Going to "cider house" is a deeply rooted tradition among the people from Gipuzkoa: almost a celebration that allows visitors to take part in a singular experience. The cider season 2010 has already started and it will extend until the month of April. This year we will taste an aromatic cider and with character.
Each cider house has its own character. Some are located near the urban area and others in mountainous zones. Many of them are placed in farmhouses. Each one produces its own cider, in its own way, and with its own characteristics. Therefore, one of the incentives of “going to a cider house” is knowing the peculiarities of each establishment. And, in this sense, there is much to discover. Particularly, near 70 cider bars located in 24 villages and towns, most of them dotting the areas of Astigarraga, Hernani, Usurbil, and Urnieta, villages that are very closed to the capital city, San Sebastián.
In cider house, tradition says that one must eat standing up, although not all establishments follow this custom. In any case, all of them repeat the same ritual when it comes to taste cider. The guest serves directly from the "kupelas" (barrels) on a thin glass and with the necessary lean of the glass, so that cider “sparks”.
The "kupelas" (barrels) are usually placed in rooms near the dining room. That is why one can see a continuous ‘come and go’ of people from the tables to the cider cellar in a very lively atmosphere.
The menu is practically the same in all cider bars. Cod omelette, cod and peppers, T-bone steak, and, cheese, quince, and nuts as dessert.
Come and see.
Ainhoa
