Product Stories

Fine Spanish Bath Products

There is nothing that brings back more wondeful memories of Spain than the classic scents of their famous soaps and colognes. Made of pure natural ingredients, without detergents or fillers, Spanish health and beauty products have always been highly valued. Beginning in the 17th Century they were coveted by European aristocracy. Scarce and expensive, Castile soap set the standard for all luxury soaps from that time forward. To this day, "pure Castile" is the term that that designates the finest...
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Bota Wineskins

Bota wineskins have been used for thousands of years in Spain, a convenient and durable storage device for travelers, shepherds and farmers. There are very few authentic botas left - most are cheap imitations meant as decorations. True botas are hand made from goatskin. The process takes over 40 steps, from curing the leather to sewing each one together with needle and thread. The result is a wineskin that is tough, watertight and can last for generations We are proud to offer botas from...
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Exceptional Terra Cotta Cazuelas

These classic rustic refractory clay cazuelas are only made in the area near Breda, in Catalunya. The secret to the exceptional quality of these remarkable cooking products the special clay of the region, coveted by potters since Roman times. It comes from the Pyrenean foothills where the local artisans follow the Roman custom of adding very fine pebbles to this traditional clay thereby producing refractory clay. The potters fire the dishes and cookware at a temperature that is higher than is...
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The Land of 400 Cheeses

It seems that every valley and village in Spain has its own special cheese. From the sunny Balearic Island of Menorca comes Mahón, a wonderfully creamy combination of cream from three distinct strains of cows. The rounded orange-rinded cheese is reminiscent of Dutch Gouda or Edam. On the northwest coast, milk from the cows of Celtic Galicia are made into traditional Tetilla, one of our most popular cheeses. High in the glorious coastal mountains of Cantabria artisans make the complex artisanal...
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About Chocolate from Spain

Spain is fanatical about its chocolate. Do you really think the Spanish explorers were looking for gold? Well they found it, black gold: delicious cocoa. Before coffee became ubiquitous across Spain, chocolate was the drink of choice. It all started in 1544 when Dominican friars, accompanied by Mayans from Guatemala, presented containers of frothed chocolate to young Prince Philip, soon to be Philip II. He and his whole court were enchanted. Soon any Spanish nobleman worth his salt renovated...
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Chorizo and Other Spanish Sausages

Every household in Spain serves at least one or two of the hundreds of varieties of delicious chorizo sausages. Spanish chorizo and sausages, often referred to collectively as embutidos, come in many varieties, thick and thin, plain or smoked, some containing lean meat to be served for tapas, or with more fat to flavor stews and grilled dishes. In general, Spanish chorizo always has less fat and is more finely ground than a Mexican one. While Mexican chorizo is seasoned with chili peppers and...
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Six Healthy Foods from Spain You Will Love

Spain is famous for simple, healthy ingredients – they even put olive oil in their cookies for heaven’s sake! Here are six healthy Spanish foods that are so tasty you will forget that they are good for you. 1. Little Fishes Small fish like sardines and anchovies are so tasty and so good for you! With plenty of beneficial oils and little danger of toxins, little fish are a wonder food. In Spain anchovies are either packed in olive oil and vinegar (and called boquerones, or white anchovies)...
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Free-Range Ibérico de Bellota Pork for the Grill or the Pan

We realized we hadn't tasted pork like this for a long, long time. Or maybe we had never had this experience before; perhaps it was a primordial memory from a time when pork meant something juicy, something complex and richly flavorful. The occasion was a cookout at a house in Vista Hermosa, near Jerez. Our friends at Jamones y Embutidos Fermín had sent us samples of free-range Ibérico de Bellota pork, cuts we had rarely heard of before: presa, pluma, secreto. They came off the grill hot and...
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Jamón Ibérico, the Treasure of Spain

