SPANISH X-MAS TRADITION

the third advent sunday is nearly over, and the christmas feeling won`t really come, sunny days, not a single cloud to see anywhere, we need some precipitacion, Sierra Nevada need some snow, but anyway there will be christmas.

If you are in Spain at X-mas time, may be you have wondered why all local buissnesses, hairdressers, insurancecompanies, shops, offices, has a big plate of spanish christmas sweets and bottle of Anis on a try normally just inside the door, it`s to offer you and other customers a shoot of Anis, it can be at ten a.m., and some typical spanish christmas sweets.

 The X-mas charols are quite different from the ones we are used to listen to, they can even be quite flamenco inspired. And the bottle of Anis, when empty, used as an music instrument dragging a pen up and down through  the frilles in the bottle. A tambourine and the zambomba is also used for cristmas party music.

Take a listen to this "Villancico"

                                 No traducction for Zambomba anywhere, but here you can see it.

I had give this a Norwegian touch.

Spanish christmas sweets.

Back from the left : Alfajor,Polvoron,Mantecado.
Middle from the left :Turron  Jijona, Turron Alicante and Chocolate turron
   In front: bisquit almond filled with Jijona turron  .

Since the 15th century most people in Jijona (north to Alicante) has their way of living making the turron, the most popular x-mas treat in Spain, in the origen there was not so many tasts and flowers as today, but also here the times change, the turron is a kind of nougat , confected of honey, sugar, egg white and tosted almonds or other nuts, and formed to a rectangular tablet or a round cake. Jijona (Xixona) has a Museum about theTurron .

The Mantecados origen is from Antequera (north of Malaga) and Estepa (east of Seville), while there was an exedent of pork grease and cereals in the 18th century , they made a kind of  soft homemade cake of this, but the change came in the 19th century when Mrs. Filomena from Estepa made them dryer and more easy to conserve, she one day made a lot and sent them with her  husband, working as a transporter, to sell them in the different markets he went by. The popularity became grand, and in year 1889 there  where 15 households, converted in small fabrics, opening distant markets.
Today Estepa smells of cinnamon, 23 fabrics produce around 18 tonns of Mantecados, or their
similar,Alfajores,Polvorones, Hojaldrinas and Roscos de Vino.
Since we go to Norway for Christmas, I must confess that I haven`t done any this year, but I will try to get some together tomorrow so you can have the recipe and see how they are done.

Not much Spanish people make their own christmas cakes, and you buy them  like this, individually packed.

The candles burn at home every day.

Our  christmas tree.

Have a nice start on the last week before---------------------------------
Did you buy all X-mas gifts?
Well I did, may be I start to see what I will put in my suit case, all must be for below 0 temperature.

Night Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!