La no pequeña ventana que España mantiene abierta en Hudson Yards sigue reproduciendo nuestras fiestas y nuestra gastronomía. Quienes se acerquen estos días a Mercado Little Spain, situado en ese barrio neoyorquino, podrán contemplar por video las Fallas de Valencia mientras comen una paella o meriendan horchata con fartons. La ciudad del Turia estará un poco más cerca de aquellas tierras gracias de nuevo a José Andrés, Ferran Adrià y Albert Adrià. Una bonita historia, la que nos cuentas desde el otro lado del charco, que explica (¿mito o realidad?) por qué la horchata se llama así.
The Fallas de Valencia is a traditional fire festival (no, not that kind) celebrated in the southeastern Spanish city of Valencia to welcome the coming of spring. Throughout the festival there are citywide pyrotechnic displays: the daily mascletà is a loud, explosive barrage of coordinated firecrackers, and on the final epic night, during la cremà, the fallas themselves – giant wood and papier-mâché sculptures – are burnt in massive bonfires.
We’re celebrating this festival at Mercado Little Spain with specials like traditional paella valenciana, as well as the typical merienda (snack) for Fallas, fartons con horchata, a sweet pastry that you dip into sweet, spiced horchata. And we’ll have videos of the Fallas playing at Spanish Diner to transport you to the firework-filled Valencian streets. Plus … stay tuned for a chance to win a trip to Valencia! Follow us on Instagram to learn more during the Fallas festival.
Horchata de Chufa, one of Spain’s most famous drinks, is originally from Valencia. Made from ground chufa nuts (‘tigernuts’ in English), it’s sweet and refreshing with a touch of lemon and cinnamon. There’s a great – if likely apocryphal – story about where the name comes from: a young Valencian girl offered Jaume I, the 13th century King of Aragon, a white sweet drink during a visit to her region. The king loved it and asked the young girl in Catalan «¿Qué es això?» («What is this?») She answered, «Es llet de xufa» («It is chufa milk»), to which the King replied, «¡Això no es llet, això és or, xata!» («This is not milk; this is gold, my dear!») and that’s – supposedly – why it’s called Horchata. You can try our housemade horchata at the Pasteles kiosk, or you can buy our favorite brand on our online shop – and taste gold for yourself! Learn more about chufa nuts (they’re not actually nuts, for one!) and horchata on El Blog.