Medieval Festival in Sabiote

On a recent Saturday I had the opportunity to visit a nearby pueblo for their first annual Medieval Festival. This town has a population around 4,500 but there was much beyond that amount of people in the streets that Saturday.

There is a castle on the hill and it contributed to the medieval feel. All the people of the town were dressed up in costumes, the streets were filled with hay, and there were plenty of different activities and things to try in the market.

We made perfect time to catch the end of the sunset. I went with a friend, her husband, and her two young adorable sons. The thoroughly enjoyed exploring the castle too.

They have been working on renovations for some time now but until recently the castle was not open for visitors. 

 The views from the top were phenomenal.

From here you can see the streets and squares filled with people. I was told that in towns like this the children can be found playing in the streets all day in the summer since there is no traffic and it is very safe. Safety is one thing that I really enjoy here in Spain. I feel very comfortable where I live and I really appreciate and enjoy this.

From the other side you could also see some of the seventy million olive trees in the province of Jaen. Now the flowers are blooming and there are some crazy allergies.

 We also visited the horses in their stables below the castle where they keep cool.

I loved the market the most. There were also some exotic crazy bugs!! They were soooo cool to look at, although I did not want to hold them. Also, there were some other owls and birds but of course the food was my favorite. There were plenty artisan products. It was a successful day excursion.

Food is Culture

I have been blessed with some real great friends here in Spain. I have been taken under the wings of a wonderful family, whom I spend a lot of time with every week. Their family has a small piece of land with olive trees and a barbecue. Here the large extended family spends HOURS upon hours talking and eating.  

I am absolutely loving this eighty degree weather!

We started off with many tapas of course... including some grilled prawns. These ones weren't too big but another day we grilled some large sweet ones.

It is so funny the priorities but there is no bathroom or anything on this land but there is a small shack like building with a refrigerator and area to set up to eat. 

You cannot really tell the true size of this rice dish, but it is huge. Before we added the rice we had to cut and prepare the vegetables and rabbit.

My niña María setting up the table!

At the beginning the asked me if I wanted a plate or to eat from the pan. I looked confused and they decided I must eat from the pan. Here is the before picture.

This is them eating towards my part. I guess I am not practiced because I was a slow eater and could not finish. No worries the boys cleaned up nicely!

Now you can see a better comparison of the size of this pan. Tomorrow I am going shopping to buy one of my own, the largest size possible for my suitcase. That means Dad, Aunt Patti, and Grandma Phyllis if you are reading this... plan on having some true Spanish rice dishes soon!

Also, my friend is quite the cook herself and she has been teaching me different typical dishes so I can practice. Above are galletas fritas. These cookies are sandwiched with pudding and then fried in olive oil and covered in cinnamon and sugar... healthy I know, but delicious!

I tried to make my first homemade olive oil mayonnaise but it proved to be quite the task. I must continue to practice. If you know me a bit you should know I HATE mayonnaise and think it is like slathering fat onto a sandwich but this Spanish stuff is the real deal! Above is ensaladilla rusa and I think Mom and Dad will really enjoy this take on a potato salad.

Lastly, I have been eating a lot of snails lately since it is Spring and I am trying to up my iron levels. They have little sad faces on them, no joke, but they are tasty. This is not what this picture is but rather pig´s face. This is the before picture. In the end it is really crispy and dark and reminds me of pork rinds. The ear tips are the best. I had a couple of pieces of course. I stick to a strict you must try everything at least twice rule... it shall get interesting when I start traveling to places like Thailand. Hope you enjoyed my bit of food culture here in Andalucía, Spain. Oh and tomorrow is European Union day. Not only can I name all the 27 countries in the Union in English and Spanish but I can locate them on a map... the things you learn as an elementary school teacher :)