We at La Tienda spent over ten years on a quest to bring the finest of all hams to the U.S. - Jamón Ibérico. Like the Beluga caviar or Kobe beef, Jamón Ibérico is the ultimate of its kind. The combined efforts of many Jamón enthusiasts culminated in the first Ibérico hams arriving on our shores in 2007. Embutidos y Jamónes Fermín was the first company to export Ibérico ham to the U.S. This small family company invested countless hours and a significant amount of money to make their facilities...
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About Jamón Serrano

Jamón Serrano is a source of great pride among Spaniards. From time immemorial in the mountains of Spain, artisans have packed fresh hams in sea salt and hung them from their rafters to cure. A year to eighteen months later the jamones are ready to mount on special stands that are designed so that anyone can stop by, carve a few paper-thin slices, and enjoy an impromptu snack – perhaps with some manchego cheese. It is unlike the smoked and salty Virginia country hams, which have to be soaked...
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Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Liquid Gold

Spain is the world's leading producer of olive oil, with approximately 975 thousand tons produced per year. Over 250 million olive trees grow in Spain - we are always astonished to see olive groves that stretch as far as the eye can see. Some trees are over one thousand years old! [pic2]In recent years, families and cooperatives in Spain have drastically improved the quality of their extra virgin olive oils as well. Many are harvesting their oils earlier, just before they ripen. This produces...
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The Secrets of Spanish Paella

The authenticity of paella is gauged by the community it builds. What better way to enjoy time with your friends than to sit around the communal paella and share it together? Is that not what life is all about? Paella originated in the countryside long ago. Farmhands made a fire in fields at lunchtime and simmered the local short grained rice in a flat pan. They added whatever edibles were at hand – snails might be added as well as artichokes and other local vegetables; or perhaps a stray chicken...
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Ceramics from El Puente del Arzobispo

The Province of Toledo has been the center of handmade ceramics for well over a thousand years. The artists of the neighboring villages of Talavera de la Reina and El Puente del Arzobispo establish the standard against which all other Spanish hand painted ceramics are compared. In fact, in Latin America the generic term for quality hand painted ceramics is Talavera. Many serious artisans have found the neighboring village of El Puente del Arzobispo more supportive of their commitment to preserve...
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Artisan Saffron

Beautiful, fragrant saffron is the essential ingredient to paella, and many other classic Spanish dishes. These valuable threads impart a golden hue and deep, aromatic taste to any dish it flavors. Saffron is the stigma of the crocus flower, laboriously plucked by hand and toasted to perfection. Our saffron comes from a small family supplier from the town of Minaya. It was rated as the finest in Spain, so we sought out the owners, Maria Angeles and Juan Antonio to find out more. They explained...
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Sherry - The Great Wine of Andalucia

On a recent visit to Sanlucar de Barrameda we sat outside the bustling Casa Balbino, one of Spain's best tapas restaurants. Under the palms and orange trees, we feasted on amazingly fresh seafood - acedias, boquerones fritos and tortillitas de camerones, fried in the style of Andalucía. And to drink, we enjoyed one of the great wines of the world, Manzanilla sherry. Crisp, dry and refreshing, it is the perfect partner for fresh seafood and tapas. The ancient bodegas where Manzanilla is made...
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About Pimentón de La Vera - Smoked Paprika

When Ferdinand and Isabella in the monastery of Guadalupe received Christopher Columbus at the completion of his second voyage to America, they were astonished when he presented them with peppers from the New World. The flavor of the peppers took their breath away, but that did not stop the monks from cultivating them and soon the peppers spread throughout Extremadura. But it was not until the 17th century that Pimentón de La Vera, the milled powder from these peppers, began its general inclusion...
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Txakoli - Fresh Basque Wine

When we climbed into a car in the beautiful Basque beach town of Zarauz for the journey to see the Txakoli harvest, we expected to get at least a bit tired of the ride. But barely had we buckled up when we were pulling into the vineyard where Arregi Getariako Txakolina is produced. We were so close to the sea that, on the way, we saw three surfers carrying their boards through the fields toward the famous surf of Zarauz. Txakoli Getariako grapes are grown in a small region, on hills facing the...
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