Las Doce Uvas de la Suerte

Back home I know how my friends and family will be celebrating the New Year. There will be Sparkling Wine, the Countdown to Midnight, the Ball Dropping in New York City, Kissing, and Singing. There will be Hugging, Well Wishing, and Laughter too.

While I love spending New Year's Eve laughing and toasting and celebrating, this New Years will be very different. I will be in full concentration mode to mentally prepare for the twelve strokes of midnight.

Anne Igartiburu and Imanol Arias
host the countdown to midnight  in Madrid

 My first time encountering this Spanish New Year's Eve tradition was three years ago with Andres' family. We were at a large table in his Aunt's home with his parents and cousins asking casually if I was prepared for midnight, and if I had ever eaten twelve grapes in twelve seconds. While I'm not sure how other's would respond, my answer was "No." No, I had never been put in a position, or had the curiosity, to eat twelve grapes in twelve seconds. I thought, just pop them in, chew, swallow and repeat, right?

The plates were passed and the uvas distributed and that is when I noticed that these were quite possibly the biggest grapes I had ever encountered in my life (they were bigger than I thought even existed, actually). Andres' family must have seen my reaction to my first glimpse, because all eleven relatives began to offer advice, which ended with four different people peeling and seeding my grapes. It's a tricky little scheme and up for debate, but since it was my first time, all agreed to turn a blind eye. Needless to say with some quick maneuvering and a little panic, I finished all twelve with pride.

Las Doce Uvas "De la Suerte" (The Twelve Grape "of luck") tradition started on a large scale in 1909, when the region of Alicante experienced an exceptional grape harvest and was looking to sell. Originally the bourgeoisie celebrated the New Year with Grapes and Champagne, but with such a bountiful harvest the practice was encouraged to spread nation wide. The tradition is that each of the Grapes represents a month of the year, and eating a Grape on each toll of the bell will give you luck for each month devoured.

While New Year's Eve looms ahead, I begin to mentally and emotionally prepare for the task. As my last experience was several years ago, I might have to go the peeled route... or at least the seeded route. So, as you hold your glass of Sparkling Wine and prepare for the countdown, wherever you are, cross your fingers for me.

Happy New Year!

**update**

My dish of seeded grapes
(I opted for skin-on for a bit of a challenge)

Grapes seeded and peeled
with a fork and knife like a pro

A Gingerbread Family

For the Holidays I was feeling a bit sentimental. It would be my first Christmas in Barcelona and my first Christmas married and part of a new family with their own time honored traditions. I was wracking my brain to do something traditional, but new to me. I had already done Apple and Pumpkin Pies for Thanksgiving and was looking for variation. I read through my absolute favorite baking book - The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book (it has everything) to get an idea.

I am a more make-it-up-as-you-go-along savory cook than a measure-it-all-out sweets master, so I have always been very cautious about keeping the right distance away from various baked goods. However, now that I am part of a different culture, I have become interested in the art and have been trying my hand at a number of different recipes. (It helps that Andres is the only one who knows when a recipe doesn't turn out and still digs his fork into my creation with a smile)

When it finally dawned on me to make Gingerbread People, I set off in search of People cookie cutters (I surprisingly found them in a large hardware store I entered to escape the cold while waiting for the bus). Next I went in search of sprinkles, which ended up being much more difficult to find (5 euros for a little tube of Rainbow Jimmies that seemed to have faded in color). I finally found a large jar with four separate types of sprinkles in Caprabo (one of the grocery chains). That would do!

Although the dough "melts" within about eight minutes of being rolled out, Andres and I came down with a system and the cookies turned out perfectly!

The first batch of Gingerbread People prepped for decoration

The cutters I had found were an entire family of Mom, Dad, Little Sister and Little Brother. We snacked on the children while decorating the adults to eat on Christmas Day.

Twenty-five large and fifteen small decorated in total

With four colors of icing, sprinkles, mini m&ms, and Christmas music, the day turned out better than I could have imagined. In hindsight, the Cookies and the Royal Icing were so easy to make, although you have to refrigerate the dough for at least two hours which we didn't plan for. This is a recipe worthy of tradition!

