In Navelgas is Casa Vicentón
Asturias has always been synonymous with good product and of one tasty traditional cuisine , of rations generous and a recipe book appetizing and deeply rooted in the territory. But beyond the Fabada , which is found everywhere, we tend to talk more about its seafood cuisine -excellent, on the other hand-: sea urchins, bonito, pedreru octopus, beans with clams or Eo oysters.
This often makes us forget that, just a stone's throw from that most popular and best-connected coastline, there is an interior worth getting lost in. We speak of steep valleys, infinite forests and towns that have managed to preserve, in addition to all their character, a own gastronomy that must be discovered by winding along the mountain roads, stopping at inns, eating houses and bakeries and letting yourself be carried away by instinct.
Part of that interior, sparsely populated and less visited, is the southwestern Mountain, one of the last refuges grizzly , the paradise of hikers and nature photographers , but also the place that hides some of the best assets of traditional Asturian cuisine. And this is our selection:
In La Nueva Allandesa they serve a magnificent pot
ROOMS
Coming to this area from Oviedo , a good first stop before starting to gain altitude could be Salas. And for me it is for three fundamental reasons: the castle tower -today part of the small local museum-. with the pretty valley views from its upper terrace (the climb is not suitable for those who suffer from vertigo or claustrophobia); the spectacular Renaissance tomb of Don Fernando de Valdés-Sala s, in the Collegiate Church, and the Teacher's sweeties. The latter deserve an explanation.
Tradition has it that, in 1918, a café opened its doors, Professor's House, where in the afternoon they served some hazelnut paste along with the drink. One of the many Indians in the area, emigrants who returned to Asturias after having made their fortune in America, used to order this pasta from Falin , the owner, with a Cuban expression: “Serve me one of those fucks”, which soon caused the neighbors to start calling these pastas as damn or damn
At present, they continue to be made in an artisanal way and can be obtained in the confectionery Teacher's Sweeties or in Jose's Store , both in the central Avenida de Galicia. and they are really addictive . You always find the time to take one more.
The tower of the castle of Salas
TINEO
Tineo has earned the fame of western mountain food capital thanks to your Choco , a meat and pork tongue sausage, and its eating houses: although it is not a big town, it is not easy to decide on a restaurant. But, since we have to start with someone, let's start with House Lula , one of the classics.
Its cooks belong to the Guisanderas Club of Asturias , which is always a guarantee of quality, and in this well-known restaurant a couple of kilometers from the center they prepare traditional dishes such as beans with pig trotters , meat stews or baked kid.
Leaving Tineo in the direction of Pola , in the village of The risk , this Meson Efrén , another one of those simple places with traditional cuisine and contained prices where there is no shortage excellent steaks , the governed meat and some good tripe with chickpeas.
Before you go, be sure to visit Manin Bakery , next to the town hall, and try their traditional breads and their empanadas . And if you want to live an unusual experience, come to the town of Obona , enter the bar that is to the right of the road arriving at the detour to the monastery (there are only two in the town). There, where the atmosphere was frozen at least 60 years, ask for the monastery keys , which is about 300 meters downhill, and enjoys a solitary visit to the ruins which some know as The Escorial of the Mountain.
POLA DE ALLANDE
If you had to choose just one restaurant from these regions, ** La Nueva Allandesa ** would be the perfect candidate. And not because others do not make enough merits, but because its location in the main town of the area and its extensive letter , superbly prepared, make it the perfect place for a first foray into the area's recipes.
His pot has won the award for Best Asturian Pot , its stuffed cabbage is famous throughout Asturias and its tasting menu (The last time I asked it included pot, fabada, stuffed cabbage, frixuelos and hazelnut cake) , it has an unbeatable price.
SAILING
Halfway between Pola de Allande and Luarca is Navelgas and there, in the center, Vicenton House , one of those unassuming eating houses where everything is as it should be . Good stews and, in season, days dedicated to cooking mushrooms.
GRANDAS OF SALIME
Grandas is the gateway to Asturias from the interior of Galicia. Here it is worth knowing the breads of Casariego Bakery and stop for a drink on the terrace of the small hotel The Grands. The views of those tables, hanging almost over the reservoir, are priceless.
Tables with views in Las Grandas
CANGAS DEL NARCEA
In the center of town, the brothers Quique and Pepe Ron offer an updated vision of the cuisine of these mountains that has led them to be runners-up in the Valladolid National Skewers Contest in 2017, and which combines specialties such as cod with its tripe and onions, hare royal with foie gras and truffle or marinated sardines with escalivada with classics such as its famous Chosco croquettes.
**WHITE RESTAURANT (CANGAS DEL NARCEA) **
If you dare to leave Asturias leaving Cangas along the Villablino road, it might not be a bad plan to make a last stop in parakeet house , a small hotel in the village of Rule, famous for its huge cachopo (35 centimeters) and for its pot of collard greens.
And if this hasn't convinced you that the western mountain is one of the gastronomic havens of Asturias and that each village can hide a surprise in the form of a restaurant, bakery or confectionery, I can only encourage you to get in the car and try your luck, because you will surely return home wanting to repeat.