We ate breakfast at Hospedería Cisterciense: coffee/colacao (hot chocolate), bread and jam and we saved bread, ham, and chorizo sandwich and cookies for lunch.
8:45 AM – Santo Domingo: Hospedería Cisterciense – black nun with chicken sculpture in repostería (dining room).
8:01 AM – Santo Domingo: Hospedería Cisterciense – MT at breakfast table in repostería (dining room).
8:02 AM – Santo Domingo: Hospedería Cisterciense – breakfast in repostería (dining room).
We departed Santo Domingo at 8:55 am. On the way out of town, we crossed Puente de Santo Domingo (aka Puente del Santo) over Río Oja (from which the province of La Rioja takes its name).
The Puente de Santo Domingo (aka Puente del Santo) is built on the same spot where Santo Domingo constructed a bridge in the 11th century. It is 148 m long and has 16 arches.
9:08 AM – Santo Domingo: Puente de Santo Domingo.
9:52 AM – Past Santo Domingo: Camino marker post (no km shown) along senda by highway N-120, mountains, and wheat stubble.
Between Santo Domingo and Grañón, we passed huge fields of sunflowers. Along the path, pilgrims has plucked seeds from sunflower heads to make various designs.
10:11 AM - Between Santo Domingo and Grañón: path (parallel with highway), sunflower fields, and Grañón in distance.
10:11 AM - Between Santo Domingo and Grañón: sunflower fields.
10:13 AM - Between Santo Domingo and Grañón: sunflower with black arrow on yellow background.
10:15 AM - Between Santo Domingo and Grañón: sunflowers with grumpy and happy faces.
10:16 AM - Between Santo Domingo and Grañón – sunflower with happy face (close-up).
10:17 AM - Between Santo Domingo and Grañón: more sunflowers with designs, including one with yellow arrow on black background.
10:16 AM - Between Santo Domingo and Grañón – sunflower with yellow arrow on black background (close-up).
We reached Grañón (pop 285) around 10:30.
10:26 AM – Approaching Grañón: road with Camino marker post (km 556) leading into Grañón with Iglesia San Juan Bautista.
Grañón is the last village in La Rioja on the Camino. It has always been a border town. It dates back to the 9th century, when the King of León built a castle there. It was involved in territorial fights between the kings of Navarra and Castile in the late 11th century. The parish church of San Juan Bautista dates from the 15th and 16th centuries, although the tower was added later.
As we left Grañón, we carefully followed the markers this time, because we had made a wrong turn there last year.
In 2013, coming out of Grañón, we could see a village in the distance that we assumed was Redecilla del Camino, which the Brierley guidebook said was 3.9 km away on the Camino route. When we got to that village, there were no arrows and no sign identifying it, and what we saw did not match the guidebook. We asked a farmer in the street about the Camino, and he said we were “mal” [badly] off the Camino route, and we learned that we had ended up in the wrong town—Villarta—which was near the border with Castilla y León, but too far south. We also talked with an elderly lady, who said they had seen several pilgrims there that day and that we must have been misled by seeing the (wrong) town up ahead and missed a sharp turnoff that was not well marked. Then the kind farmer said he would go get his car (from a nearby barn) and take us back to the route. While we waited for him, we were joined by a young lady from Italy who had made the same mistake. So the man then drove the three of us from Villarta through Bascuñana to Castildelgado, where we got back onto the Camino route. We offered to pay the man, but he refused.
Villarta Detour Map (www.jakobswegkarte.de).
The map above shows the intersection (see red circle) just west of Grañón where the thin gray line (minor road) to the northwest was the Camino route (highlighted in red) until the Camino turned off sharply to the southwest before reaching the N-120 highway and then paralleled the highway toward Redecilla del Camino and Castildelgado. In 2013, we had turned left at the intersection and taken the other thin gray line to the southwest (minor road between Río Villar Medio and highway LR-411) toward Villarta—at about the same distance as Redecilla del Camino but unfortunately in the wrong direction. This map also shows the looping minor highway LR-412/LR-410 on which the farmer took us to Castildelgado and why that was the best place to get back on the Camino rather than Redecilla del Camino, which we missed entirely that year. The dotted gray line is the border between La Rioja and Castilla y León.
10:43 AM – After Grañón: MT on road near where we made a wrong turn (to left) in 2013.
10:44 AM – After Grañón: minor road off to left leading to Villarta, visible in distance (center).
