Biar And Its Castle, “Esclatasangs” And Our Trip To The Olive Press Shop
Where on earth has the time gone??? It’s been well over a month since I published my previous post on our September vacation in Xàtiva (here) and it seems like only yesterday that we were on holiday. Although when I think about it, the last couple of months have been very busy and there is always something keeping us occupied. November has been an incredibly rainy month (it’s drizzling as I type) so when the days are dry we tend to be rushing around like mad men (and women😊) trying to get our outside jobs done, mainly harvesting olives.
Unlike last year when we only managed to bottle 27 litres of the delicious gold liquid (post here), this year the olive trees (olivos) are laden with fruit. More fruit, more work. Aside from that we’ve had all sorts of other goings on in our lives, we haven’t found time for outings and the likes.
Fortunately, a couple of Sundays ago we did manage a little trip close by. Pep and I were celebrating (we don’t need much of an excuse) so we thought we’d tootle down to a small town that neither of us had been to.
Biar is situated in the Alto Vinalopó region, approximately a 40 minute drive inland from Alicante. It’s only small (around 3600 people live there), but along with its charming historic quarter it’s also home to a XII century castle which was declared a national monument In 1931. Being so close by (an hour and a quarter drive from Benissa) we had to check it out. Here are a few of my photos of the day along with a spot of info when needed.
We preferred to park outside the old town and walk to the castle, nothing worse than getting stuck down narrow streets 
Plaza de la Constitución, where the church is situated 
The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de La Asunción, built between the XV and XVI century 
Winding our way up to the castle 
A small fee is charged for climbing the castle tower 
Views of Biar from the castle 
Inside the tower. The steps are pretty steep 
No comment! 
Views from the tower 
And again 
Views of Biar from the tower 
And again 
The top of the stairs is enclosed in a modern glass construction. 
Descending the tower 
A friendly little girl that follows her owner on her daily walk to the castle. You know I can’t resist cats 😊 
Wandering through the historic centre 
Christmas is coming 
Like many of the local towns, Biar has a long history. Rather than me rambling on about it (my posts are lengthy enough as it is) you can read up on it here (it’s in English) if you’d like a bit more info. Also the castle’s history here.
We would have stayed for lunch but we had a yearning for Mexican food. Sadly there are no restaurants of this kind in Biar (quite normal) but thankfully there are in La Nucía 😁. An hour later and we were sitting in the crowded eatery.
Our last visit to Restaurante Asador Mejicano (website here) was over 2 years ago, the last time Polop held its Jazz Festival. The festival has been cancelled since then, due to Covid. We no doubt would have returned to the restaurant if the Festival had taken place.
On entering the restaurant you’re greeted with the usual brightly coloured tables and chairs, as well as Mexican hats hanging from every nook and cranny. It’s a bustly place and you will probably walk out smelling of food as I don’t think their extractor fans work too well. But none of that bothers us if the food is decent. Options for vegetarians are few and far between, although I’m sure they’d be happy to remove the meat from some of their dishes.
“Empanadillas” and “Totopos” 
Maize tortillas with prawns, accompanied with “pico de gallo” and a chilli sauce
As usual we had a nice long stroll after lunch, through La Nucía, along the road that joins the town with Polop. I love this walk, contemplating the picturesque village on the hill.
A small park we encountered along the way 
A fantastic old carob tree 
Polop in the distance 
And again 
And again
Well that was our outing. Short but sweet. No doubt we’ll be venturing on another one in the not too distant future.
Back to occurrences closer to home. This time of year (if we’re lucky) we adore foraging for wild mushrooms. Last year it was a bad year for them, the same as the olives. As you no doubt know, wild mushrooms need humidity to grow. It was a very dry autumn and we didn’t find a single, edible mushroom. Pep was not amused. Thankfully this year has more than made up for it. In fact I’m starting to get a bit sick of them 😂.
We are lucky to live in an area where a certain variety we love grows abundantly, if the weather permits of course. “Esclatasang” is a valenciano or catalán word, which literally means “estalla sangre” in Spanish, bursting or exploding blood in English (doesn’t sound very appetising I know). When you cut into them you’ll see why. Our hands turn to a deep red whilst cleaning them.
