Fiesta de Jamón Ibérico de Bellota
Need I say more…?
Well okay, you also get two glasses of fino with each 15€ plate of 5 Jotas jamón ordered (which is a great price even without the free wine) and if you check in on either 4-Square or Yelp during the fiesta you’ll receive a 375 ml. bottle of Osborne fino. See you there!
A few images from this morning’s Corpus Christi procession. Shortly after I moved to Sevilla (1993) a friend told me that a nice way to enjoy Corpus was to get up extra early and walk the procession route before everything got started. And there is something quite lovely about being out in the cool summer air walking on the rosemary-strewn streets and checking out the altars and decorated balconies and shop windows along the way. Things have changed a bit over the years, most notably that more and more people seem to be doing this so you have to get up even extra early to have the route (mostly) to yourself. And this year I noticed that there were far fewer decorated balconies and shop windows. A result of the Crisis? As I was in Granada for Corpus last year I can only compare it to a couple of years ago.
This year’s celebrations are also exceptional as it is also San Fernando Day. A two-fer! There were also extra events put on by the city council. I have always liked Corpus in Sevilla, especially the rosemary and the “balcones de seda”.
One of the best things about going to a feria is meeting up with friends. This week I visited my favourite feria in Spain, the Feria del Caballo in Jerez @feriadejerez_, with visiting London foodie friend Nicola Swift @ShedLikesFood and fellow Sevilla blogger Fiona Flores @Seville_Writer.
Usually I spend most of my time at this feria taking photos of the splendid horses but somehow this year it was all about meeting up with old friends, and also meeting new ones, at the massive Bodegas Gonzales Byass caseta (which not surprisingly won first prize). It was great to hang out with old friends Annie Bennett @anniebennett and José Pizarro @jose_pizarro again, meet Ellie @PearCafe & Dan @EssexEating from Bristol and Tom & Owen @Bar44Tapas from Wales, and also see my good Twitter buddy Antonio Flores @Hacedordevinos. The Tío Pepe en Rama was flowing, lovely food was passed round, fabulous flamenco artists entertained us, and then all too soon is was time to catch the last train back to Sevilla. For next year we have vowed to do this again but book accommodation so we can party into the night. Eep!
Since going to the Feria de Córdoba last year I seem to be turning into a bit of a feriante. Which is particularly odd as I don’t much like the massively famous (and massive) Feria de Abril here in Sevilla, though this year I ended up going twice – haven’t done that in years. I also haven’t been to the fabulous Feria del Caballo in Jerez for years – five to be exact – so I have booked off a couple of days next month to do that, in case I feel like staying overnight. And then I was told about the Feria de Primavera y Fiesta del Vino Fino in Puerto de Santa Maria, which started yesterday. So I think I’ll be popping over there on Sunday. But I’ll probably miss the Córdoba Feria this year as I want to go to the Patio Festival there, which finishes the week before. Ah well, can’t be everywhere. I have to say that I really prefer these much friendlier ferias with their casetas open to the public. And I like how the Feria in Málaga also takes to the streets and spills over to the centre of the city, though I haven’t actually been to the fairground there. Maybe this summer. How many ferias have you been to in Spain?
[click on image to enlarge]
Some gitanitas spotted yesterday afternoon at the Feria de Abril in Sevilla.
