34. Valor Adult Pleasure Chocolate and Easter in Spain

Chocolate shows up everywhere at Easter, but Spain tells a different story once you look past the shop displays. We’re leaning into that contrast by taking you to Villajoyosa in Alicante, home of Valor, the historic Spanish chocolate brand founded in 1881 and still family-owned today. What starts as a “local factory next door” quickly turns into a global business that exports to over 60 countries, and we talk through what that kind of growth looks like when your cocoa has to be sourced abroad.

We also get nerdy about Spanish chocolate tradition: cacao arriving in Spain in the 1500s via Seville, the original thick and bitter drink, and why hot chocolate here still feels like a ritual rather than a quick mug of cocoa. If you’ve ever searched for Spanish hot chocolate, chocolate con churros, or the best food experiences in Spain, you’ll recognise the details that matter: texture, timing, and how these treats anchor social moments. We also share what the free Valor factory tour is like, the surprisingly memorable “placer adulto” advertising that helped shape the brand, and why Valor cafés are such a smart extension.

Then we shift to Semana Santa and Easter in Spain, including the key 2026 dates, the cities that deliver the most intense Holy Week atmosphere (think Seville, Malaga, Valladolid), and the seasonal sweets and street-level senses that define it all, from torrijas and mona de Pascua to incense and palm braiding. Stick around for our first ever giveaway with the boutique hotel Mansión Iturbe in Pátzcuaro, Mexico, and tell us what your ultimate Easter treat is. Subscribe, share, and leave a review so more curious travellers and food lovers can find us.

Transcript

Sponsor And Season Welcome

SPEAKER_01 0:06

This episode of the Maiden Spain podcast is powered by Goco Energy. Clean natural energy for life at the speed of Go.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Welcome to season six, episode four. And today we are the Easter season, Laura. So we're gonna talk a little bit about chocolate. Um, but before we begin, uh, I'm Nalini Sharma.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

And my name is Laura Senior Garcia, and we are your co-host for the Maiden Spain podcast. Nalini, I have to tell you, I love your dress. Oh, thank you. Thanks. Yeah, a little bit more serious than last episodes. I feel like we can't wear any bling for like the next year or something.

Easter Chocolate Through A Spanish Lens

SPEAKER_00 0:45

I know, I'm like blinged out after carnival. Now, uh, we thought this would be fitting because we have um, you know, it's the Easter season. You sort of associate, well, at least I do associate Easter with chocolate, because chocolate eggs, chocolate, chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, but it's a very different story here in Spain when it comes to Easter and Easter celebrations. We'll talk about that later. Today we're gonna focus on a very Spanish brand. We're getting back to you know the roots of our podcast back home. And it is um actually a chocolate manufacturer, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:23

Yes. So today's episode is called Chocolate Tradition and Easter in Spain. Okay. So we finished our last episode at UPIC in Trinidad in Port of Spain, talking about the fact that actually Trinidad has cocoa that you know is uh grown there and harvested. And now we're going to a chocolate producer here in Spain, and then we'll talk a little bit about Easter. But I have to say, the my fascination about Valor actually came in a very weird way. Okay. So I was working in Houston, Texas, and I went into an Epicurean supermarket where they have like super nice gourmet products and high-end, you know, this, that, and the other, which again, I had not been exposed to that kind of stuff here before. That was not common until like a corte inglés started bringing in these gourmets, you know, like uh supermarkets and whatever. That was not really a thing here. So in Houston, it was a thing before. So I walk into the supermarket and I'm walking down the aisle and all of a sudden I see valor and I see the chocolate bars in Houston, and I'm like, wait, that's like the factory in Villa Joyosa next to where we live. Before that, I had no idea that they were so big and that they market uh and you know they they are in so many different places that I never thought about it. I just thought, okay, it's this like local chocolate factory. Right. There are more chocolate factories and chocolate brands in Villa Joyosa. I think there's tonda, etc. I want to make it very clear, we are not sponsored by Balor. No, we just have it, happen to have it there. Yeah. Yeah. And to be honest, like I honestly think that they weren't even that nice to us when we went to the visit. But that doesn't take away the history and what the brand has achieved. And we wanted to talk about it because it was like, okay, this is a cool experience, cool thing that we can recommend for people to do.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Absolutely. The tour is free, and um, I mean, we'll okay, we gotta sort of get to the history of the the brand itself.

