Turnip Festival

The town of Sotrondio in San Martín del Rey Aurelio is the welcoming setting for the Turnip Festival. This original gastronomic festival shows the potential of culinary tradition and creative capacity in the heart of the Nalón Valley. Few places in Asturias offer as tasty and healthy a pot of turnips as the one that comes out of the sotrondinos' kitchens during the days of the festival.

The celebration coincides with the festivity of San Martín de Tours, patron saint of the municipality, and the main events are the solemn mass, the puya' l ramu, the bagpipe and drum parades, the traditional dances and, of course, the awarding of the Golden Nabu, which is given each year to an outstanding personality.

The big day of the festival is, therefore, 11 November, and both on that day and the rest of the festival days the restaurants, cider houses and eating houses of Sotrondio offer the traditional menu of turnips, which is usually accompanied by a second course of tripe and for dessert, a typical sweet, usually casadielles, fayuelos or rice pudding... A menu for the brave!

The turnip stew, starring this succulent vegetable, is prepared with a good "compango", which gives the dish the necessary consistency to combat the cold of the season.

Although the origin of such an original tradition is not known for certain, there is a legend that says that it was King Aurelio of the Asturian monarchy, back in 774, who gave rise to such a tradition by placing the capital of the kingdom in this municipality, turnips being at that time an appreciated tuber in the culinary habits of the time.

Gastronomy and legend come together in the Turnip Festival!