because cider houses are part of the essence of Asturias. They are places where you can socialise, where you can rejoice and be happy, where you can taste the delicacies of the land, and all of this is always paired with cider, the most Asturian drink since time immemorial.

The cider houses of Asturias are much more than just a place to eat, precisely because of the capacity of the cultural and natural environment of cider to create an atmosphere that goes beyond the mere enjoyment of gastronomy accompanied by a few "culinos" of cider.

The world of cider has its own gestures, its customs, its cycles, its characteristic spaces, its scenography, its iconography, its language and even its music. It is an immaterial culture that involves both those who know it and those who are newcomers to it.

Undoubtedly the most characteristic and identifying gesture of Asturias cider and cider houses is the 'escanciado', which is nothing more or less than dropping the cider from the bottle into the glass, leaving an optimum distance for it to break. A cider is said to break when it hits the glass, releasing the carbon dioxide that is characteristic of this drink, which thus acquires an important organoleptic improvement, reaching its optimum body and flavour.

This traditional way of serving natural cider arose in Asturias at some point in the 19th century, and is an authentic 'artistic' ritual that attracts locals and foreigners alike, due to the skill required for the task and the eye-catching staging.

We must not forget that this cider ritual is completed when you drink the "culín " in one go after it has been poured, because the foam does not last long and drinking it instantly reveals its full flavour. By the way, the "culín" should ideally fill no more than a third of the glass.

The tradition of this Asturian ritual was that the last sip of the "culín" should be poured onto the floor, drinking only the freshly frothed cider, which is precisely why the cider houses of yesteryear used to line their floors with sawdust.

It was even said that this gesture was a way of thanking mother earth for a good apple harvest.

Nowadays, the sawdust has disappeared from the floor of the cider houses, but the ritual still retains all its splendour, although the cider is poured into containers provided for this purpose.

Moreover, technological advances have introduced new customs to complement the traditional ritual: these are the automatic cider pourers of modern design, which are sometimes used in some places.

By the way! A "culín" or "culete" is the contents of the glass after pouring the cider, and the glass is special and specific for this drink.

Another thing you should know is that nowadays in cider bars, although most of the consumption is of traditional natural cider (the one that is poured), you can also consume filtered natural cider, called table cider or new expression cider, as well as sparkling natural cider (the latter two types are not poured).

Another thing you should know is that cider made in Asturias following certain traditional processes and complying with specific conditions is legally protected by the "Sidra de Asturias" Designation of Origin. Not all cider produced in the region is protected by this Denomination. For a product such as cider to have a Denomination of Origin, three elements must coincide: the origin, the production process and the quality.

To give you an idea of what cider means to Asturians and to visitors, between 35 and 40 million bottles of traditional natural cider (the one that is poured) are produced annually in Asturias, and of these, almost 4.5 million bottles correspond to the production of DOP Sidra de Asturias. In the case of other ciders, production is over 15 million bottles.

Cider has always been an ideal drink for socialising, for conversation among friends, or for making new friends in the cider house itself, especially if consumed at the bar. Although interaction between the people at the bar and those at the tables is also a common scene.

Another advantage of cider bars is that a single person can go in peacefully to drink a bottle of cider, and at no time feel isolated, but rather have the option of integrating more or less into the atmosphere, depending on their preferences.

In the past, the chigres, the Asturian name for cider bars, were very atmospheric places, where the gatherings gradually became livelier - as they drank cider -, and they started to sing popular songs, some of them from the world of the tonada - traditional Asturian song - and others not. As in Asturias the good customs survive and increase their roots, nowadays in some places and at some times you may find spontaneous concerts of "cancios de chigre", a living expression of the socialisation of cider. What's more, if there is a bagpiper nearby, he or she can join in with the rest of the performers, adding the typical musical note of Asturias, although guitars and other instruments are also welcome.

In reality, the chigres were true schools of tunes, and also of thought and knowledge, because in them all kinds of ideas and projects were debated with passion and enthusiasm. And today, sometimes, in Asturian cider houses, this continues to be the case.

Precisely because of the friendly, socialising and creative characteristics that cider brings to those who drink it, cider bars are ideal places for all kinds of celebrations: personal, sporting, cultural, etc.

Moreover, a key fact is that cider is never alone, it was born to be paired with the best Asturian gastronomy, and this makes it even more complete.

In the heat of the cider, and because of its genetics of pairing, the espicha was born, a typically Asturian festival where gastronomy is combined with cider. Whether standing up, as a snack, or sitting down - in a more formal way - the espicha does not exist without cider.

The espichas can take place in the cider houses, or in the llagares (the place where the cider is made), and sometimes there are cider houses that also have their own llagar (cider press).

Nowadays, the gastronomy offered by Asturian cider houses is not only the classic one of a traditional 'espicha', based on chorizos, cooked pork shoulder, omelette, boiled eggs, cecina, Asturian cheeses, empanadas, fried cod, etc.

