Well, this is becoming routine as I search my vault for pictures, finding gems not yet in my blog, I happened to come into one that had mentioned in another post and figure deserves more of it, This is one of my favorite cities of my dear Spain, Segovia, from an early age , I think first time was when I was 10 years old with my mother Gladys; I keep coming back over the years, then with my wife Martine , and then with my parents Gladys and Elio, and with my sons and and ….lost count but each time is like the first time. There is the Meson Candido but more there is the monument, restaurant,and culinary genious of Candido !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
I parked by here each time in the city which vast majority of times is by car from Madrid, I thnk came once by bus,,, There by the parking each time out saw the Monument Candido, Mesonero Mayor De Castilla ,by the intersection of Calle Puente de Sancti Spiritu, Calle de los Hoyos, and Plaza Ezequiel Gonzalez, At first did not realise who was in the statue until one day came in for a closer look, Behold this is a monument to Candido !!! In the centenary of the birth of the Segovian genius, a group of illustrious writers and journalists extolled and celebrated the figure of this mythical character that amount to an empire in the shadow of the aqueduct, before the house that Pedro de Cuellar, financier and supporter of Enrique IV of Castilla in the 15C, Candido promoted Spanish cuisine, for creating a tradition such as cutting the pig with a dish to demonstrate the perfect roast point, and for the show of the ritual that was (and is) that the dish later was shattered when throwing it against the ground, and for much more, Cándido sadly died on August 16, 1992 in Segovia. On April 10, 1996, the Cándido monument in Segovia was inaugurated with the presence of the Cándido family.
One of the best of Segovia’s gastronomy, owner of a famous restaurant in Segovia, the Mesón de Cándido. He was awarded the title of Mesonero Mayor de Castilla, on October 18, 1953, the title was granted for the brotherhood of the twelve apostles, title endorsed by King D. Juan Carlos I . Cándido was born in Coca, province of Segovia in 1903 , and at an early age he would begin to carry out works as a cook at the Gran Café-Restaurant La Unión. At 27, Cándido married by sponsorship, the daughter of Doña Micaela Casas, owner of the Mesón del Azoguejo. In 1931, in a memorable date for Spanish cuisine, according to the Marqués de Lozoya, Cándido takes over the now Mesón Cándido, turning its ovens of roasting , He counted as one of loyal customers the Spanish royal family, and visiting Segovia included for them the day plan of sitting at one of the tables.
Awards: Mesonero Mayor de Castilla, Alcázar de Oro de Segovia, gold medal to merit at work, gold medal to merit in the hospitality industry, Gold Medal of Merit to Tourism, Gold Medal of the National Federation of Restaurantors, Official Cross of the Civil Merit, Knight of Tourism of Castilla y León (Gold Category), Knight of the Order of Isabel la Católica and Chevalier du Mérite Touristique (France) .. Books about him and his cooking are: Cooking of Candido : Memories of the Mesonero Mayor de Castilla, I , Candido and Cándido, Mesonero de Leyenda
The Mesón de Cándido is located at Plaza del Azoguejo, next to the aqueduct, I have eaten there much earlier and sadly no picture as in time when not into taking pictures, each time back when elsewhere, The Mesón as such originally opened in September 1786, Cándido works from his early childhood as a cook, and over time he owns the Meson del Azoguejo in 1931. His gold books , those signed by guests ,constitute a valuable bibliographic collection; with their signatures, autographs and opinions of its visitors; kings, emperors, members of royal houses, heads of state, politicians, ambassadors, Nobel Prizes, writers, poets, artists of all classes, who honored with their physical presence and left their memory. In the gallery of illustrious men and in framed scrolls the signatures of these illustrious visitors are offered. Pic from above the aqueduct!
The cochinillo of Segovia or piglet has a geographical scope of its identity summed up only to the province of Segovia, where animals are raised in specific farms dedicated entirely to the production of protected pig. The feeding of mothers, their weight, which ranges between 4.5 kg and 6.5 kg, and their age, which should not exceed three weeks. Only entire animals are marketed, its external color is white and the internal pink , and must always be marked on the right back leg with the label of the guarantee brand «cochinillo of Segovia» the product is marketed in two formats: fresh or roast In traditional wood oven, a variant that collects more fame for its most popular elaboration, roasted in firewood, the animal is placed on its back, and the spine opens from one side to another. It is placed in a clay casserole with water and butter and introduced in the oven, being necessary about 3 hours of cooking. To serve it, it is a tradition in restaurants to leave the roast with a dish that replaces the knife and certifies its tenderness, Buen provecho !
The official Méson Candido of Segovia : https://mesondecandido.es/?lang=en
The Segovia tourist office on maps of sites and city : https://turismodesegovia.com/fr/plano-y-publicaciones
The Comunidad Autonoma region of Castilla y Leon tourist office on the making of cochinillo : https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/gastronomy-wine-tourism/traditional-dishes/roast-sucking-pig-segovia
There you go folks, a wonderful beautiful City of Segovia and its biggest exponent of culinary wonders, This is the Meson Candido of Candido of Segovia. A wonderful town as well ,small enough to walk all over with huge Spanish history around you ,not to leave out great architecture, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the monument, restaurant,and culinary genious of Candido as I
And remember, happy travels, good health ,and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 