The iconic façade of Casa Mira
What is special about their nougats? “They are artisans, we have the formulas Don Luis implanted when he founded the house in 1842 and we always spend the same raw material : rosemary honey, Marcona almond... this makes us different from all the others”, explains the manager Amelia Almodovar.
Amelia Almodóvar, in charge of the traditional Casa Mira in Madrid
Customers pass, take a number and wait . A woman reads under the Nougat Specialties poster. Time is enjoyed. “I have been here thirty-nine years and there are clients that I have known since the first, they are very loyal, they usually come with their children and grandchildren ”-says Amelia- “coming for the nougat It's like a holiday for families ”.
As if it were the Cathedral of Santiago, Casa Mira is a place of pilgrimage
CHRISTMAS DELICATESSEN
Behind the wooden and glass showcases there Nougat from Jijona, Alicante, Yema, Marzipan , Marzipan with fruit, Chocolate, Coconut, Hazelnut, Bread from Cádiz at 45 euros per kilo... While ten women serve eight men in the back of the premises they prepare nougat as they did in the 19th century . One of the classics is the nougat from Alicante.
Amelia coordinates the process: "the almond is roasted, which also gives it a special touch, then it is thrown into a hopper where previously have added honey with a little egg white ; they make the mixture, it's not mechanized and this gives it a different and special tone, then they put it in hot boxes, mark it so that it can be cut later".
object of desire
HORROR VACUI GOLOSON
If you are a foodie traveler Let yourself be carried away by the colors and textures, because in addition to being a nougat factory, Casa Mira prepares marron glacé, imperial cakes, glories of Jijona, walnut yolks, shortbread or candied fruit (from sour cherries to sweet potatoes) .
Casa Mira or how to drool for hours in front of a Christmas shop window
LONG LIVE TRADITION
The founder of Casa Mira, Don Luis Mira, arrived to Madrid from Jijona with 21 years . He began selling in the Plaza Mayor, in the Central Hispanoamericano and from 1855 in San Jerónimo. Today, Carlos Ibañez Mendez, great-great-grandson of Don Luis , maintains the same recipe and the artisanal production process that he conquered from Isabel II to Felipe VI.
If nougat is one of those things you miss about Spain now that you don't live here calm down too you can place your order online . Amelia will be on the other side.
Cadiz bread at Casa Mira (Madrid)
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Jijona nougat from Casa Mira