Williams-Sonoma Gingerbread People Recipe

Williams-Sonoma Royal Icing

Caga Tios and Caganers

-The Caga Tío-

Walking around the city it is hard to ignore the logs of varying sizes with little faces and red hats hanging about in shop windows. Do you want a mini log the size of your little finger? Or, perhaps you would prefer one the size of your thigh? Well, you are in luck because they just so happen to come in every shape and size you can dream of!

Some of the various sizes of the Tios

However, it is not the size of the logs, or the fact that they have a little red felt hat reminiscent of Santa's (the traditional Catalan barretina). Nor is it of consequence that they have four little branches as legs or overly excited smiles on  their faces. It is the fact that these little creatures, these Tíos, come from the woods of the Catalan countryside looking for a warm home, love and tender care for several weeks in December. It gets cold here in Catalunya and everyone, even Caga Tíos, need to keep warm.
They come unexpectedly. You may hear a knock on the door, or a tap on the window. You may wake in the morning to find him hanging out in the kitchen or relaxing in el salón. However and whenever he arrives, you must know that you need to care for him. Even in your warm home, he could develop a slight chill, so it is best if you cover him with a little blanket. You also (of course), have to leave him food each night, which he will devour when you are not looking. Naturally, Caga Tíos are as distinct as humans, so you will have to try various foods until you find his favorites. Some have a tendency for sweets like turrón, while others crave something on the healthier side like rice or clementines (it is still up for debate how they manage to peel them if they have no fingers).
Although it may take some coaxing and a bit of work on your part, he must eat. He must eat, because the more he eats, the better and larger gifts he will poop out on Christmas Day. His name, after all, translates to "Pooping Uncle" or "Pooping Guy."
El Tío needs some persuasion to do the deed on the 25th of December, so the children of the household tap on his back while singing a song. An adult in the room will eventually decide to take a peek under the Tío's blanket and discover that, lo and behold, he has pooped out gifts and treats for everyone in the family!

Tios with Catedral de Santa Eulalia in the background

-The Caganer-

Also hard to ignore is the Caganer. Pronounced "caga NAY," this little statue is also partaking in the same deed as the Tío. Frozen in time and squatting forever over a little pile of poop. This figure is also present during the Christmas season and is most typically hidden somewhere within the nativity scene.

Shelves and shelves of Caganers
in any shape, size and form you desire

The most traditional image is of a man squatting with his pants down to his knees wearing traditional Catalan dress along with the red barretina (the same red hat as Caga Tío). But do not fret, you can easily find a Caganer in the shape of your favorite someone- Princess Kate, various U.S. presidents, Homer Simpson, the Catalan president, Spiderman and, of course, any soccer player from Barca. The list goes on and on.

Several hundred years old, this tradition is not only found in Catalunya, but in Murcia (a region south of Catalunya, but not directly), Portugal and Naples (I hope I don't have to explain where the last two are located). There are several different interpretations of this relic, but the most common are:
-Humanity within the mysterious- The position of the Caganer hidden in the nativity scene is meant to contrast the spiritual birth of Jesus and make it a more human experience.
-The cycle of life- It is also thought to be a symbol of human vulnerability and our union with nature. What his body is rejecting is, in turn, useful to the earth.
-Luck- His droppings could be understood as a sign of abundance for the coming year. Good luck, happiness, productivity and wealth to look forward to!

A giant Caganer, that you couldn't miss
even if you tried

While the Tío is a great exercise of the rewards of careful, steadfast work and the Caganer could bring perspective and help fuel dreams and aspirations for the coming year, I can't seem to overcome the slight embarrassment of seeing someone do what should be done behind closed doors. On second thought, as a gift for my first Christmas in Catalunya maybe I will get a Caganer (that will be well hidden and left in his own privacy. And don't expect to find him!) and the smallest version of the Tio (which maybe I could coax out a Hershey's Kiss if I start now).