10:45 AM – After Grañón: two yellow arrows at junction clearly indicating to turn RIGHT (northwest) toward Redecilla del Camino (the town we missed last year because of our detour via Villarta to Castildelgado).
Soon after Grañón, we left La Rioja and entered the autonomous region (comunidad) of Castilla y León, Province of Burgos.
Castilla y León traces its history to the medieval kingdoms of Castile and León. León first appeared as a kingdom in 910, while the Kingdom of Castilla (Castile) gained independent identity in 1065. Together with other Christian-ruled Iberian kingdoms, the separate monarchies of Castile and León participated in the Reconquista, to reconquer Iberia from its medieval Muslim rulers. The two kingdoms were intermittently united until merging permanently in 1230.
The first dynastic union of León and Castile came about in 1037, when Fernando (Ferdinand) I, the Count of Castile, claimed the crown of León. Although he declared himself Emperor of All Spain in 1056, the union ended with his death in 1065, when Castile, León, and Galicia each passed to a different one of his sons: Sancho II of Castile, Alfonso VI of León, and Garcia II of Galicia. The sons soon fought among themselves. Garcia II defeated the Count of Portugal in 1071 and annexed that county to his kingdom; however, shortly thereafter, his brothers united against him, forced him to flee to Seville, and partitioned his kingdom between them. Sancho II (with the aid of his alférez [right-hand man] El Cid) then annexed the remainder of what had been Garcia’s kingdom, along with the rest of Alfonso’s Kingdom of León, When Sancho was assassinated in 1072, the reunited kingdom of their father passed to Alfonso VI, who in 1077 again claimed the title of Emperor of All Spain. However, the death of Alfonso VI in 1109 left the kingdoms again disunited. Alfonso VII managed another personal dynastic union from 1126 until his death in 1157. Finally, Ferdinand III of Castile (later canonized as San Fernando) achieved a definitive union of the two crowns. After Ferdinand’s father Alfonso IX of León died in 1230, Ferdinand, who was already ruler of Castile, conquered León from his own half-sisters.
Spain has alternated between regionalism and centralization several times in the last century and a half. In 1869, the present Castile and León plus the provinces of Santander (now Cantabria) and Logroño (now La Rioja) drafted the Castilian Federal Pact, which projected the creation a federal state under the name Castilla la Vieja (Old Castile) consisting of 11 provinces. However, the fall of the First Republic in 1874 put an end to this initiative. During the Second Republic, especially in 1936, there was a great deal of regionalist activity favoring establishment of a Castilian commonwealth of those 11 provinces. However, the establishment of a centralizing regime after the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) brought an end to these aspirations for regional autonomy.
In 1983, Old Castile officially became Castilla y León (Castile-León), which is the largest autonomous region in Spain. The Camino travels across 3 of its 9 provinces: Burgos, Palencia, and León, each with a capital of the same name. It contains the meseta, the predominantly flat table or plateau region that makes up a third of the Iberian peninsula. It is used mostly for cereal crops, mainly wheat. Distant mountains are on the horizon. The Camino starts off through the Montes de Oca with the Sierra de la Demanda to the left (south) and the Cordilla Cantábrica to the right (north). Many Castilian villages were built as outposts against the Muslims and still have a frontier feeling; some are virtually ghost towns.
11:06 AM - La Rioja-Castilla y León border: multiple border markers.
11:06 AM - La Rioja-Castilla y León border: marker sign for “El Camino de Santiago en la Provincia de Burgos” [The Camino de Santiago in the Province of Burgos].
11:07 AM - La Rioja-Castilla y León border: another marker sign for “El Camino de Santiago en Castilla y León.” This was the first in a series of such markers, with the back side usually showing your present location and the distance to the next town. (Fallen marker to left.)
11:08 AM - La Rioja-Castilla y León border: Don with marker sign for “El Camino de Santiago en Castilla y León.”
11:07 AM - La Rioja-Castilla y León border: MT with marker sign for “El Camino de Santiago en Castilla y León.”
11:09 AM - La Rioja-Castilla y León border: fallen and defaced marker for “Ministerio de Fomento” [Ministry of Promotion] showing Camino route from border marked “Ud. está aqui” [You are here] through Redecilla del Camino to Castildelgado.
11:07 AM - La Rioja-Castilla y León border: shadow of the taller border marker sign across path toward onion fields, with first view of Redecilla del Camino in distance.
11:22 AM – After Border: onion fields; car on highway N-120 in background.
11:22 AM – After Border: close-up of onions in field (telephoto, 186 mm).