Valor Origins And Global Reach

SPEAKER_01 3:36

So I can provide some history and then uh Nalini can talk a little bit about as well what she and what we experienced in the tour and stuff, but let us give you the background on the on the brand itself, and then Nalini will give you some background on the experience of going to the Valor factory. So Valor was founded in 1881. I seem to recall that there there are some chocolate bars that are either the current ones or the former ones that have that on the actual wrapping, like the 1880 ones. Yeah, probably. I think I think they do. And their founder was Valeriano López Lloret, and it was founded in Villa Joyosa in Alicante. I do not know how, you know, because Villa Joyosa is kind of like a fishing town, was a fishing town, developed into something more than that. If you look for Villa Joyosa, and it's an interesting spelling because it's V-I-L-L-A-J-O-Y-O-S-A, you're gonna see something pretty unique, which are these very colorful houses.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

Yeah, it's an interesting little town.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Yeah, it's an interesting little town, it's got uh nice beaches, like really big beaches, but the they've they've got this like strip of extremely colorful houses. So usually if you Google it, that's the first thing that's gonna come up. So I'm not sure how a chocolate factory is founded there, because we don't grow cocoa in Spain. No, so it it is like where does this you know chocolate cut, but anyway, from the 1800s, it is so it was 144 years old in 2025, and this is the kicker, it exports to over 60 countries, right? And the other thing is, well, apart from the fact that it's absolutely huge, it's still family-owned, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:24

So the family still owns it, it's still a family-run business, and I mean uh uh I just think it's an amazing story how this one man started it and it passed down from you know one generation to the other, and they really had a sort of slow organic growth, but also um sustainable because they are bigger than ever now.

Cocoa Sourcing And Sustainability Questions

SPEAKER_01 5:46

Yes, they are. So why don't you tell us a little bit about the sourcing side of it?

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Because I know we talked about okay, so um, we did a tour we at the factory, which we'll touch on in a second, but from what we understand, that some of their cocoa pods are sourced in parts of Central America, yes, um, as well as parts of Africa.

How Spain Learnt To Drink Chocolate

SPEAKER_01 6:05

Yeah, so I think they specifically mentioned Ghana, Ivory Coast, and they do have a focus. Again, we have not investigated this. Right. So I'm going on the fact that this is true, that they have a sustainable focus. Because I know one of the things I didn't know much about the chocolate industry, uh, know a little bit through the factory visit that we did, but I did listen to a podcast with Mr. Beast on it because he started that, you know, chocolate company. Yes, and it was very interesting. One of the reasons he started is because there are a lot of like not so nice things about the chocolate industry. Yeah, of course. And he was trying to break away from that, right? Like fair trade and like sustainability. So Valor says that they are definitely focused on that, but very much Spanish company, as you said, sourcing from different places, uh and uh it definitely it kind of seems like it begins a lot in West Africa, yes, and the ritual kind of ends here in Spain. So a a little bit about Spanish chocolate tradition here in Spain. So I do think I don't know if it's around the world, maybe it's like I don't know, Spanish people have a sweet tooth or something, but I think other countries do as well. Uh I people love chocolate here, yeah. Like it is, and you know, like if I I think of uh Valor is like the more uh let's say developed, and we'll talk about how they commercialize and so on uh later, but the kids and everything, you know, there's like so many different chocolate brands, and you know, people enjoy a little bit of chocolate or the turron after a meal. So cocoa or cacao, I should say, arrived here in Spain in the 1500s via Seville, and it was originally consumed as a drink, okay, and it it wasn't really what we know today because it was thicker, much more bitter, of course, and spiced. Yeah. So I can see that. Yeah, because I mean now most of it has like milk in it and a bunch of sugar, and the monasteries actually debated whether it broke fasting rules. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:12

Because I guess it was quite rich, quite rich, and also I think in if you look at sort of food history, uh coco or cocoa powder, you know, sort of the raw original um form of it, I think it was used not as a sweet no, it was used like in cooking and probably more savory things. Well, if I think about it, like even mole. Oh yeah, I was about to say that's like you know, and that's Spanish their origins in fr from Spain for that.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