Nowadays, the menu of a cider house is much broader: fish, seafood, meat, fabada, stew, tripe, etc., and in general all kinds of Asturian recipes, both traditional and innovative, including delicious homemade desserts.

When spring arrives, little by little the orchards (the land where the apple trees are planted) come to life, and at the end of April or beginning of May the first flowering buds appear on the apple trees, colouring the Asturian countryside with white and pink. The flowering of the apple tree is the first botanical step towards the subsequent appearance of the apple.

At the beginning of June, the Preba (tasting) of the first cider of the season takes place, which is bottled in May and June, and is made from the apples harvested the previous year. The Preba de la Sidra, which is held in the Cider Boulevard on Gascona Street in Oviedo/Uviéu, is a Festival declared to be of Tourist Interest in Asturias. It is a unique event that highlights the strong links between the capital of Asturias and cider culture and the great power of this ancient culture, which is becoming more and more deeply rooted throughout Asturias.

Then, in autumn - seronda in Asturian - in October and November, the apples are harvested or 'paña', which will be the raw material for the following year's cider. Due to the Asturian orography, this work is usually carried out by hand and in small orchards. It is important to know that apples that have fallen to the ground are useless, only those picked directly from the tree are used.

After "pañar" the apple in the orchards, this fruit enters the llagares in abundance. It is the time of mayanza, and the apple becomes sweet cider (before the fermentation that will give rise to natural cider). Just at this moment, another very typical Asturian festivity appears on the scene: the amagüestu, where sweet cider is accompanied by chestnuts that have just fallen from the tree - thanks to the famous "vientu les castañes" (chestnut wind) that occurs in the seronda (autumn) -. This tradition of the amagüestu, far from disappearing, is gaining more and more strength, and it is very common for cider houses and cider houses to celebrate it.

The slogan of the Cider Shire "Where Asturias smells of apples" is ideal to describe the wide and intense cider map of Asturias. There are many cider makers and many cider houses spread throughout the region. Although it is true that the greatest concentration is located in the central-eastern part of the region.

The cities of Asturias - Oviedo/Uviéu, Gijón/Xixón and Avilés - are a triangle where cider culture is deeply rooted. In Oviedo/Uviéu the Gascona street with its cider boulevard is very cidery; in Avilés the Sabugo neighbourhood, and in Gijón different streets and areas such as the Coto neighbourhood, the Arena neighbourhood, Pablo Iglesias street, Juan Alvargonzález street, etc.

The councils close to the Asturian cities, such as Siero, Langreo, Mieres, Carreño, Gozón, etc., are also known for their cider.

Likewise, the region known as the Comarca de la Sidra is a territory made up of 6 municipalities in the centre-east of Asturias - Bimenes, Cabranes, Colunga, Nava, Sariegu and Villaviciosa - which form a natural area with a common denominator: cider production. Nava and Villaviciosa are also two notable cider capitals on the map of Asturias.

Nava celebrates its annual Natural Cider Festival in July, which is a Festival of Tourist Interest in Asturias, and which is a tribute to the quintessential Asturian drink, attracting thousands of people. In addition, the Navarrese town is home to the Asturias Cider Museum.

Villaviciosa celebrates its Apple Festival every two years in October, which is also a Festival of Tourist Interest in Asturias, and is a true tribute to the native apple and the producers of the Asturian countryside.

On the other hand, Gijón/Xixón celebrates its annual Natural Cider Festival at the end of August, also declared a Festival of Tourist Interest in Asturias, and where each new edition breaks the record for simultaneous cider pouring on the Poniente beach.

The cider culture is so active and booming that many activities are developed around it from the point of view of leisure and tourism: visits to cider houses, espichas, amagüestos, prebas or tastings, visits to pomaradas, etc.

Precisely this expansion and strengthening of the cider culture and leisure potential has made possible the creation of Sidraturismo Asturias, a Product Club that promotes and spreads the Asturian cider culture, with different actions and tourist activities throughout the year that may be of interest to you.

There are even some prestigious gastronomic routes , such as the Ruta'l Quesu y la Sidra, in the village of Asiegu, in Cabrales, which explains life in the mountain villages of eastern Asturias that produce Cabrales cheese, as well as the culture of cider, which began in a homemade way in the homes of the area.

The aim of the quality brand Sidrerías de Asturias - Calidad Natural - is to show, in an elaborate selection made up of almost thirty cider makers, the excellence and singularity of a group of establishments that contribute decisively to maintaining and enhancing the cider culture in the Natural Paradise, as part of an intangible heritage with centuries of roots.

Download the Asturias Cider Houses brochure and enjoy the excellence of these establishments!

The history, values, evolution and survival of the cider culture in Asturias for centuries has made it possible for the Asturian Cider Culture to be declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.