11:25 AM – Near Redecilla del Camino: path by onion fields and Redecilla del Camino in distance.
We stopped in Redecilla del Camino (pop 150) 11:40-12:02.
The village of Redecilla del Camino, whose existence is documented back to around 968, was on the old Roman road that Santo Domingo de la Calzada reconditioned to be the main route of the Franks to the tomb of Santiago. It was called “Radicella” in the 13th-century Codex Calixtinus. A jurisdictional rollo marks the beginning of Calle Real [Royal Street], an eminently Jacobean path.
We ate the sandwiches and cookies from breakfast and a can of stuffed olives. In Redecilla, we stopped at the Oficina de Turismo (office of tourism) for the border and got sellos and brochures.
11:38 AM - Redecilla del Camino: plaza with “Castilla y León” Camino marker, rollo jurisdiccional with cross, and fountain.
11:39 AM - Redecilla del Camino: another “El Camino de Santiago en Castilla y León” marker sign on N-120 at Turismo office in Redecilla.
11:39 AM - Redecilla del Camino: Romanesque water fountain.
11:41 AM - Redecilla del Camino: looking back at Turismo office on edge of town, with MT coming from restrooms, back side of “El Camino de Santiago en Castilla y León” marker sign behind it, and another “Camino de Santiago” sign showing “proxima población” [nearest town] as Redecilla del Camino and distance to Castildelgado as 2.0 km.
The Baroque church Nuestra Señora de la Calle was rebuilt between the 17th and 18th centuries based on an earlier church of the 8th century. It has a magnificent Romanesque baptismal font of the 12th century. In the niche above its door in a Gothic woodcarved image of the Virgin.
12:05 PM - Redecilla del Camino: Nuestra Señora de la Calle church tower and façade.
12:05 PM - Redecilla del Camino: Nuestra Señora de la Calle church door (with Virgin and Child statue in niche above it).
We stopped again around 12:30-12:45 in Castildelgado (pop 80) to drink free water bottle from an albergue van and bought an apple and a peach-like fruit. Don visited the Iglesia San Pedro church briefly.
12:17 PM – Castildelgado: sunflower fields approaching town; Iglesia San Pedro on left.
12:21 PM – Castildelgado: MT with “MT” sunflower (made by someone else) in that field.
12:29 PM – Castildelgado: arch of ruins and Romanesque Iglesia San Pedro.
The 16th-century Romanesque Iglesia San Pedro is late Gothic style. Inside are the remains of its most illustrious son, Don Francisco Delgado, who was bishop of Jaén and Lugo and Archbishop in Burgos. It has a slender tower and interesting Baroque altarpieces. In the largest, an image of the Virgin with the Child of the first third of the 13th century. There is also a Romanesque baptismal font. Adjoining the church are the ruins of the house of the Counts of Berberana and the pilgrim hospice. Near the church is the Baroque 17th-century Ermita de la Virgen del Campo (aka Ermita de Santa María [La Real] del Campo).
12:31 PM – Castildelgado: courtyard, fountain, and Iglesia San Pedro entrance on Plaza Mayor (MT at far left).
Castildelgado Iglesia San Pedro entrance side and tower (www.pueblos-espana.org).
12:43 PM – Castildelgado: Iglesia San Pedro – old baptismal font.
12:43 PM – Castildelgado: Iglesia San Pedro – old baptismal font (close-up).
12:44 PM – Castildelgado: Iglesia San Pedro – nave toward main altar, with side altars.
12:45 PM – Castildelgado: Iglesia San Pedro – (blonde) Virgin and Child in main altar (telephoto, 186 mm).
We stopped in Viloria de Rioja (pop 71).
Viloria de Rioja is the birthplace (cuna) of Santo Domingo de la Calzada (born 1019). However, the Romanesque baptismal font that witnessed his christening has been removed from the church, and the adjacent house where he was born was demolished.
The name of the town is somewhat puzzling, since it is not located in the current autonomous community of La Rioja, and it has a fully Castilian population. Viloria de la Rioja has its origins beyond the 11th century, when there was already a town named Villa Oria. Alfonso VI of Castile annexed La Rioja in 1076. In the 16th century, all of this region and most of what is now the autonomous community of La Rioja were part of the province of Burgos within the Kingdom of Castile. The 19th-century division of Spain into provinces split off this part of the La Rioja region, which became part of the province of Burgos. This part was called Riojilla because it is considerably smaller than the other part of La Rioja. La Riojilla Burgalesa is now a subregion of the region (una subcomarca de la comarca) of Montes de Oca in the province of Burgos in the autonomous community (comunidad autónoma) of Castilla y León. La Riojilla includes the Camino towns of Redecilla del Camino, Castildelgado, Viloria de Rioja, Vilamajor del Río, and its capital Belorado.
