The Legendary Suckling Pig of Segovia

Two nights at one of Spain's culinary capitals, and we ended up sampling Segovia's celebrated Cochinillos -- i.e. Roasted Suckling Pigs -- at three different restaurants.

For those who would be queasy about seeing a whole slaughtered piglet -- or a quartered piglet served on a plate -- you should return to the previous post now. But for adventurous foodies planning a visit to Madrid and vicinity, you would be missing an amazing gastronomic experience if you skip Segovia.

And that's why we had suckling pigs three times, in different forms.

RESTAURANTE EL SITIO (Segovia)
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Dozens of competing restaurants all claiming to serve the best Cochinillos in Segovia, and this restaurant was our choice. And honestly, if we ever revisit Segovia we would be back in a heartbeat.

Diners entering El Sitio would first pass through a typical tapas bar downstairs occupied by a raucous local clientele, watching La Liga matches on TV and munching on your standard deep-fried croquetas and pinchos de tortillas while downing endless cañas of beer. But that's not what we're here for -- we headed straight upstairs to a fancier restaurant with limited seats.



And now, my best advice for any reader planning to visit this restaurant.

ASK FOR THE MENÚ.

No, I don't mean the menu book. In Spain, MENÚ typically refers to what might be called "set menu" or "prix fixe," a multi-course meal typically including bread and alcoholic drinks for a discounted price. Most restaurants in Segovia offer the famous Cochinillo within such meals and El Sitio is no exception ... well ...



... except the waiters didn't automatically provide that Menú sheet, especially to non-Spanish-speaking clients! I had to specifically summon our waiter and ask for it, at which point he produced his sheepish grin and showed us their Menú Tipico Segoviano.

How much of a difference in price are we talking? We're talking a full feast of local Segovian favorite from the pictured Judiones de la Granja to the legendary Suckling Pig to the locally celebrated dessert of Ponche Segoviano, plus bread charge, a glass of local red or white, and including tax, for just a few euros more than ordering the main dish of Suckling Pig on its own. The waiters must be getting a cut on the nightly profit, otherwise why would they hide this excellent deal from clueless non-Spanish tourists?



Appetizers such as the pictured Sopa Castellana offered a window into the philosophy behind traditional Segovian cuisine -- starchy with a heavy dose of protein and fat for those cold wintery nights on the windswept Castilian plains. As if the chunks of Jamon Serrano and croutons weren't filling enough, the locals also throw in a poached egg for an 18th century version of a protein shake.



Behold the gastronomic miracle known as Cochinillo of Segovia.

I love suckling pigs in a multitude of culinary traditions -- Cantonese, Spanish or Filipino -- which all seem to converge at contrasting that melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of the flesh versus the thunderous crunchiness of the skin. Whenever I stopover in Hong Kong I always try to get my fix for Cantonese Yue Jue, and this time in Spain ... well you get the idea.

The Segovian version sounds deceivingly simple yet extremely tricky. Brine a suckling pig in salt water before air-drying overnight and roasting it in a specially designed oven. While the meat stays soft and astoundingly juicy -- more so than the Cantonese or Filipino version -- the fat melts away to reveal an amazingly thin and brittle crackling that some restaurants show off by cutting the suckling pig with a ceramic plate. When my wife showed the above picture to her coworkers, one even asked if the piglet was covered in pastry ... that's how incredibly crispy the skin turned out.

Once again, for any readers planning on visiting Madrid, do your tastebuds a favor and don't miss this gastronomic experience.



As if the suckling pig wasn't filling enough, we were also served an elaborate local dessert known as Ponche Segoviano. Despite the name it is not a punch, but a sweet multi-layered cake soaked in light syrup, filled with custard cream, topped with a coat of marzipan and typically decorated with a lattice of burnt sugar. The drenching of white and dark chocolate on the plate here was hardly necessary as the cake itself was sweet enough.



As we finished our rice pudding our neighboring table of four English speakers received their bill in the range of 230 euros if I wans't mistaken -- for the same range of dishes and a few glasses of wine, but ordered a la carte. We asked for ours, and it worked out to exactly 25.3 euros per person, taxes included. While the suckling pig was well worth the money, I must advise readers again to not let sneaky waiters get in the way of a better deal. Ask for the Menú.