Yeah, and it's cut very cacao and it's that bitter sort of mole. Because I again when I think cacao now, I think sweet, I think chocolate. Right. I think of all the things that are more like your chocolate bars, yeah. But actually the way that cacao was originally consumed here in Spain was in a drink. Yes. And that's actually what we have on the table. And we're gonna be doing in our slice of life today, is we're gonna be preparing a hot chocolate.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

And you know what's interesting is that these um this type of uh cocoa powder, I would not find that in a supermarket, let's say in North America per se. This type, do you know what I mean? For hot chocolate. No, but we would have something like prepared, like prepared that has sugar in it, like a Nesquick or a Yeah, like a cola cau. Yeah, exactly. That's more I'm not saying I would not find that, but you wouldn't find it in that find this one. Yeah, that type of preparation, it would be more for um cooking or baking, for example, or maybe in a health food shop, you know, that you would use it for different purposes. But if you were looking for hot chocolate, you would typically find the chocolate that's very sweet.

SPEAKER_01 9:53

It's quite funny because here on the actual packaging it says, you know, at your own kind of taste. If you want it thicker, you need to let it sit for longer. If you like it lighter and a little less kind of dense, uh you can real uh kind of uh how do you say it, mix it down with milk or water. Okay. And this is the kicker at the end. If you like it much more consistent after pouring this in, you can actually pour a couple of the squares. That's what it says here. Ounces of the actual chocolate bar. I'm like, I don't know what kind of chalcaholic you have to be for that, but that is intense. So we'll try making this in our slice of life. Okay. So, Nalini, why don't you talk just a little bit about the whole kind of like Valor commercials? Because I think that's very unique.

Visiting The Free Valor Factory Tour

SPEAKER_00 10:47

Okay, so we did the uh we'll talk, let's just talk about the factory tour. One of the nice things about you know, learning about Valor is that they have um a factory, the factory in Villosa, and they do tours. You sign up online, the tours are free. You can do a tour in Spanish or in English. Um, and I thought it was super funny the tour that we went on, where I think I was the only English-speaking person on the tour, and the the tour guide, he doesn't really speak, he just kind of shuffles you from room to room. But the video and the presentations they have are completely in English. Because we went to that slot that was the English, English slot. But I don't know if the people who went on the tour realized it was an English.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

So 90% of the people who were on the tour, I think it was like another two people other than us. Most of the people that were on the tour with us did not speak English. And what had happened is that was the last time available. And I could hear the one person going, like, I don't understand what they're saying. And then the guy's like, Well, sorry, you signed up to an English law. Again, they're not extremely service-oriented, but I will say this. So it's clever because they make you put your credit card number in if you don't show up as five euros. Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

So which is very smart. No, it's good because they are opening their factory and there's a museum, there's a presentation room. Um, you, you know, it's an it's a nice, it's an interesting tour. And trust me, there were it was fully booked because people are looking for something to do on a, you know, Saturday, Sunday, Saturday. And it's, you know, it's the weather's not the best right now. So they thought, oh, we're gonna go to the, you know, the factory tour, the chocolate. Yeah, I don't know that I would do that in the middle of the summer.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

Like I think it's more of like uh, like you said, something that you can do, like a Christmassy activity. And of course at the end you get to go to the chocolate shop.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Yeah, there's a shop and then it's like fully uh serviced. But we ended up actually going to the location in the town, which is a beautiful. Um, one of the things that's really nice is just they, I mean, the focus is chocolate. The Valor Cafe. I don't know what you want to call it. It's like a they are cafeteria, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

So in Viajoyosa, there's one embedded or really nice.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

It's focused on chocolate. So you can have all the different types of chocolates, uh, whether it's in chocolate form or in a drink form, or I don't know, all the different things they have. But yeah, it's actually really special. And I think maybe, you know, people might take it for granted because there's not a lot of places that you can I can think of that you can go that's so chocolate focused.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

Oh, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

You know?

SPEAKER_01 13:30

I also think the one thing, the one thing from the visit, because in my head, again, we all a lot of us have watched that movie with like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you know. Yeah, it's so whimsical and so on and so forth. And I think there is like a opportunity that they could make it so much more kid friendly. Yeah, it is like fun and happy.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

Uh yeah, I would just recommend that uh if you're I mean, we saw as we were leaving, we saw families coming in with like little kids that were, you know, like toddler-ish age, thinking that maybe this is a nice activity, it's a chocolate factory, you know? And then uh, you know, they're gonna get a video presentation about the origin of the cacao beans.