1:10 PM – Viloria de la Rioja: sign identifying the town as “Cuna de Santo Domingo de la Calzada.”
1:14 PM – Viloria de la Rioja: sign for the baptismal font “Pila bautismal (Iglesia de Nstra. Sra. de la Asunción – Viloria de Rioja)” identifying it as 11th-century Romanesque and located [formerly] in the central nave of the church, with photo of (moved) baptismal font.
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (17th century, largely rebuilt) has an elegant apse of Gothic transition. The original church appears to be of Romanesque or pre-Romanesque origin. The central nave is from the 10th century. The ribbed vault of the nave was reworked in the late 15th or 16th century. The most notable feature is the main altarpiece from 1665, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin.
1:17 PM – Viloria de la Rioja: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción - exterior.
Viloria de Rioja: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción - apse (www.santodomingodelacalzadanacioenviloria.com).
There was a strong west wind all afternoon. Don had to tie the chin strap of his hat to the sternum strap of his backpack to keep the hat from blowing away.
We arrived in Belorado (pop 2,000) around 3:30.
Belorado is of Celtic origin. During the Middle Ages, the Celtic settlement was configured as a village on the border between Castilla and Navarra. Early in the Reconquista, a castle was built on a hill to control the Ebro Valley, and people moved there from a primitive village that originated across the river in Roman times. It was a stronghold of El Cid, as a dowry for his marriage to Jimena. It is now the capital of the subregion called La Riojilla Burgalesa.
3:19 PM – Belorado: houses with flowers in window boxes (ruined castle in background).
3:28 PM – Belorado: Don (with his list of lodging places) with mural of pilgrim and San Pedro church.
3:28 PM – Belorado: MT with another mural with different pilgrim, Camino marker, and same San Pedro church.
3:29 PM – Belorado: MT with pilgrim and Camino marker of that mural.
We tried Casa Rural Verdeancho, but it was “completo.” Then we tried Pensión Toñi, but there was no answer to the bell. Finally, we found Hotel Belorado (1 star) at the far end of the town, with a double room for 45€. We also liked the fact they served cena (dinner) and desayuno (breakfast). Both of us showered, washed clothes, and hung them in the window. MT used the WiFi down the hall, because it didn’t reach up to our room.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014, 838 AM – Belorado: Hotel Belorado exterior (our room was on the back side, where the Camino path passed).
We went out to check on a mass. One lady pointed us to Iglesia San Pedro on the east side of Plaza Mayor, but it was closed. So was the Turismo office on the plaza. MT asked in a restaurant and some said to go behind that church, which turned out to be Iglesia Santa María with a mass at 7 pm, preceded by a rosary at 6:30.
6:07 PM – Belorado: San Pedro church façade and tower.
6:07 PM – Belorado: sign in front of San Pedro church: “Belorado – Iglesia de San Pedro” saying it was begun in the 13th century and rebuilt in Rococo style in the 18th century after severe damage in 17th.
6:10 PM – Belorado: MT approaching Iglesia Santa María with stork nests on tower and cliffs (barely visible) behind it (telephoto, 46 mm).
6:11 PM – Belorado: Iglesia Santa María: sign for “Belorado – Iglesia de Santa María” - English part: “It’s situated on the foot of the Castle’s hill. It was used as chapel for the fortress in the beginning.
“Its present look is due to having been rebuilt in the XVI Century. As it didn’t offer much security, it was closed for some years. But thanks to the donation of the congregation, it could be rebuilt in 1910 with neo-gothic style, with a slender belfry of classicistic inspiration.
. . . . .
“The most remarkable work is the high altar from the end of the XVII century. It was made in pre-churreigueresque style.” [See explanation of Churreigueresque in notes for September 8.]
Iglesia de Santa María was built in the late Gothic style in the 16th century, begun in 1565, although the façade and tower are the result of remodeling in 1901. It is built at the foot of the ruins of the old castle and in the same place where, in its day, was located a small chapel called Santa María de la Capilla. Earliest references to this chapel are from the 12th century. By the beginning of the 16th century, the original chapel was greatly in need of repair, and it was decided to replace it with a new church. Nothing of the old chapel was preserved, except for the Gothic image of the Virgin, which now presides over the Baroque altarpiece of the current church.
