Learning to Pour Cider the Traditional Way in Asturias, Spain

Before visiting Asturias, I knew they were obsessed with ciders. But I didn’t know they were this obsessed: the Asturians alone consume over 79,500 litres of cider each year and in Asturias’s biggest city, Gijon, there are well over 1,300 cider bars.

I also knew that the Asturians had a peculiar (and rather fun) way of pouring cider from a great height to allow the cider to breathe. But the one thing that I’d last expected was that I would be taking on cider-pouring – which, of course, turned out to be a rather amusing sight for my fellow travel mates. Each time I stretched my right arm up to aim the cider at my glass, the sweet liquid would sprinkle all over the floor, and my feet. The end result: a sticky mess all over the tavern’s floor and an amused crowd.

Here are some pictures of my experience with cider in Asturias, Northern Spain – from learning to pour cider to matching ciders with different foods to experiencing typical Asturian sidrerias (cider houses). Hope you enjoy the sweetness as much as I did.

Pouring cider the traditional Asturian way – arms stretched out and the liquid dropping to the tip of the glass.

Trying my hand at pouring cider and making a mess of it. Photo taken by Emlyn Boecher of Traveldudes.

Feliz de la Fuente, the Champion of the most recent International Cider Pouring Competition, struts his stuff. Over 300 people participated in the competition, with the main aim of pouring cider into 5 glasses in 60 seconds. Felix has spent the last 10 years pouring ciders since the age of 19.

Another technique of pouring cider – straight from the barrel. Photo taken at Tierra Astur, an excellent traditional Asturian restaurant that serves up generous portions of grilled meats, the famous fabadas (soft bean stewed with chorizos) and of course, ciders.

Grilled meats, chorizos and ribs all piled up onto Tierra Astur’s signature platter.

Dining in a barrel at Tierra Astur.

To see more of my photos from Asturias, click on any of the images above or go to my online gallery.

This experience was made possible by Asturias Tourism Board and Turismo.as, but all opinions are my own. Read more about my travels in Asturias here or follow me on Twitter with the #Turismoas hashtag.