SPEAKER_01 14:14

It's like going to a meeting or something. I mean, you know, again, it was interesting, but for us it was interesting. But I mean, if I let's say if I were running it, I would say I would make it like a I would make if you come with kids a like whimsical experience, you know, you know, something that's like something exciting. But I do think it was and they have obviously the museum part as well. Yes, so they have all this really old school stuff that they use to make the chocolate, but it's also still quite traditional in terms of the manufacturing process.

The Placer Adulto Advertising Era

SPEAKER_00 14:45

Yeah, we we went on a Saturday and the factory was not, or actually we were it was a Saturday, I think. Or a Sunday. I don't know. I don't know. But we were it was sort of like a holiday time that we had gone. So the factory was not open. But if it were open, I mean that would have been a really interesting um, you know, just to see how they pack package it. Now you're talking about the commercials. I hadn't, okay, I was not exposed to these commercials, obviously, because I did not grow up here. But at the time, I guess Valor really made a name for itself by taking this idea of, you know, a certain line of their chocolate is for adult pleasure. So like that's kind that's really how they marketed it.

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Placer adulto. Adult pleasure. Yeah. Which by the way, I don't know why, but it translates a little bit kind of weird. Like it I know in Spanish it's placer adulto, but yeah, in English it sounds like a little worse. I don't know why. It's the same words, but it sounds a little worse. I think the the I have this distinct memory of the one of the commercials from growing up where it's a girl and she's like a young teenager and she's sitting on the couch, and all of a sudden she's like, you know, doing something that, oh, you know, like kind of like when you know you're meeting with your boyfriend and he's not supposed to be in your house, and you know, like all of a sudden your parents catch you red-handed or something. That's the concept of the commercial, and she is like secretly biting into this like um dark chocolate from Valor. Yeah. And it's like, you know, and the parents are like, oh, you know, like walk in and they're like, oh my god, you know, how could you? And it's like, you know, so it's really some of these commercials like really stick in your mind. It was very clever that it was like they marketed as something where usually chocolate is marketed to kids, and you know, this was like marketed towards like, hey, we understand that this may not be the sweetest tasting chocolate, but it's for adults.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

Like if you're an adult, more sophisticated. It is. Yeah, that I think that was really interesting that the that particular line of chocolate that they, you know, they were marketing, and I I would say too, quite um groundbreaking.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Yeah, and especially it wasn't now, it was a few years ago that they were doing that. Uh, I have to say, because I only watch TV when I watch like streaming services, right? I don't watch commercials anymore, so I don't actually know you know what commercials they're playing, but I think that was very much uh their focus in the past, right? Of how they were marketing it. Yeah. And it worked. I'm like, I still remember the ad.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

No, and they actually they show the ad uh during their tour. So when you do go to the other side and they kind of do like a video, you know, uh history, that's the ad is part of it. And that was because of their their marketing. And you know, you have to think, well, that's pretty groundbreaking for this very particular Spanish company in Villosa of all places. I would love to know who they had hired to come up with a marketing campaign because it's very smart, it's very smart and also sets their brand apart. So you have this Spanish company, um, it's been around since the late 1800s, a family-run business. They've kept true to their roots, and they have some very interesting lines of chocolate.

SPEAKER_01 18:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

So they have, do they not have a vegan?

SPEAKER_01 18:13

I don't know if they have a vegan, but I speak. They also do like the bonbons that I can buy fresh at the store. They do a sugar-free line. Yeah, yeah. Their sugar-free line is actually quite popular. Yes. My favorite is the one with hazelnuts. Oh, okay. I love that. Because it kind of in my head it's like Nutella, you know, like when you eat it together, it's like, but they have the really good one with almonds. Yes. Again, almonds from this region, and then the bonbons, they have one that has sea salt and olive oil that is so good.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Yeah, and I think it's really smart because I can't think of other than let's say, okay, Godiva chocolate, for example. They have Godiva stores. But what's really sets, I think, Valor apart is that they have their cafes.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Yeah, which is like you said, funny and weird at the same time that you can go in and have a piece of toast and a coffee. Uh, you may not have chocolate.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

No, but it is like there's a heavy chocolate focus to it. Yeah, in that it smells like it smells delicious, and they have all the different types of hot chocolate that you can have that you probably would not make for yourself at home, but just very rich, uh, a little indulgent. But I think it's a brilliant, you know, um, marketing extension for them that they offer it in their own cafes. Yes. And they're just in normal little places and just in the town, you know, your local little place.