Bill for Two Persons

Menú Tipico Segoviano x 2	50.6 Euros
TOTAL	50.6 Euros (CAD$75.9)

That was our first dinner of Cochinillo upon arriving at Segovia, and it turned out so addictive that we decided for an encore the next afternoon, but in a lighter meal.


RESTAURANTE LAZARO (Segovia)
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Just 30m down the block from El Sitio, Lazaro Restaurante is another local establishment specializing on the art of the suckling pig as announced by its window display of air-dried specimens in the pre-roasting stage. But our main reason for selecting this place was its offering of a Racion of Cochinillo, just what we needed without getting overstuffed, for 16 euros.



The Menu del Dia presented yet another local specialty of Trucha Segoviana, the Segovian pan-fried trout with a sauce of diced Jamon Serrano and mushrooms. Main, dessert and beer of 15 euros was a reasonable price in a tourist-oriented town.



But it was the Cochinillo that we really came for.

The previous night both of us received the front quarter of the a younger suckling pig as evidenced by the paper-thin skin. Here we're presented with the mid-section of a slightly larger piglet, possibly re-broiled and divided into six portions with the baby back ribs earmarked for our 16 euros deal. It was time to test the crispiness of the skin with a fork.



The way it crunched was markedly different, but equally enjoyable.

If the previous night's pork crackling exhibited the brittleness of a fine pastry, this was a harder, roaring crunch akin to kettle-fried potato chips, almost comparable to the skin of a Filipino or a Cantonese suckling pig. While I personally preferred El Sitio's version, my wife thoroughly enjoyed both and declared no winner between the two.



Once more we had Ponche Segoviano for dessert, still overly sweet for my tastebuds and not quite as exquisitely presented as previous night. But that's okay. The wonderful crackling of our Cochinillo had already made our day.

Bill for Two Persons

Racion de Cochinillo Asado	16 Euros
Menu del Dia	15 Euros
Cerveza	2.5 Euros
TOTAL	33.5 Euros (CAD$50.3)

For our last dinner in town we opted for a lighter meal in the form of tapas, as we had been introduced to a locally-renowned taperia that featured at national tapas competitions on an annual basis. We did not purposely look for the Cochinillo -- it just somehow ended on our plate.


TABERNA DEL FOGON SEFARDI (Segovia)
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Hidden in a narrow alley in the medieval Jewish Quarter just east of Segovia's Cathedral, Fogon Sefardi is best known for its award-winning taperia that perennially represents Segovia in national tapas competitions, featuring recipes inspired by the culinary traditions of Segovia's Sephardic Jews.

Note that we're reviewing the tapas bar downstairs, not the fancy restaurant upstairs with wait staff, white tables cloth and an upmarket set of menus such as Cochinillos in a traditional sense. Why would a Jewish-inspired restaurant be serving Suckling Pigs I have no idea, but I'm certainly no expert on what's Kosher and we weren't going to ask.



As usual we started our tapas night with a couple caña of beer, which came with a couple of generously-sized croquetas with a minced meat filling. The small menu was full of award-winning tapas from various years dating back to their first national tapas competition in 2007.

With my dreadful Spanish I started picking from the list, only to be stopped by our cordial but stern waiter after the fourth tapa -- that's enough for two people to share, and he wasn't going to see his taperia's proud creations go to waste.



We started with their award-winning tapa from 2007, Milhojas de Berenjena con Cordero al Curry, layers of deep-fried eggplants smothered with a mild curry of minced lamb. This was an amazing tapa with complexity and texture for merely 3.75 euros. You absolute can't get a deal this good in Madrid!



Slightly more upscale was their winning tapa from 2010, Lomo de Bacalao Superior con Crema de Ribeiro Gratinada, which contained a cod loin baked au gratin, served in a scallop shell with the humorous touch of a pair of walking sticks to commemorate the Holy Year of St. James when tens of thousands of pilgrims traveled through Segovia en route to Santiago de Compostela. I was accustomed to paying upwards of 10 euros for bacalao for main dishes elsewhere in Spain, and this was about half the price for a sizeable tapa at very respectable quality.



