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tradition:
fish: The heart and soul of local gastronomy is seafood, supplied with products from the neighbouring Cantabrian Sea. Local fleets provide excellent bounties, among which the "merluza del pinchu"must be emphasised, so named for having been caught with a hook and not with a net, hence preserving its fine texture intact. It does not compare unfavourably with other exquisite fish like perch, red gilt-head, "xaragu", "pixin", king, flounder, or red mullet, all of them common in the village, depending on the season of the year and the luck of the fishermen. They can be eaten baked, fried, or pressed although some of them are beginning to be eaten in crocks, with sauces made from sidra (cider).
seafood:
meat: Besides the principal role played by fish, beef also has considerable importance. The juicy "carne roxa"(red beef) is excellent for cutlets and for typical recipes like "carne gobernada", stuffed or rolled beef filled with bacon, eggs, peppers, or olives. Also appreciated are the filets in cider, brandy, or Cabrales cheese sauce. In big game hunting wild boar carries the day, and in poultry, the "pitu de aldea", a variety of chicken with dark meat that is carefully raised on country farms. And how can one not mention pork which is fundamental to both the stew pot and the fabada. The local blood sausage, dried and onion scented, adds a special touch to the splendid "fabes" (beans) that distinguishes it from all of the other boiled meat and vegetable dishes on the peninsula. Also derived from pork are"pantrucu" and "emberzau", which are eaten fresh, cut in small trips, and fried.
dessert:
liquor: The finishing touch to any good meal should be a small cup of one of the fine liquors and spirits that are destilled in this county, in the village of Collera. The distilled cider that is fashioned in this centennial wine cellar has received the recognition of quality from the European Community, much to the pride of Ribadesella and the entire Principality of Asturias.
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The group of humans that inhabited the Cave
of Tito Bustillo 12.000 years ago had acceptable levels of
nourishment, based on hunting, fishing, and the collection of
molluscs and wild fruits, even though the population increase had
negative repercussions on natural resources. The arrival of the
romans, whose diet was based on goat meat, milk, and acorn meal,
exposed a precarious situation, according to Estrabon. Rome
decided on the massive planting of chestnuts with the objective
of securing a supplementary nutritive source, which effectively
fulfilled its duty until the present day in the form of chestnut
roasting.
Also worth considerable attention is
stripped tunny, the choice of summer, which is either served in
small round portions, or stewed in a sauce pan with peppers and
potatoes, just as is the savoury "rollo" (log) typical of
Ribadesella, elaborated with shredded tunny and seasoned
according to a modest and traditional formula. Summer is also the
time for exquisite squid and the popular sardines and "bocartes" (anchovies), which share
the spotlight in recently gathered cuisine with such rock
dwellers as "llamaparas", barnacles, sea-snails and
octopus, which, from the most humble origins, are conquering high
cuisine. The same is happening with the ribadesellian kettle, a
dish basically elaborated from rock fish accompanied by spiny or
large lobster.
Local shell-fish must also be mentioned:
goose barnacles from the cliffs, tasty "andaricas" (small crabs), and superb
spider-crabs from the ocean or vivarium. And an honoured place
must be reserved for the Sella eel, the most delicate fruit of
seafood cookery. It can be eaten seasoned with garlic and red
pepper, even though it is gradually being introduced as a filler
for fish and potatoes, according to recipies successfully
prepared in the Gastronomic Days of the Sea that is held each
Spring in this village and which serves to familiarize us with
traditional and updated seafood dishes.
Regarding cheese, Ribadesella is supplied
by its renowned neighbours in Cabrales, Beyos, Gamonedo, and
Pria. And with dessert, one must pay attention to the traditional
walnut "casadielles", rice pudding "requemau", fried milk, or the "joyueles" typical of Carnival, apple
and pear preserves, home-made dried fruit, or baked or candied
apples.