SPEAKER_01 19:37

With the churros. Yeah. Because that's the other thing is chocolate con churros is such a typical thing here. Yes. And it has so many connotations from a social ritual standpoint. For example, at carnival and at some of the big parties and all this kind of stuff, the way you know things have like we're at the end is they serve chocolate gonchuros. Oh, okay. You know, like right at the end. Or maybe sometimes in a wedding at like eight o'clock in the morning after you know you got the three survivors there and they're like serving chocolate gonchuros. Oh, okay. It's kind of a also symbolic thing to like end something. Oh, I didn't know that. That's interesting. Yeah, a lot of times you have that chocolate gonchuros, and then also in um like in Madrid as well, there's a lot of tradition to go out for chocolate conchurros in the afternoon. And actually in Benedorm as well, there's a massive valor that is in a corner, and they do the churros as well.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

Oh, okay. Yeah. We had a nice after we did the tour, we didn't stay for the, we didn't do our shopping there. We actually went to the town and had a nice breakfast.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

I just keep thinking about our guide and how not guide typical he was. Because usually, you know, guides are like really friendly and like, you know, yeah. It's like, here's a museum. Here's the expressed play.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

It's like it was a very funny the the tour itself. I mean, it was interesting for us, but it was also it was a funny tour because of just the language barrier. And I thought it for once I'm the one who's understanding everything.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

I'm not left out. Yeah, it was it was really, really funny. Okay, so slice ali.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

Laura, super exciting. We have a giveaway. We've got a really interesting partnership with a boutique hotel.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

Our first ever giveaway. So we are super committed, as our listeners know, to preserving cultural heritage and also to women-empowered stories, you could say.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

Absolutely. Now, this partnership is with a boutique hotel, and the name of it is Mancion y Turbe.

SPEAKER_01 21:45

Mancion y Turbe, exactly like Nalini said, and it is in a place in Mexico called Batzcuaro. Right.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

In the Michoacan area of Mexico, which, if you had to do a geographical sort of reference, it would be west of Mexico. City. And um, I mean, it seems odd that we have a podcast called Made in Spain, but we have a giveaway for a boutique hotel in Mexico. So the name, we sort of, you know, we do outreach all the time. We do research to, you know, uh, of interest. And this hotel stuck out to us because we both thought that they were from the north, the hotel was located in the north of Spain because of the name of the hotel.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

Yes, Iturbe is uh is a name that you would definitely associate with the vast country. But then when we started digging in and reading more about them, it's like a museum hotel. Yes, and the town is super interesting. So we haven't been yet, but it is definitely on the plans. Yeah, so for the giveaway, yes, you as our listeners get the chance to win three days that you can use anytime during the next three years with a person of your choice. So Pate Cuaro, Mexico may not be in your travel plans yet, but dream big and something that you know to look forward to, and you got some time to plan. So we wanted to make sure that you know there was time to actually enjoy it if you win the giveaway.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

Okay, and to do that, you have to, it's very simple, you have to follow two Instagram accounts. One is Mencion Itube, and that is at M-E-N-S-I-O-N-I-T-U-R-B-E.

SPEAKER_01 23:23

And the other account is at the Maiden Spain podcast, both of them on Instagram. This one is not going to be available on TikTok, just on Instagram, and you have to comment on the comments who you'd bring for a chance to win. For extra chances to win, you have to repost the post that talks about the giveaway in your stories. Yes, and that will give you an extra chance to win. We will announce the winner on April 22nd. Yeah, and we'll be using one of the very fair tools that they have to be able to uh pick the winner on Instagram. So good luck to everyone. Yeah. And we hope that you love it. And whoever wins, we will be in touch to document your experience in this very unique place.

SPEAKER_00 24:09

Yeah, unique and you know, uh female-led story, boutique hotel, very um, you know, sustainable food that they have. It's just yeah, really a special place. And we had the pleasure of speaking with the owner. So we're super excited and a little jealous that we won't be able to, you know, visit immediately, but good luck to all.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

Yes, and thank you to Margarita and her brother for making this happen.