Moving onto Year 2011, Flor de Patata bajo Pecho de Ternera al estilo Argentino con Salsa de Achicoria y Sherry. This was a thin slice of veal breast served in a Sherry glaze atop a bed of mashed potatoes, probably my least favorite among tonight's creative tapas due to the relatively lower level of complexity.



Last but not least, Segovia's famous Cochinillo would make its appearance once again, only in a hardly recognizable form as part of Fogon Sefardi's winning tapa from 2012, also our most expensive tapa of the night for a cheap 6 euros. Here the suckling pig was preserved in confit form and served atop creamed vegetables with the acidity of a citrus sauce to balance the fattiness of the confit. No wonder this little taperia is winning competitions year after year.

Our stern-faced waiter was right -- four tapas were filling enough for the two of us. Our final bill for a gratifying dinner came to slightly over 20 euros for two, certainly the best deal for tapas over our 16 days in Spain, especially considering the remarkable creativity and quality of raw ingredients.

Bill for Two Persons

Tapa 2007	3.75 Euros
Tapa 2010	5.20 Euros
Tapa 2011	4.10 Euros
Tapa 2012	5.95 Euros
Cañas de Cerveza x 2	3.40 Euros
TOTAL	22.4 Euros (CAD$33.6)

Those were our three meals featuring suckling pigs in one way or another, traditional and contemporary. There was one more eatery that gave us fond memories, one that should not be a surprise to any Segovian.


CONFITERIA EL ALCAZAR (Segovia)
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Situated in the shadow of the Cathedral is the most prestigious confectionery in Segovia, a 90-year-old institution reputed to have invented the Ponche Segoviano at the behest of King Alfonso back in the 1920s. Except I'm not a huge fan of the heavier Ponche Segoviano especially in the aftermath of a glut of suckling pigs. I'm recommending something that they're not quite as famous for.



If you're overstuffed like me and are craving something less rich for dessert, consider this feather-light and crunchy Rosquilla, still handmade with the same love and attention that they put into their Ponche, but much more manageable after the calorific feast that most visitors to Segovia can't resist.

Bill for Two Persons

Rosquilla	1.5 Euros
TOTAL	1.5 Euros (CAD$2.3)

Segovia is 30 minutes from Madrid by high speed AVE trains or 90 minutes by highway bus. More highlights of Segovia can be found in the previous post.

Segovia - My Favorite Spanish Town

When coworkers asked about my favorite destination on our 16-day journey across Spain, I had to pause and reflect on the 13 cities we visited.

Barcelona and its glut of Gaudi architecture? Or Madrid and its lively tapas scene? What about Santiago de Compostela and its sacred splendor?

To everyone's surprise, it was charming little Segovia that won my vote.



I then had to explain to my coworkers the allure of Segovia, apparently not yet a household name outside Spain despite its domestic fame for an unparalleled combination of fascinating 2000-year-old heritage, romantic architecture and one of Spain's best-loved gastronomic inventions.



Few cities in the world can boast an ancient monument of such magnificence and scale -- in this case one of the best-preserved Roman aqueducts anywhere -- at the heart of its urban core, towering above a major townsquare and flanked by centuries-old neighborhoods.



And that's just the start of Segovia's impressive list of attractions that includes one of Spain's most beautiful Gothic cathedrals as well as a Disney-esque castle with pointed turrets and surrounded by a moat. Combined with its collection of medieval churches and remnants of a once-thriving Jewish quarter, the entire historic town is declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.



Part of Segovia's attractiveness lies with its ease of transportation -- 30 minutes by high speed trains that drop off a few kilometres away and requiring another hop on a local bus or taxi, or less than 2 hours by highway buses that stop right next to the old town. We opted for the cheap (8 euros) highway bus which delivered us within 5 minutes' walk from our hotel.



We booked two nights in a cozy vaulted room in an 18th century building within the World Heritage zone, entirely unaware until arrival that the Roman aqueduct was right outside our window, merely 30m away in fact! More importantly our room was within walking distance from the bus station as well as major sights and restaurants, and we never needed a taxi apart from a side trip to Iglesia de la Vera Cruz.



The first night upon arrival we climbed up to Postigo del Consuelo for an up-close view of the giant granite blocks that the Roman engineers used for the aqueduct -- no mortar whatsoever, just conventional, robust structural engineering. While tourists are understandably awestruck by the soaring structure, this exposed segment is only a small portion of a 15 km long conduit that supplied the city with drinking water until the 1800s.



