At the risk of losing potential blog readers right from the 'get go', I'd like to introduce you to a tomato. I bought it today at the frutería (greengrocer's) up in town opposite the farmácia (chemist). What with the weather getting hotter and hotter here, Mrs. Sánchez and I fancied an ensalada (salad) for tea so I was dispatched uptown for the usual salad ingredients : lechuga (lettuce), pepino (cucumber) remolacha (beetroot) and tomates tomatoes) etc. .
For some reason salad tomatoes are usually sold when green, or just short of ripe, so pointing at basket of green tomatoes I asked for a kilo of salad tomatoes. The lady standing on my left and Juan the greengrocer ejaculated in unison. 'No!' they cried. 'No son para ensaladas.' ('They are not for salads'.)
'Here we go', thought I, 'I'm in for another dose of invaluable Perote (Aloranean) wisdom.'
'They are the 'pata negra' of tomatoes'. said Juan.
Digression.
For readers of this humble organ who are not familiar with the term 'pata negra' it translates as 'black foot' and is usually only applied to the very best legs of ham obtained from the hind legs of black 'Iberico' pigs which live (and, sadly, die) in south west Spain and eat acorns . (vegetarians can skip this next bit but should bear in mind that jamón (ham) is not generally considered to be meat at all here in southern Spain. If you ask the camarero (waiter) in a restaurant if a dish contains meat or not (I agree it's not a question that is often asked) you may be assured thus ; ' no lleva carne' (it doesn't contain meat). But when the dish is presented to your unfortunate vegetarian friend or family member, little pieces of ham may be spotted within. (my elder daughter can spot a bit of panceta from 3 km. on a foggy day.) If you protest, the response will be, 'Well, there's only a bit of it'.
The same is true of atún (tuna) which is not considered to be 'fish' and is always included in a green salad round here.
Anyway, these very tasty and very expensive hams have black feet. (patas negras) to distinguish them from the equally tasty but much much cheaper jamon serrano.
A 'pata negra' tomato, though? Are they having me on? Mrs. Sánchez and I have spent more than 15 years eating Spanish tomatoes but this is a new one on me. To be sure, this tomato looks a bit deformed too (funny shaped fruit and vegetables are called 'fenómenos' I once had a lemon shaped like a swan) but still green enough to be a 'salad tomato'.
Emphatically 'No!' (No). This tomato must be sliced thinly and served with only a good olive oil (we've plenty of that) some salt and a little vinegar. We'll see.
Joseli
Every morning Tommy and I go up to the castillo arabe for our morning constitutional. The castle is one of Álora's most attractive features and from a distance is pretty spectacular.
Spectacular, I'm sure you'd agree, from a distance, and with magnifcent views of the Guadalhorce valley and hills to the north and west.Phoenician, built on by the Romans, Visigoths, Arabs and the reconquering Christians (known here as Los Reyes Caóticos). It's the oldest building in town and was used for a century as the town cemetery- and for the mass murders of Republicans during La Guerra Civil (The Civil War 1936-1939).
The castle contains an Arabic Archway which is unique in the West.
Since they shifted all the graves and niches the Ayuntamiento (town hall) has set about making the doddery old heap safer by encasing remaining bits of the old walls in ugly concrete casings.
There have been lots of rumours around the Brit community that they are going to make it into a luxury hotel (like the one in Jaén) or install a cable car or zipwire from the Plaza Baja or build a road up to it or make it into a donkey sanctuary etc.) At least visitors may now avoid the disappoinment of climbing all the way up Calle Ancha in the blistering heat to find row upon row of burial niches or worse still, find the place locked up. They now employ a 'vigilante' (caretaker), Joseli, who takes the job very seriously. He's even revived the garden that was planted years ago at great expense and then abandoned.
Tommy looks forward to his daily walks up at the castle because Joseli has five dogs including three ugly bitches (Chinese Shar Pies) which are often on heat. Normally I am fond of Pies but these three could turn UHT milk sour at a glance. Tommy disagrees and heads straight for the castle gate and a good old sniff up.
Joseli and I usually have a chat about the weather, plants, the lack of jobs round here (youth unemployment is at 45% at the moment), and sometimes music. I have difficulty following his rapid Andalús Spanish. Joseli, like many men here sounds as if he's angry all the time and sometimes he is. He is a member of a large and important Gitano family which has seen many tragic events. Three of his brothers have died young.
There are a lot of Gitano families in Álora, particularly around La Plaza Baja. The word 'gitano' is translated as 'gipsy' (egyptian) although most gitanos (roma people) originated in north west India and may have travelled through north Africa before arriving in Spain over 500 years ago.
Although integrated into Spanish culture, especially in Andalucía, gitanos have found themselves marginalised and ,especially in cities, associated with drugs and crime. Flamenco is widely considered to be the music of the gitanos. 'The song of the outcasts'. Any evening you can hear flamenco being sung around La Plaza Baja, coming from the windows of houses or from an impromtu performance by a couple of lads with a guitar and an audience. Strange, then, that gitanos are hardly ever to be seen in Álora's Peña Flamenca (Flamenco Club) either as members or performers! Curiously many 'Spanish' people here in Álora lower their voices to a whisper when they say the word 'gitano' despite the fact that some so called non-gitano families have typically gitano surnames.
A couple of days ago I bumped into Joseli doing a bit of weeding. under the castle walls. He called me over and showed me a coin he'd just found and a stone from a ring with what looked like an arabic design on it. He's found several pieces of Roman and Phoenician pottery there which are now in our fine Museo (museum) in La Plaza Baja.
Helpful tip for visitors to Álora
Please note that, although this rather confused sign at the end of our street tells you the Tourist Information Office is there too, it isn't. Another sign near the petrol station tells you it's 500 metres up on the right outside the swimming pool. It's not there either. It's in La Plaza de la Fuente Arriba (Top Square). ( where the desirable Ana Básquez used to work when it was the Tour River Travel Agency) It may be open if your luck's in.
Mrs. Sánchez has been planning a surprise 'significant' birthday party for me for the last three months. This has involved clandestine meetings, suspicious phone calls and even a secret Whats App account. After a week or two I started to smell a rat and by the week of the party I had managed to wheedle out most of the details including the venue which was the headquarters of the Hermandad of Dolores Coronada in Calle Parra. The big surprise really was a surprise. She'd booked a band and in walked......Los Compadres de Álora
led by my mate from the castle, Joseli.
Here he is with Conchi Vila and here he is again talking to a music critic.
Los Compadres de Álora are a flamenco band which should get more support from the Ayuntamiento. Although Álora is a fun-loving place, there are no venues for live music like this except, perhaps, during the annual Feria. (early in August this year).
If you click on the link you can see them in action. Keep an eye on the little lad in front. The two girls are Joseli's daughters.
Los Compadres de Álora .
Thanks for the party. It was fantastic with a big paella cooked by Antonia with her handsome assistant, Antonio.
and a giant cake.
Mrs. Sánchez and I can't wait to get back to England to join in all the Referendum fun and games. Thay seem to be having such a good time back there.
The tomato was delicious.
Juanito Sánchez June 5th. 2016