SPEAKER_00 24:37

Slice of life. Okay, so we're up to it. Slightly different in slice of life today. Slightly different. We're in the kitchen and we've been talking about Valor, so we're actually gonna make some hot chocolate. Yay! Right. So I'm gonna measure this here. It says I think uh 250 ml. Yes. And I mean, you can measure it or you can, well, let me just do two of these, average it. So this is gonna be hot chocolate. Perfect. Right.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

So we've now put that to heat, and we need to wait for it to heat a bit before we put the chocolate in. Okay. So, and actually we need to make sure that this is now it's taking it. You know, I love these induction things, but I also hate them.

SPEAKER_00 25:18

No, I know, because it has to catch like the whatever thing is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

So in today's slice of life, apart from making ourselves a cup of hot chocolate, which I think at this time of the year will probably be the last time that we'll be able to enjoy hot chocolate because it's gonna get really warm.

SPEAKER_00 25:36

It's gonna get warm. Uh, we're talking about Easter in Spain. Okay. Now we were just also discussing the fact that Easter here is very traditional. Yes. You'd be hard pressed to find the Easter bunny.

SPEAKER_01 25:49

So the Easter bunny you'll find like chocolate Easter bunnies, you'll find, you know, chocolate eggs, you'll find, you know, the things to buy in the supermarket. But traditionally here, uh now it's starting to become more of a thing. Yeah. But it's not like the Easter bunny bit visits schools, or it's not like the Easter uh you don't have uh an what do you call it, an egg hunt?

SPEAKER_00 26:10

Yeah, the egg hunt. So you do like an Easter egg hunt, usually on I mean, maybe not Easter Sunday, but the at least the a Sunday leading up to Easter, you know, in a park or a farm or something like that.

Key Semana Santa Dates For 2026

SPEAKER_01 26:24

So that is not the case here. So we wanted to give you some of the key dates for Easter here in Spain for 2026, and we have them written down because I don't know them off by heart. But Palm Sunday will be happening on March 29th. Uh, Holy Thursday will be April 2nd this year. Good Friday is April 3rd, and Easter Sunday in 2026 is gonna be April 5th. Okay. So if you happen to be visiting Spain during this time, or if you happen to be, you know, curious about what some of the best cities are to experience Easter. Last year we went to Granada, but let me take a little pause. Melini, what did you just put in there? I put in, you told me four. Yeah, so four per cup.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

Okay, I put in uh seven. Okay, I didn't put in eight because I felt like I put in very big t sh like heaping spoons.

SPEAKER_01 27:24

So supposedly you can adapt this based on the thickness, and you can adapt it based on a lot of different things. As we mentioned during the episode, there's a few different ways that you can make this, but we have been told repeatedly that it's non-stop whisking so that you try to get away from the big lumps of chocolate. Yeah. And you know, I'm sure this is gonna come out really yummy. I don't know if are we gonna add sugar or we're just gonna go with like the chocolate itself. Does this not have sugar? I don't know. Let's see what it actually has in it. So the ingredients it smells like it has sugar. Yes, oh yeah. Oh goodness, it does have sugar. So it actually has per every hundred grams. I don't this cannot be right. It says it's per every hundred grams, it says 66 grams of sugar.

SPEAKER_00 28:19

Um is that right? Okay, so it's a lot of sugar.

Best Cities For Holy Week

Older Easter Rules And Procession Sweets

SPEAKER_01 28:23

It's a lot of sugar, but it's okay. Okay, it's okay. We'll get through it. So a little more about the cities that you would visit. So for sure, as we even mentioned last year when we went to Granada, uh, South is where you're going to get the most authentic traditional experience. Right. So Seville and Malaga. Uh, in Seville, it's very dramatic. There's a lot of the hermandales, the silence procession as well that you're going to experience, which we experienced some of that in Granada last year. In Malaga, there's a lot of military tradition around Easter. Yeah. And then you have Valladolid. It's very um uh actually more the old school Easter. So I asked some of my family members that lived through Easter here in Spain a long time ago, and they said things have really, really changed. So before, uh, Easter in Spain used to be very somber. Is that what you yeah? So it was you weren't supposed to sing. Uh, the only music that could be listened to if it was a traditional Catholic family, would be like hymns. A lot of it revolves around going to church, right? Uh observing Lent, so no kind of consumption of meat, and more austere, I think that's how you say the word.