Walking toward the town centre we encountered the old Iglesia de San Martin, one of the city's many Romanesque churches dating from eight centuries back when the Castilians retook the city from the Moorish dynasties.



West of the cathedral we briefly entered the grounds of the fancifully illuminated citadel of Alcazar ... until we were promptly chased off by the security staff at 21:30. Just outside the castle was a perfect yet nameless view point that allowed visitors to appreciate Segovia as a medieval walled town.



This vista of Segovia's old town stopped me in the middle of my breakfast run the next morning. This photo was taken right next to the 12th century church of San Millan, which was under heavy restoration at the time and was not open to visits.



The historic Plaza Mayor -- sizeable for a now-smallish city of 50,000 -- never seemed to get overrun despite daily onslaughts from multi-national tour groups arriving mostly from nearby Madrid. This was where the legendary Queen Isabella -- best known as the monarch who funded Columbus' expedition to discover the New World -- was crowned right here more than five centuries ago.



The crown jewel on Plaza Mayor was of course the immense Cathedral of Segovia, in fact the last Gothic cathedral to be built in Spain and arguably the most elegant in style. The solemnity among worshippers in the dozen or so chapels show how the cathedral has remained primarily a place of devotion and reflection rather than a tourist attraction.



Intricate works of woodcarving can be observed in the impressive gothic choir. Visitors have the option of climbing the 90m tall belfry for a bird's eye view of the city's surroundings, though we opted for a different tower that would offer the panorama back towards the cathedral ...



... the whimsical keep of the Alcazar, Segovia's restored 800-year-old castle and a favored royal residence for kings of Castile. Little of interest remain from the original Romanesque and Gothic keep after a devastating fire and subsequent rebuild in the 1800s, but the real attraction awaits at the very top.



This was our reward for a short climb to the top of the Alcazar, a near 360-degree panorama of Segovia and its World Heritage medieval town, crowned with the graceful Cathedral at its heart.



A northerly view presented the deserted medieval church of Vera Cruz, dodecagonal in shape, archaic-looking against a backdrop of the Castilian plains and infinitely fascinating. This was the moment when I realized that this would make a great mini-hike in the late afternoon.



So we waited until 18:30 when the fierce Spanish sun started to set before taking a quick taxi to Iglesia de la Vera Cruz. Our friendly driver was visibly puzzled when I paid for the cab fare and explained in body language that we intended to hike back to town. I don't think he understood that this short hike of about 1km would offer some of the most iconic sceneries of Segovia.



The church itself was closed, but that didn't stop us from admiring the windswept exterior of this medieval gem built by the Knights Templar back in the 1200s. Modelled after the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, this storied building was supposed to have possessed a piece of Jesus' cross.



In 250m we reached Iglesia de San Marcos and the adjacent grassy lawn used by Segovia's dog owners as an off-leash area. As most photographers know, this is the unlikely locale for that classic postcard view of Segovia's fairytale castle. Watch for dog poop though.



Our hike would zigzag up toward the mighty town walls above the 16th century Royal Mint and the Monastery of Santa Maria del Parral, still occupied by the cloistered monks of Saint Jerome to this date. Further north was the town of Zamarramala and the seemingly endless grasslands in the direction of Valladolid.



By 19:30 we returned to the centre of Segovia where her Cathedral basked in the warm tones of the approaching sunset. The day-trippers were gone, the neighbours came out for their pre-supper strolls and socialization, and we already had our appetites worked up for one more take on the city's famed culinary contribution -- the Cochinillos, or Roasted Suckling Pigs, of Segovia.



So where are the reviews and photos of the Suckling Pigs you ask? The photos are still getting sorted out, but they will come with the next post, I promise.

World Heritage Day-Trips from Madrid - #3: Aranjuez

One final day-trip from Madrid before moving our homebase to the medieval town of Segovia, and we visited one of Spain's most picturesque imperial residences at the small town of Aranjuez, home to a stately summer palace with vast riverside gardens and a magnificent hunting lodge from the early 1800s.