There are different varieties of this type of mushroom around here but I know them all as “esclatasangs” (which is probably wrong but I don’t care). I do believe that the one we encounter the most is the “lactarius semisangifluus” and possibly the “lactarius sangifluus”, followed by the “lactarius deliciosus” but please don’t quote me on that. All I know is they’re scrumptious!
They’re mostly found where pine trees grow. I’ve always moaned about pine trees. The yellow dust, the needles that get everywhere and the ghastly caterpillars are enough to make me despise them. But if it weren’t for these trees there would be no “esclatasangs” and that would be a catastrophe! Here’s a few photos of some of the wonderful mushrooms we have found this year, along with a bit of info on the subject.
I could tell you where we were but I’d have to kill you if I did 😁 
My first esclatasang this year. 
Just waiting to be picked. Esclatasangs should be cut, not pulled from the earth unlike other wild mushrooms. Supposedly you should place them in baskets, bottom side down, so that the spores can fall back to the earth 
These lot have been cleaned and sorted 
We use some kitchen roll to clean them and a knife to get rid of any unwanted bits. We never use water to clean them. 
A plate of large field mushrooms at the back 
The underside of a field mushroom 
Filling the basket. Looks like Pep’s running over to me, making sure I don’t disappear with them 
Here we go again 
Two different types. The one on the left is the “lactarius deliciosus”, they are more orange in colour. The one on the right is the “lactarius sangifluus (I think!) 
And yet another lot. Baskets from Gata (where else!) 
Pep surprised me one morning with another basketful. He was supposedly going to collect olives but got sidetracked 😁
As I said it’s been a fantastic season for this particular fungi. We’ve been lucky enough to find many a kilo on our trips to the woods. Fortunately they can be frozen, I would probably be ill if we had to eat them all at once 😁.
My favourite way to dine on them is “a la brasa”, on the embers of our wood burning stove. Most nights we will have a plateful to accompany our dinner. All you need is a decent olive oil and a sprinkling of salt to savour this delicacy.
Esclatsangs and field mushrooms ready to be cooked 
Pep’s the chef when it comes to cooking them on the embers 
Being drizzled with this year’s olive oil 
Esclatasangs and two big field mushrooms, cooked on the fire
Another way to use up a couple of hundred grams is a vegan mushroom pate which I’ve adapted from one of the blogs I follow. It’s scrumptious made with “esclatasangs” plus it’s a great way to use up some of the pieces that are too small to go on the fire. Here’s a link to the recipe. It’s super easy, incredibly meaty and very, very tasty.
The recipe calls for 70 grams of mushrooms but I use approximately 200 grams 
I use fresh herbs from the garden as opposed to dried herbs. Tomillo (thyme) on the left, romero (rosemary) in the middle and ajedrea (savory) on the right 
Onions, garlic, mushrooms and herbs are sautéed until tender 
In this one I substituted the walnuts for almonds. I also substitute the beans for chickpeas 
This one was made with walnuts, like the original recipe
One more easy dish that I added a few “esclatasangs” to is the vegan “arroz al horno” (rice cooked in the oven) that I made in this post. I omitted the potatoes and tomatoes, adding instead 3 or 4 of the wild mushrooms chopped into bite sized pieces, and some Heura (vegan protein). It too was rather tasty.
Obviously you have to be careful when foraging for mushrooms as there are some poisonous ones. We certainly wouldn’t pick any we weren’t sure of. There are only three edible varieties that we know of around here but a friend of ours tells us there are lots more. We’ll just stick to what we know.
It appears to be an esclatasang 
But once turned over you can see that it’s not. It could be edible but we won’t risk it 
You’ve heard of the button mushroom. Well here’s the bottom mushroom 😁. Possibly not edible but I can’t say I really want to anyway 😂
Now getting back to the olives. This past month we (especially Pep) have been very busy collecting the abundant harvest. Pep has an “almazara” in Pinos, a room used for making the olive oil. In this room there is a hydraulic press (prensa hidráulica), a small log burner to add just a touch of heat, and various other items that are needed to make the oil.
Last year they didn’t bother to use it, it wasn’t worth getting it all mucky for a few olives (it takes quite a bit of cleaning). Instead they took their harvest to a local “almazara” (almàssera in valenciano) and paid a small amount to have the olives pressed.
This year Pep, along with his two other brothers, have plenty of olives, the use of the press will be worthwhile. Whenever they use the press they need 9 “capazos” full of olives that have been previously cleaned (leaves and branches, etc, removed). Pep alone will have at least enough olives for 5 presses.