SPEAKER_00 29:44

Well, typically, wouldn't you on uh the Good Friday eat fish? I think so, yeah.

Hermandades Torrijas And Mona De Pascua

SPEAKER_01 29:49

It's more of like a fish, like but the one thing that stood out to my aunt in particular that I said, you know, what's your like key memory of Easter here? And she has always had a bit of a sweet tooth and liked to eat. She said before the people that would come out with the big kind of uh hats that we discussed last time, they kind of look like the KKK, but thankfully they're not. Right. Oh, right, yeah. The capirotes, the caparotes, uh, they were uh they would give out these massive sweets. Okay, and they were shaped like a little, like a little cane, like a walking cane. Right. But I don't know if she was exaggerating this because she was remembering it as a child, but what she remembered is the size of them. Oh, that's it. That they were like this big, they were absolutely massive, and she thinks that they stopped giving those out because those are extremely expensive. Right. And it's just like she hasn't seen that now. In the Easter processions, they may have some sweets, but not these massive uh candy canes that they used to give out. Yes. So gonna look up some pictures and some video of that, but apparently that's what the caproats would give that all the kids would really look forward to this massive candy canes. So, some cultural pieces we talked about the brotherhoods. Uh, they have these hermandades that it is an honor to be the one that is carrying the Christ or the Virgin that they're carrying out of the church, and there's a you have to be like a senior member of the brotherhood to do that, right? Uh, so that's a really big deal. And the other thing as well is the kind of sweets that are consumed at Easter.

SPEAKER_00 31:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

It's very specific to the Easter time, like torrijas. Remember when we tried those? Which was the bread sliced with the milk. Yes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:36

So they're very nice. Very nice. Actually, really nice.

SPEAKER_01 31:39

And then the other one is the mona de Pascua. Okay. That I don't know if that's all over Spain or just in the Valencian community. Right. But the mona de Pascua is more uh the one that has like um almost like a bread feel to it, and it's braided, and then in the middle it has an egg. Before that egg used to be just a hard-boiled egg. Right. And more recently it's transitioned. Let me get you a serving cup. So if we like this chocolate to be very, very thick, you would actually let it sit for a while.

SPEAKER_00 32:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 32:15

And then it would become much thicker.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 32:18

And uh, if not, which I believe is what we're gonna do now, is you can do it straight up, which looks a little a lot more milky. Where a lot of people like their chocolate here really thick. So when you dip the churro in, it's kind of coming out that way.

SPEAKER_00 32:33

I also feel you have to like put a lot of chocolate to get it that thick. Yeah, let's get it dry.

Tasting Notes And How Thick Is Too Thick

SPEAKER_01 32:44

And then the other thing as well that I think is worth mentioning about the Easter traditions is the smell on the street, the incense, the wax, as well as the palm braiding, you know, from the palm trees. Yeah. So they do the dry palms. Okay, excellent. So we're gonna try our little hot chocolate here. Or a slice of life. That is sweet. Definitely do not add sugar, okay. No, but this tastes really nice. It is really nice.

SPEAKER_00 33:17

Yeah, it tastes very nice.

SPEAKER_01 33:22

Very yummy. This actually came out really nice. It did. I actually wouldn't like it thicker than this.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

No, me neither.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

I think if it was thicker, it would almost be hard to drink.

SPEAKER_00 33:31

You'd have to have something to dip in it.

SPEAKER_01 33:32

Yeah. And okay, this is not here, but I know like in the US and stuff, they put like marshmallows in it.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

Oh yeah, no. Yeah, I actually don't like marshmallows.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

No, but they would normally there, they don't they do like hot cocoa with Yeah, but also the chocolate does not taste as nice. I think this is very, I mean, obviously it's very sweet. It does have a lot of sugar in it, but it is, I feel like this would give us quite a bit of energy.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

No, it's not that, um it's not that fake.

SPEAKER_01 33:59

No.

SPEAKER_00 34:00

Like it's really tasty. Fake kind of hot chocolate taste.