Like our previous day-trip destinations of El Escorial and Alcala de Henares, Aranjuez's stately landscape of formal gardens and tree-lined boulevards is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in fact one of five in the vicinity of Madrid if you also count Segovia and Toledo. It was the effortless accessibility to so many worthy destinations -- plus great tapas bars of course -- that made Madrid one of my favorite European cities.



A quick 45 minutes from Madrid Atocha on the Cercanias commuter train, sleepy Aranjuez is a deceivingly spread-out town with royal estates and gardens extending along a sinuous stretch of the Tagus, plus historical housing for aristocrats and knights scattered all over town. Upon arrival at Aranjuez Station we started our day with a cheap taxi ride to our farthest sight, Casa del Labrador, before covering the 4km distance back to the station on foot.



Tragically ignored by the vast majority of Madrid's tourists, Casa del Labrador is among the most obscure of Spain's royal residences, a comparatively petite yet gloriously furnished country house hidden at a far corner of Aranjuez's royal gardens. Visitations are only possible through scheduled tours -- for an incredible price of just 5 euros! -- with very limited spots, and given only in Spanish on most days. Arriving on a weekday we booked ahead for a Spanish language tour that we would not have understood, except that no other visitor showed up ...



Visitors were so few that the two of us formed the entire tour... and so the curator simply switched to English! From panelled walls of luxurious silk brocades to 2000-year-old mosaic floors plucked from ancient Roman villas across the Mediterranean, everything was simply beyond decadent. No photos were allowed, but we vividly remember the mind-blowing workmanship on a centuries-old mechanical clock in which a time-telling gemstone would spiral up a golden column, at one revolution per hour, until reaching the apex at the twelfth hour and slide back down to the bottom. You have to see it to believe it.



After the hour-long private tour we continued west towards arguably the most photographed spot in Aranjuez, the Estanque de los Chinescos featuring a wooded, serene pond adorned with a graceful Chinese-influenced pavilion reminiscent more of the Tholos of Delphi than the Temple of Heaven of Beijing.



Now converted into a public park, Jardin del Principe is lush, vast and thankfully tree-lined as we did our best to stay in shade under the midday sun. Baroque fountains grace major intersections of broad paths originally designed for horse carriages and now exploited mostly by the park's new residents.



Peacocks and Barbary ducks freely roam the grounds, apparently enjoying their new status as modern day royalty and forcing their human subjects to the side of the road. Further towards the river bank are orchards of pomegranates, a stone's throw from the section of Tagus River once utilized exclusively by the royal family for their pleasure cruises.



It took a good 60 minutes to finally reach Jardin del Principe's main entrance at its southwest corner, now within sight of Palacio Real and just north of the town centre and its wide selection of restaurants. We would stop for lunch before heading back to Madrid.



Compared with full-fledged tourist towns such as the popular El Escorial, Aranjuez's offerings for 3-course Menus del Dia turned out astoundingly cheap especially in the vicinity of Mercado de Abastos, the town's traditional covered market. As ubiquitous and boring as Huevos Rotos may be, you would be hard pressed to find a better deal, steps from a major tourist attraction, elsewhere in Madrid.



Huevos Rotos con Jamon or a bowl of chilled Salmorejo for appetizers, the above pictured Iberico Pork Rib or some deep-fried Calamares Frescas for mains, Flan or Natillas for dessert, plus choice of wine or beer, all for an impossible 9.5 euros per head. This was in fact our cheapest 3-course meal in Spain.

Bill for Two Persons

Menu del Dia x 2	19 Euros
TOTAL	19 Euros (CAD$28.5)

Visiting the Palacio Real wasn't in our original plan until I took a stumble while attempting a selfie, and the Palacio's staff were kind enough to take me in so that I could wash my wounds. So I did get an ... ahem ... accidental glimpse of the interior courtyard even though sightseeing was no longer a priority at that point.



This wraps up three easy and memorable day-trips from Madrid, each with its own highlights: the panoramic view of El Escorial from Parque Adolfo Suarez, scrumptious Rosquillas followed by a fantastic lunch at the university town of Alcala de Henares, and the splendor of Casa del Labrador here in Aranjuez. While my eyes preferred Aranjuez and my stomach vouched for Alcala, you really can't go wrong with any of the three.