Velá de Santiago y Santa Ana

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Santa Ana, una gran fiesta a orillas del Guadalquivir.
Esta es la fiesta del barrio de Triana, una de las tradiciones que mejor le identifica. Desde el s. XVII se celebra esta fiesta en honor de la patrona de Triana. Es una fiesta que se vive sobre todo de noche. La Plaza del Altozano se convierte en un escenario donde se realizan cada noche El maravilloso barrio de Triana de Sevilla acoge durante esta semana la Velá de Santiago y actuaciones en directo de canción andaluza y flamenco. A los atractivos característicos de la Velá, como la Cucaña (un concurso donde los jóvenes compiten por llegar al pañuelo que se pone al final de la proa de un barco que previamente ha sido engrasada), o las típicas almendras verdes, se unen además los bares de las calles del barrio, como Pureza, Castilla, Betis o San Jacinto.
La noche del domingo nos trae otro de los momentos más bonitos con la iluminación del cielo mediante un castillo de fuegos artificiales que a las 12 de la noche celebran el día de Santa Ana y pondrán fin a las fiestas de la calle Betis y en el barrio de Triana.
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Triana’s wonderful neighborhood of Seville receives during this week the Velá of Santiago and Holy Ana, a great holiday on the banks of the Guadalquivir.
This is the most famous festivity at the Triana district, situated at the other side of the historical section of the Guadalquivir River (Calle Betis). It has been held since the 17th century in honour to Santa Ana (Saint Anne), the patron saint of the area. You can enjoy this festivity especially in the evenings, from nightfall…Perhaps until dawn! Some special attractions are, for instance, “la Cucaña”, which is a competition in the river. All participants must walk along a boat’s bow covered with grease in order to catch the little flag placed at the very top of it; then you get the prize (usually a wonderful Iberian cured ham), or the stage at Plaza del Altozano where you can enjoy the purest flamenco shows every night. Furthermore, you can taste a number of different specialties of the popular Sevillian gastronomy at the bars and “casetas” placed around the premises, in the streets Pureza, Castilla, Betis, San Jacinto.
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On Sunday night other of the nicest moments with the lighting of the sky by means of a castle of fireworks that at 12 p.m. they celebrate the day of Holy Ana and put the end to the velá de Santa Ana.

This summer a must visit in Seville is the Palace of the Dukes of Alba (el Palacio de las Dueñas)

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“Mi infancia son recuerdos de un patio de Sevilla y un huerto claro donde madura el limonero.”
Antonio Machado
Retrato, 1906
(Campos de Castilla 1912)

Antonio Machado, one of the greatest Spanish poets, was born in the House of Alba (La Casa de Alba) in the lemon courtyard (el Patio del Limonero).

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Seville is a city where you can visit some of the most important palaces from Spain. And for a couple of months you now have the opportunity to visit the most famous Palace of the city: the Palace of the Dukes of Alba (Palacio de las Dueñas), currently belonging to the House of Alba (La Casa de Alba). Dueñas was built in the late 15th century in the Renaissance style with Gothic and Moorish influences.

Dueñas became a national monument, now a Heritage of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural), on June 3, 1931, and is the best example of historical Seville architecture. The Palace is named after the Monastery of Santa Maria de las Dueñas, placed in the adjoining plot and demolished in 1868.

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The House of Alba is a prominent Spanish aristocratic family, dating back to la Corona de Castilla, linked to the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Portugal. Its most prominent member was Duque of Alba III, Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Captain General of the Armies of Flanders and confidant of Carlos V and Felipe II.

After the death of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, her son, the current Duke of Alba, decided to open the Palace’s ground floor and the gardens to the public, reserving the upper floor as a residence. The XVIII Duchess of Alba was a beloved figure in Seville, the city where she spent most of her time.

The entry door is of Mudejar style. The palace was fitted with eleven patios, nine fountains, and over 100 marble columns. At the entrance to the Palace, in the main arch there is the shield of the Duchy of Alba, crafted in Seville tile manufactured in the 17th century. Behind the garden at the entrance you can find a courtyard surrounded by arches with white marble columns and pilasters.

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The arch situated west of the courtyard in the lower galleries gives access to the building that was used as the chapel palace. The main altar of the chapel contains several tiles with metallic reflections, typical of 16th century Seville ceramics.
Another of its main attractions is a large, decorative art collection that contains 1,425 artefacts. There is a large collection of Spanish paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries, but also a significant collection of antique furniture, ceramics, and tapestries.

You can visit the 1900m2 of courtyards, gardens and interiors of Dueñas, whose walls and artwork reflect more than 500 years of Seville history in more or less one hour. More info: here.

CAVIAR AND STURGEON GASTRONOMIC DAYS Los Rincones del Marqués

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“Tendiérosen en el suelo, y, haciendo manteles de las yerbas, pusieron sobre ellas pan, sal, cuchillos, nueces, rajas de queso, huesos mondos de jamón, que si no se dejaban mascar, no defenderían de ser chupados. Pusieron asimismo un manjar negro que dicen que se llama caviar y es hecho de huevos de pescados, gran despertador de la colambre”.
quijote

Chapter LIV (part II)

El Quijote 1615
Miguel de Cervantes

Sturgeon fish roe is called caviar when it’s used to be for human consumption. The sturgeon fish is a specie originating from the rivers and lakes of eastern Europe and central Asia. The high price of its roe, a true delicacy, is due to the rarity or limited availability of sturgeons.
During the Middle Ages, in Russia, consumption of caviar was something for the upper classes who ate caviar as a substitute fot meat on days of abstinence and fasting.
In the nineteenth century, caviar was on one hand a common food among the Russian aristocracy, and on the other hand “food for the poor” in the US. While the czars offered caviar to their most distinguished guests, in the United States, the first caviar producer in the world for its huge catches in the Delaware River, caviar was consumed by the lower classes, because of its low cost.
It was billionaire Charles Ritz, son of César Ritz, who consolidated the caviar consumption among the high society, by including caviar in their favorite dishes prepared by gourmet Chefs of his prestigious hotels.
The caviar and sturgeon we offer during our gastronomic days are born and grown in Riofrio, a town located in the south of Spain. Riofrio is one of the largest sturgeon fish farmers in the world and the first in obtaining an organic certification for sturgeon caviar.
These sturgeons belong to the species Acipenser Naccarii. It takes between 7 and 9 years to distinguish males from females and about 8 more years of growth and maturation are required to be able to extract the caviar.

 

The gastronomic days of caviar and sturgeon at our Los Rincones del Marqués restaurant will be celebrated until the end of July. You can taste the caviar in a very traditional way, such as a selection of amuse­bouche of Russian and Iranian caviar accompanied by Juve Camps Reserve or you can opt for starters, main courses and desserts inspired by the Andalusian cuisine, turned into more daring taste and texture combinations. Some examples are: microbrotes salad with blood orange coated in Ines Rosales cake with caviar. Or sturgeon loins cooked at low temperature with orange blossom water and Alma caviar by Riofrio. And not to forget… Rice pudding sponge cake with rosemary, vanilla oil and russian caviar.
During the entire month of July at Los Rincones del Marqués.
Book your table at +34 954 502 063.

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