When sweets are not a sin: the Sevillian turnstile route
A voice on the other end of the intercom greets with “ The Virgin Mary ” de rigueur a few seconds before the gate of the Monastery of Santa Paula it opens In the sky, the unique belfry of the building stands out, a symbol of this Sevillian neighborhood, Saint Julian's.
To the other side, a charming tree-lined patio receives by way of welcome, while in a small room one of the sisters caters to all those who know the delicacies that the Jerónimas nuns prepare in their workshop . Impossible to leave there without a couple of bags with which to fill the pantry, especially now, a few days before Christmas.
And it is that if there is something that makes the festivities different, special in the Andalusian capital, it is that bite of any of the sweets that are prepared in its cloistered convents. And the list is long: from famous cider dumplings, pasta and sultanas from the Convent of Santa Inés, the Naranjitos from Seville or the Yemas de batata from the Mother of God Convent . Whom Saint Paula , her industrious sisters dedicate, on the dates indicated, mornings and afternoons to shaping and flavoring wonders such as their stone-baked nougat, quince sweets or alfajores.
Next to the store, in a small room, Sister Tiyama - prioress of the convent - and Sister Marta invite me to sit . Between them and me, a wall with a barred window that they rush to open to make the meeting closer. They tell me that things are complicated: with the pandemic, the market that convents organize every year in the Royal Alcazar , a key moment for the sale of their handmade sweets, the only economic resource they have in the monastery. To mitigate the consequences, the Seville Tourist Office has decided to promote this 2020 an original Ruta de los Tornos and thus encourage you to visit them. It is not being like other years, but the thing works.
Santa Paula Monastery
As we speak, someone is heard ringing a cowbell on the other side of the wall: two knocks, one silence, and four more . Personalized codes much more effective than any telephone: it is the way that the sisters communicate in a monastery of these dimensions.
A complex of buildings dating back to 1473 and that, they confess to me, is where the most money goes. “We want to live from our work, we don't want to beg , and with the sale of our sweets, we used to do very well, but this house is huge and the building needs constant renovations.” A topic that gives rise to a long conversation while they accompany me to the convent museum, a heritage treasure that until the arrival of the health crisis also brought them some income. Now, without tourism and with fear, they have the lock on.
That's why they work as hard as they can, and not just at Christmas: the fruit jams of the Santa Paula Convent are well known throughout Seville, and beyond . The bitter orange is made with an English recipe —“the authentic one”, they say—, although they love to invent and try combinations. "Apple mint is very good to accompany meat," says Sister Tiyama. Also there is the one with apple and melon, the one with peppers in syrup, or the one with figs , which is even served in some prestigious restaurants in Seville.
When sweets are not a sin: the Sevillian turnstile route
Between those who come to their lathe to collect their specialties, and the orders that come to them for Christmas corporate gifts, they face the situation with positivism. A general feeling in many other convents that make up the route . Because there is more: many more.
For example, that of Saint Leander , belonging to the Order of the Augustinian Hermits. In it, the great successes come from the hand of its Yemas de San Leandro, elaborated from the century XVI , and of the pestiños of him. In Santa María de Jesús, founded by the Counts of Gelves in 1502 and located in the central Águilas street, the pastry chef of the Poor Clares sisters makes the workshop smells of almonds, cinnamon and sesame seeds . What to take from here? Difficult decision, but before her almond hearts and her donuts, one has no choice but to fall asleep.
Sweets from San Leandro
Closer to the river, there are two other convents: in Santa Ana you have to stop to buy more yolks —there are never too many, that's how it is—; While in the Royal Convent of San Clemente, founded in 1284 at the express wish of Ferdinand III of Castile after the Conquest of Seville , we are left with their famous cuts stuffed with angel hair.
He tells me Sister Carmelina , of Salvadoran origin, from the other side the lathe, that the recipe with which they are made is special and has been passed down from generation to generation among the Cistercian sisters since I don't know when.
Here the sweet is not a sin
Sister Maria Isabel She then displays on the wheel, to my surprise, a whole still life with the rest of her creations: almond paste, the so-called Heart of Santa Gertrudis, tea paste, pine nuts... and kombucha! Because whoever thinks that in a convent they are not up to date, is very wrong. “It is a fermented drink based on green tea that we prepare with two different flavors: one with orange and mint, and the other with blueberries, Jamaica flower and hibiscus.” And where do they get those exotic ingredients? Well, from the internet, of course..
Moroccan biscuits from the conceptionists of Osuna
The route of the lathes is extended, if one wishes, until the limits of the capital have been crossed. Because also in the towns of the province the workers of the convents work 100% during these days. From Santa Clara de Carmona, to San Andrés de Marchena; from the Convent of the Incarnation of Osuna, to that of the Immaculate Conception of Lebrija . The list is as extensive as our desire to celebrate.
Because the point is, after all, to sweeten our lives: cheer us up for christmas . Make sure the rhythm doesn't stop; that the ovens do not turn off. Everything has been said: it is time to “sin”.
The route of the lathes is extended, if one wants, until the limits of the capital have been crossed