“Velas” (sheets) ready to catch the fruit 
Putting the “velas” below that tree wasn’t the easiest of tasks. This tree just started growing here and Pep’s dad grafted it so it would produce olives. Hence why it’s in such a funny spot
When we first started collecting the olives time was against us, as was the weather (this has been the case throughout November). We managed to collect enough for the day he wanted to make the oil. I can’t help him very much that day so I don’t bother going. Half way through the morning I texted him saying that I hoped everything was going smoothly. The reply I got was “of course it isn’t, when does it ever” Whoops!
Half an hour passed and he rang me, saying he had to go to Castellón (Castellón!!!) and did I want to go with him. Of course, says I, what else have I got to do?!?! Still, its a 2 hour drive each way and I thought he could do with the company.
He explained what had happened once we were on our way. Part of the hydraulic press wasn’t working. It seemed like it was when you turned it on but it wasn’t actually pressing. He rang a couple of people that he knew who also have a press but nobody could help him. Eventually he rang the man who designs and makes the presses (where it was bought originally), explaining what had happened. He could help him but we’d have to take the part to his shop (website here) if we wanted it sorting quickly.
Time was of the essence. The olives were already in the press, waiting to be turned into beautiful oil. Two hours later we were having lunch in Castellón, waiting for the shop to open at 4. Thankfully the owner was punctual, Pep carried the part into the back of the shop (struggling with the weight of it) so the man could fix it.
Whilst this was happening I had a gander around the premises. Wow!! What an amazing place. All sorts of different size olive presses filled the showroom, along with huge drums to store oil and wine, contraptions to make “orujo” and essential oils, machines for making oil from seeds and many other inventions. It was fascinating.
It was actually the beginning of November when we went, not October like his calendar states 😁 
The contraption (“garbell” in valenciano, “criba” in castellano) for separating the olives from the debris 
Daddy press, mummy press and baby press (sorry 😬) 
The “garbell” again
I wandered over to where the man was repairing the part. Just to the left I noticed a machine with a small amount of cracked almonds beneath it. I grabbed Pep’s arm and whispered “is that what I think it is”? The owner heard me and said “that machine is the difference between eating almonds and not eating them”! I knew it!! A machine for cracking almonds that would improve my life immensely!! We decided to buy it, it was our present to each other for Christmas. And also our next birthdays, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, our saint’s days and next Christmas!!
Pep and I have always used an apparatus we bought online a few years back to shell the almonds. One of us cracks the nuts (usually Pep) while the other one shells them. It takes quite a long time and we only manage to use it when the both of us are free for a couple of hours. Not very often. Now I can do it all by myself if necessary. This is what the man meant by saying that the machine is the difference between eating almonds and not eating them 😊. It’s perfect seeing as Xmas is on its way and I shall be making a few bars of turrón soon. By the way, if you’d like to see my recipe for “turrón a la piedra” you can do so in this post. It’s vegan, gluten free, very easy and soooo moreish.
I digress, back to the olives. With the repair all sorted we embarked on the two hour journey back to Benissa. Pep dropped me off at home at 7:30pm and zoomed up to Pinos to continue making the olive oil. First he had to clean the repaired part with petrol to get rid of all the muck that had accumulated over the years. When it was clean and fitted into place the pressing recommenced.
He arrived home at 11:30pm, absolutely shattered. Is it worth it you might ask? All that hassle and work just for olive oil. I can assure you it is. Knowing your olives come from trees that were planted many, many years ago by your ancestors is incomparable. Trees that haven’t been sprayed with pesticides, etc, nor has the land on which they grow. And to buy oil of this quality that is ecological would cost you an arm and a leg. We’d be skint by now, the amount we get through!
Thankfully the second pressing (if that’s a word, I’m really not sure) went according to plan, hopefully that’s how it will stay from now on. By the first or second week of December the work should be over with until next year.
Well I think that more or less sums up the past couple of months in our little lives. I hope you found it of interest 😁. Thanks for reading. I shall be back soon no doubt with more tales and adventures. Life is certainly never boring! If you’d like to subscribe to this blog that would be great, you’ll receive an e-mail every time I publish a new post. You can also follow our Facebook page, I’m often posting little snippets on there too. Take care all of you. See you soon. Lots of love, Georgie and Pep xxx
