I would ask them at Alvarez.
I’ve brought mojama home, vacuum packed, from southern Spain with no problem; I fly to New York (but with connections that extend the time of the trip) and it keeps well in the fridge. Remember it’s cold in the baggage area.
Isn’t this left out to dry for a long time before packing for sale?
Good point. I did find some US mail order sources.
I am back home. I had a great trip - thanks so much to everyone who helped with the planning, and kept me company while I was there. My last day in Madrid was lazy but as good as a wet chilly day can be. I walked over to Mercato San Miguel (which was packed, of course), and just sort of ate and drank my way back from there. Early night.
I want to give a shout out to my hotel in Cordoba because it was really special - Balcon de Cordoba. Less than a block from the Mezquita, incredibly helpful staff, beautiful place. Highly recommend it.
Thank you for taking us along
Welcome home! Echoing @linguafood thanks so much for taking us along, it was a very fun trip!
We all had such fun “traveling” with you. And eating!!! Very well done!
Didi you manage to bring any foods home with you?
Where to, next???
I didn’t - the realization that LLD (my husband) would be in Spain himself in a few months and the effects of an oncoming cold sort of took the energy for that away.
I’m trying to talk him into a trip to the northern coast of Spain or to Sicily, but so far he only sort of murmurs in response. Positive murmurs, but nothing definite yet. So then I start trying to figure out where to take myself solo, and all the sudden the calendar is full. Anyone have any recommendations??
Northern coast of Spain? A food heaven! Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia, the Basque Country, there are dozens and dozens of wonderful places to dine, gorgeous places to see, scenery so lovely and green. The driving is easy for a solo person or Alsa buses take you from place to place comfortably.
Yes, yes, yes!!! Northern Spain has so many great options for you alone.
Driving around Asturias, you have the sea and the mountains within about half an hour!!! You can fly into Oviedo and see Cangas del Onis (Saturday food market with tons of great cheeses); around Arriondas are many great places to eat, and then you have all those towns along the coast…it was one of the best trips I’ve taken. I did not go alone but it would be easy… (Do you eat chicken??). Driving is simple.
Or you could fly into Santiago de Compostela and drive around Galicia–we went last May and I hope to return in June, solo…
Maribel will guide you very well, I’m sure, and I wrote a report about the eating in Galicia from last May…
I did the driving on a trip to Sicily last September…a little more dicey going into the towns but great food, as you know…I wrote about two Sicilian trips in the last two years on this site… But Spain would be easier alone with a car, I think…although I’m kind of partial.
Driving is indeed simple, as we’ve done it extensively.
There are too many dining options even to mention in one post, they are actually endless, from San Sebastián (more Michelin stars per capita in Spain) to Bilbao and environs (especially the Urdaibai Biosphere and Getaria, closer to SS on the coast), to Santander (some of the best are in the Cantabrian province), to Asturias (I could write a book, actually I’ve written a guide), to Galicia, from Santiago down to Rías Baixas, where I helped erica1 with her itinerary.
If you love seafood, this is the trip for you! The Cantabrian Sea offers up an incredible bounty of incredible seafood!
And there are lovely, charming, atmospheric lodgings along the entire way. Just ask!
So many exciting options! I was thinking San Sebastián and Bilbao for the joint trip, flying in and out of Madrid (which we both love) so that we could tack on a couple days there. Maybe dive through Rioja which I remember being beautiful. We have done some of Galicia; I walked the Camino and he and Lulu came and met me at the end. Asturias definitely sounds interesting to me. Thanks for the tips. They will keep me in day dreams for the next few months!
Please, Maribel, how can I access your guide to Asturias? You provide incredible resources. You should be awarded some kind of prize for your fantastic, comprehensive knowledge of Spain!
Did anyone mention Asturias? Some of the best food we’ve had anywhere. Would love to see Maribel’s guide. Some of my picks I know are Maribel approved (unless something changed).
This is the itinerary of our trip pretty much. The Asturias picks start after Salamanca
I mentioned Asturias and agree. Not only the best food but among the best two weeks I’ve ever spent in Spain. Where else can you find that combo of fantastic food within such a small area, with both mountains and gorgeous seacoast so close to each other??
This is what you are looking for, and it’s wonderful!!! I still regret not having visited the “seafood temple,” GUEYU MAR, but will get there someday soon, I hope!! (We loved Ribasedella but dined at the excellent LA HUERTONA, instead…).
Your pics, Ziggy, were certainly “Maribel” approved! Especially that adventure into the forest to reach El Molín de Mingo! Yes, Asturias has some of the best food anywhere!
I´m working now on my updated guide, although erica has given you a link to the previous one, that I’m in the process of updating. Thanks Erica!!
Please be patient and I’ll put a link here to the updated pdf soon.
I need to add to it a few new places in the Cuenca Minera, the former mining area, below Oviedo, near Mieres, where José Andrés was born.
The Cuenca Minera is a region not often visited but that has some amazing new restaurants, such as Roble by Jairo Rodríguez, Casa Chuchu and especially Monte and El Asador de Abel Casa Farpón. So certainly add those last two to your next Asturian road trip!
I agree that La Huertona in Ribadesella is excellent as is Güeyu Mar. We have a two week trip planed in mid August to Asturias to escape the Madrid heat and will base for our first week outside of Ribadesella, one of my favorite coastal towns and for the next week in coastal Coaña closer to the Galician border in western Asturias. Great dining on the coast!
Flying in and out of Madrid/Bilbao sounds like a great option and cheap too, I checked the trains and it’s a 4-5 ride with a bus at the end, no thanks Renting a car would be cool if you had a few weeks, I was looking hard at Bilbao and the surrounding area for 2026, there or London/Dublin.
Yes, the train from Madrid is a PITA, as it’s a long slog, although with no bus ride at the end. Currently there are only 2 Alvia trains without a connection, that depart at either 7:20 am or 17:37 pm.
Because we live in Madrid, we drive. It takes us about 4.5 hours.
Bilbao is a fantastic dining destination, as well as its suburbs and the Urdaibai.
A few ideas for Vizcaya/Bizkaia from Macarfi
And for Guipúzcoa/Gipuzkoa:
https://macarfi.com/en/gui/restaurants.
And now for Asturias:
The 7:20 am train would be doable, but the flights are so inexpensive.
You not traveling this summer?