SPEAKER_01 34:03

No, no, it just tastes like actual chocolate.

SPEAKER_00 34:06

Smooth, yummy hot chocolate.

SPEAKER_01 34:08

Yeah. I don't know how chocolatey it becomes if we then put ounces of a chocolate bar in it, as it says on the package, but I believe that's where hardcore chocolate is.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

No, this is like a nice warm dessert. This is a nice warm dessert. So, do you have any um special memories of Easter?

SPEAKER_01 34:25

Uh well, I mentioned to you I went to a British school growing up, yeah. And for me, the one of the most special memories that I had that I mentioned to you is making the Easter bonnet. Like, I absolutely love that, you know.

SPEAKER_00 34:37

I mean, this sounds like okay, first of all, bonnet is such a hilarious word to me.

SPEAKER_01 34:41

B-O-N-N-E-T, right? Like bonnet. Because it's like I I I've never heard that word used outside of the concept of an Easter bonnet.

SPEAKER_00 34:48

I know it's or like, yeah, anyway, it to me it's a super funny word. But when you mentioned it, I said actually, when I was a child, that was a fun part of you know, going to Sunday school or even in school that you would make an Easter bonnet. And it was something that I liked doing. I liked wearing, even though it was just like a little paper kind of thing that you would decorate and put a ribbon through. But I think I liked it because it always symbolized to me that time of the year that there was change and renewal and you know, a new season. It you know, after Easter, it's kind of spring. So it was always like a really nice memory for me.

SPEAKER_01 35:27

Yeah, I think I mentioned to you spring is probably my favorite season. Uh, you've talked about the fact that autumn's probably your favorite. And when I think of Easter here, the memories that come to mind, definitely the bonnet, definitely trying. I always thought, you know, I was quite artistic, and I always thought, oh, maybe I could make like a really nice painted egg, and they always used to come out horrible. And it was like, it was like, how do people make these really nice eggs? So that was one, and the other one is the palms. Because here in this area, there's such a tradition about these palm braidings, right? And they get intricate.

SPEAKER_02 36:02

Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_01 36:03

That some of them actually I'll I'll show you some of it from Elche. Right. That they like there's people because they have the Palmeral there where they have all these like a palm farm almost for the dates. Yeah, they use the palms to make these intricate designs. Right. And it's extremely special. And some of them are very expensive.

SPEAKER_00 36:22

So but I you know what, even though uh I mean it's tends to be a little bit more somber and solemn here, I think it is fitting because it is what Easter is about. It should not just be about the commercialization of it and you know, the the chocolates and the Easter bunny. That might be a side of it, but sometimes it tends to be the only focus, let's say, in North America. They forget that it's you know that it is the crucifixion of Christ. Yeah. And then he rises. Yeah. That is the story of Easter and why you, you know, you have carnival, you have the Lent, and then you lead up to this, that you're making the sacrifice. It's kind of similar if you think about it to Christmas, yes.

SPEAKER_01 37:03

Where, you know, okay, here it has become a lot more commercial as well, and Santa Claus, and that's got nothing to do with what supposedly the 24th and all of that was. But here I think Easter is probably one of the only holidays in the year. And by the way, the kids like my daughter's gonna get almost three weeks off school, so you know, so but I would say Easter here is still one of the least commercial holidays of the whole year. Because there's no presents, there's no Easter bunny really. No, you know, I'm not sure that it's as fun for the kids, but it's definitely much more uh going back to pure root of tradition.

SPEAKER_00 37:45

Yeah, and I think that's important. Yeah, it's celebrated the way it should be.

Phrase Of The Day And Goodbye

SPEAKER_01 37:49

So hot chocolate, and to wrap up our slice of life, our sentence of the day. Yes. So today is darse un capricho. Uh okay, I don't know. Not what I don't know. So to give yourself a treat. Oh, okay. That's a caprito, yeah. Perfect. So that's the sentence of the day. And capricho is a cute word. It's a cute word, yeah. Yeah, it's like uh, you know, something that you wouldn't normally like something a little bit decadent, like a sweet, like a treat, like a cake.

SPEAKER_00 38:22

Good. Awesome. That's what we have. Awesome. All right, bye everyone. Bye, bye. The Maid in Spain podcast is fueled by Goco Energy, refreshingly real energy that keeps the good vibes going.