6:12 PM – Belorado: Iglesia Santa María – view of nave toward main altar (poster on left pillar, Santiago chapel barely visible between pillars to right).
6:14 PM – Belorado: Iglesia Santa María – main altar (close-up).
The main altarpiece is Baroque of the late 17th or early 18th century; the image of the Virgin in its center is Gothic, from the last third of the 13th century (it is flanked by statues of San Juan Bautista and San Lorenzo); at the top is a 16th-century crucifix.
6:47 PM – Belorado: Iglesia Santa María – poster on pillar to left of main altar: “Resucitado …Camina con nosotros” [Resurrected One …Walk with us]; MT wanted photo (telephoto, 133 mm).
7:50 PM – Belorado: Iglesia Santa María – Santiago chapel still illuminated after mass (priest who did pilgrim prayer service).
The Capilla de Santiago (Chapel of Santiago) is at the right of the main altar at the front of the church. It is enclosed by a 16th-century Renaissance grille in the Plateresque style. Behind the altar are two stone columns, at the tops of which are sculptures of the Virgin Dolorosa (Our Lady of Sorrows) and San Juan Evangelista (St. John the Evangelist). These columns delimit a broad niche, also of stone. Framed in this niche is a wooden Romanesque altarpiece from the year 1570 with two bodies and an attic. In the lower part is the image of a manly looking Santiago Peregrino, accompanied on the sides by sculptures of San Blas and San Atilano. In the center of the second body and in high relief, is another image of the saint known as Santiago Matamoros, flanked by two low-reliefs, one representing the martyrdom of the saint and the other a pilgrim imploring the saint’s aid. Leaning out of the attic at the top of the altarpiece is an anthropomorphic representation of God the Father. Above the niche is a sculpture of the Crucified Christ.
6:15 PM – Belorado: Iglesia Santa María – altar in Santiago chapel.
7:50 PM – Belorado: Iglesia Santa María – Santiago Peregrino statue on altar in Santiago chapel (telephoto, 186 mm).
7:50 PM – Belorado: Iglesia Santa María – Santiago Matamoros statue on altar in Santiago chapel (telephoto, 186 mm).
Belorado: Iglesia Santa María – statue of martyr San Vitores near Santiago chapel; part of chapel grille in background (www.pueblos-espana.org).
August 26 is the Fiesta [Feast] de San Vitores, patron saint of Belorado, beginning a week of celebrations in the town. At the 7 pm mass, the two priests wore red vestments for this martyr’s feast day
Before mass, MT stayed at the church, while Don explored the cliffs behind the church and found a path up to the ruined castle.
6:28 PM – Belorado: MT looking at Iglesia Santa María (wide angle) – caves to left and castle ruins above and behind church.
Ancient cave dwellings, once the home of hermits, are still visible behind the church (as well as interesting modern conversions).
6:28 PM - Belorado: “improved” cave with windows and door.
6:30 PM - Belorado: “improved” cave showing more windows.
6:33 PM - Belorado: sign for way up to castle ruins: “Sube y verás … restos del Castillo, observar Belorado desde lo alto y conocer mas sobre su pasado.” [Climb and see … ruins of the Castle, observe Belorado from the high point and learn more about its past.]
6:34 PM - Belorado: back of Santa María church up against limestone cliffs (from path on way up to castle).
6:35 PM - Belorado: sign part of way up path: “el Mirador del Castillo de Belorado – En época medieval hubo muchas poblaciones en torno a Belorado” [Overlook of the Castle of Belorado – In the medieval period, there were many towns around Belorado].
6:35 PM - Belorado: Castle ruins from just below.
The castle, Castillo de Belorado, ruins point to the town’s defensive past, straddling the old border of Castile. Its genesis seems to go back to the Dark Ages after the fall of the fortress of Ibrillos [near Castildelgado] to the Arabs, during the reign of Alfonso III (866-910), at the beginning of the Reconquista. It was an important stronghold in the defense system established in the region to monitor the passage between the kingdoms of Navarra and Castilla. Once the struggles between the Christian kingdoms and civil wars in Castilla were finished, a period of peace did not require constant attention to the castle and it was allowed to deteriorate. By 1650, it was in ruins, with only the main tower remaining standing. In 1683, certain sectors of the ruins were demolished in order to avoid landslides caused by rains. [For further information, see photos of signs below.]
