Meet the 'stew queens' of Asturias—champions of northern Spain's food traditions (1155 hits)
“This is food for the soul, not the body” says Pili Ramos, owner of Los Pomares, a neighbourhood restaurant and cider house in the coastal city of Gijón. We’re sitting among crowded pavement tables, the scent of cider misting the air as her brother Jorge lifts a bottle at arm’s length above his head to pour sweet-sharp amber fluid into a glass. “He’s a cider-pouring champion,” says Pili. Cider is somewhat of a religion here; Asturias produces 40 million bottles a year.
The northwesterly province on Spain’s lush green Costa Verde is a rural region revered for its slow-food practices and hearty cuisine. And its culinary excellence is led by a special group of women. Pili, wearing a white chef’s jacket emblazoned with the logo Club de Guisanderas, is one of these gastronomic guardians.
Set up nearly 30 years ago, the club comprises 40 female cooks who promote and preserve local cuisine
