Spain: Tastes in the north

Santa Caterina market in Barcelona. Photo / Anna King Shahab

Starting in Barcelona, Anna King Shahab savours the north.

Spain is, literally, on the other side of the globe from us. Tunnel through from Auckland and you'll end up somewhere between Seville and Malaga. Impressive, then, that in a little more than 24 hours we waved goodbye to Auckland and were deposited at our hotel just shy of Barcelona's famous avenue, La Rambla.

Our Intrepid Travel "Real Food Adventure" begins in this vibrant Mediterranean city, where we're hosted by both our guide for the whole journey, Laura, and city guide, former chef Sarah Stothart (aka the Barcelona Food Sherpa — do look her up if you're heading there independently). After we had walked through the beautiful Gothic Quarter to meet her, Sarah takes us shopping for lunch ingredients at Santa Caterina market; this is where the locals shop — not at the famous, and now very inauthentic, La Boqueria.

This newish market, with its undulating, rainbow-hued glossy-tiled roof, houses a cornucopia of the best Spanish, and particularly Catalan, produce. A walk through the city to Sarah's apartment takes us past quirky arts-and-crafts facades. We're then invited to relax at Sarah's equally beautiful, bohemian home where a long table on the terrace has been laid for our lunch.

We start with the Catalan classic pan amb tomaquet — slices of bread which we rub with juicy tomato halves and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (Spain produces some of the very best). Sarah cooks everything a la minute in her small kitchen, and serves us, all the while talking us through the traditional dishes and the produce she uses. The afternoon concludes with the most amazing dessert — a dense chocolate and almond cake which Sarah drizzles with smoked olive oil.

Dessert at the home of Sarah Stothart. Photo / Anna King Shahab

Heading north into wine country, we call into the medieval walled town of Laguardia, where the myriad tunnels that were once safe passages in times of war now house wine cellars and even a few wineries — this is the Rioja region and delicious red wine is everywhere.

We take a tour of El Fabulista, where grapes are brought in and stomped by foot in what looks like a small swimming pool, before being drained to the tunnels below to ferment and age in oak barrels. We head down below for a wine tasting in one of the tunnels, watching for the ghost of El Fabulista, a famous storyteller who lived in the house above here in the 1700s.

We stay the night in the nearby town of Logrono, and while away the evening with a tapas crawl, imbibing wonderfully mellow local red wine at every stop and eating our fill of patatas bravas, chorizo hot dogs with salsa verde, juicy garlic-stuffed button mushrooms and grilled prawns dotted with paprika.

Surrounded by the spectacular stark mountains in Picos de Europa, we eat the hearty local favourite cocido lebiento — a stew of local chickpeas with black pudding, pork shoulder, chorizo and pork fat (with bread of course), cooked by the 90-year-old grandmother of the chef at our hotel. Also in the mountains but on the Asturias side, surrounded by a lovely cacophony of cow bells, we descend into the natural caves where the local cow's milk blue cheese, Cabrales, has been made for centuries. It continues to be made traditionally by local families, unpasteurised and matured in these underground caves that pepper the mountains, picking up the mould that preserves the cheese and lends a piquancy.

On our way to Oviedo we call in to see a traditional cidery, appropriately carpeted by apples and very rustic-looking. In the handsome city of Oviedo that night it's evident we've progressed from wine to cider country; instead of bodegas with pinxtos, here it's all about the sidrerias.

We settle down for a ridiculously generous meal at Tierra Astur, which includes platters of cured meats and cheeses (and bread, of course), grilled steak, and boozy crepes for dessert.

A constant supply of cider arrives, and wait staff pour it at the table with this natty technique: holding the bottle high above the glass, they must look away, and tip the bottle — the stream of cider should "find" the glass within a split second. Spills aren't an issue: the tiled floor is strewn with sawdust. Parents of young children, now there's an idea.

Wine Cellar in Rioja Alavesa. Photo / Getty Images

FACT BOX

GETTING THERE
Cathay Pacific flies from Auckland to Barcelona, via Hong Kong, with return economy class fares from $1479, on sale until april 4.

DETAILS
Intrepid Travel's 10-day Real Food Adventure Northern Spain visits Barcelona, Laguardia, San Sebastian, Oviedo, the Picos de Europa National Park, Galicia and Santiago de Compostela. Prices start from $3695pp, twin share.