It is built of plaster and glauberite. It had a square main tower at its center (possibly a keep) and an irregular pentagonal wall, with a moat surrounding the fortification. The tower is partly excavated into the rock; the rest is built with walls up to 3.5 m thick made of masonry and mortar, and the center was filled with gravel. The tower was reinforced by a brick wall to prevent its total ruin.
6:36 PM - Belorado: view of town, Iglesia San Pedro, and Iglesia Santa María from near castle ruins.
6:39 PM - Belorado: sign at top: “Ahora mismo estás dentro del Castillo de Belorado” [Right now you are inside the Castle of Belorado]. It says that various studies indicate the castle was built in the first [sic! primero in Spanish] half of the 9th century, during the reign of Alfonso III (866-910), forming part of the line of fortifications that marked the border between the Condado [county, earldom] de Castilla and the Kingdom of Navarra. It was maintained for protection during the 14th and 15th centuries, but by 1650 it was in ruins. It was constructed on a geological substratum of fragile and irregular rocks that, together with abandonment and sackings, contributed to its ruin.
6:39 PM - Belorado: panorama sign at top: “Asómate el valle de río Tirón y observa Belorado desde lo alto” [Peek into the valley of the River Tirón and observe Belorado from the high point], with callouts pointing out (left to right) Sierra de la Demanda, Iglesia de Santa María, Iglesia San Pedro, Puente “del Canto,” Puerto de la Brújula, Tosantos, Convento de Santa Clara, Yacimiento arqueológico [archaeological field] “La Mesa,” Río Tirón, Iglesia de San Nicolás, Exconvento de San Vitores, Montes de Obarenes, Desfgiladero [defile, pass] de Pancorbo, Fresno de Río Tirón, and Yacimiento arqueológico “La Muela.”
6:39 PM - Belorado: another sign at top: “¿Quieres conocer cómo fue creciendo Belorado?” [Do you want to learn how Belorado was born?] It says the first nucleus of the town of Belorado was on the hills of the castle, in the 9th and 10th centuries; the rise of the Camino de Santiago (11th-15th centuries) contributed to its growth.
6:39 PM - Belorado: ruined castle (at a distance it looks like solid rock, but close up you can see rows of building stones or bricks).
6:40 PM - Belorado: close-up of ruined castle (you can see rows of building stones and an outer layer of bricks).
6:40 PM - Belorado: wide-angle view from castle of town with San Pedro straight out from roof of Santa María.
6:42 PM - Belorado: roof of Iglesia Santa María viewed from castle.
We went to the 7 pm mass at Iglesia Santa María. After mass, the younger of two priests (both in red for the feast of the martyr San Vitores) told pilgrims to go to the Santiago chapel. There he led a long service with readings and prayers in English (MT and Don read), German, and Spanish.
Earlier, when we looked at menus at Restaurante Cuatro Cantones (associated with an albergue of the same name) and a restaurant across the street, MT heard local ladies telling tourists the menu was better at Hotel Belorado; so after mass we went back there for dinner (12€ menu): 1st course: spaghetti with tomato and chicken sauce; 2nd course: merluza [MT’s was a cross-section (steak); Don’s was a fillet]; dessert: ice cream bars; red wine from Castilla; bottle of water; and bread. Merluza would become one of our favorite items on a menú del día or menú del peregrino. Everything in this meal was very good, although MT thought the merluza looked like it was probably fried.
Merluza (English: hake) is a sea fish of the family Merlucciidae, within the same taxonomic order (Gadiformes) as cod and haddock. The highest demand for hake has been in Europe, and Spain has the highest consumption of hake in Europe. Hake accounts for about one third of total fish consumption in Spain. Hake has a cod-like texture, and either cod, haddock, or flounder may be substituted for it in recipes. In the USA, the name whiting (another fish related to cod) is often used for various species of hake; although there are subtle differences, they are sold interchangeably in U.S. fish markets and make good, less expensive substitutes for cod. Hake may be served as steaks, medallions, or fillets.
The merluza (hake) eats at night (consuming enormous amounts of smaller fish such as sardines) and sleeps during the day because it is so full. So, in Spain even fish have a siesta, and this makes them easy prey for fishermen. In Spanish life, therefore, the merluza is ridiculed for being so greedy and stupid. The Spanish adjective merluzo/a means silly or stupid; calling someone a merluza (feminine) or merluzo (masculine) means they are a simpleton, stupid fool, or idiot; and the phrase cojer una merluza means “to drink oneself stupid.”
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