That right there is a tall glass of horchata de chufa (orxata in Catalan) and a light, fluffy pastry called a farton. It is a match made in heaven and it is a specialty of Valencia. Horchatería Daniel is where I had my first taste of this delightful pairing.
Daniel is located in an open-air market, which on this day was packed due to Las Fallas building to its fever pitch. We were surprised to find an open table toward the side of the market, facing a closed-off street. We grabbed the table quickly, feeling fortunate and a little cocky that we were able to secure a spot under such crowded circumstances.
The first explosion soon explained why the table was open: the closed-off street was where children and adults alike were lighting off firecrackers, many of which sounded and felt like small sticks of dynamite.
"Una orxata (BOOM!) damn! ...y tres fartones, por (BOOM!)... SHIT! por favor. Gracias." (BOOM!)
Undeterred, we kept our seat and waited it out, like G.I.s in a foxhole under heavy fire. And the wait was well worth it. The horchata de chufa was cold, creamy and had an earthy, sweet, nutty flavor, similar to almond but different. The fartons, while pleasant on their own, turned into the most glorious of confections when dunked into the horchata. I was transformed as I consumed them, as illustrated below.
First you dunk...
Then you place the properly soaked pastry (and your soggy fingers) into your mouth, and you groan with ecstasy as the sensation tickles from your tongue to your brain. It isn't pretty, but it is good...
...then you look around to see if anyone has caught you being the Horchata Monster, until you see everyone else jamming their wet knuckles into their gaping maws because they just can't get enough of this deliciousness either...
...and then you smile, and laugh, and take a sip of the milky goodness while you think about how lovely a world with horchata de chufa con fartones actually is...
And let's not forget how fun a word like farton can be, especially when you are with people for whom English is a second or third language, as is the case with Rosa. She is fluent in English, but it is not her native tongue. Farton is pronounced with an emphasis on the FAR: FAR-ton. When we remarked that one had to be careful about the pronunciation, she was puzzled, but only for a moment. Shortly a smile crossed her face, and then a laugh. It wasn't long before we were all saying things like "I can't wait to get my FART-on" giggle, giggle.
As if the horchata con fartones experience weren't decadent enough, Valencia also offers - particularly during Las Fallas - buñuelos con chocolate. Buñuelos are doughnut-shaped, fried rings of goodness. They are eaten in Spain and much of Latin America. Like the fartons, they are pleasant enough on their own. But dunk them in the rich, thick Spanish hot chocolate and things get so good you might become a bit emotional, muttering with delight as you stuff them into your face.
Poor Cristóbal was looking forward to having buñuelos in Valencia at Fallas time. But he was reluctant to not have more horchata, particularly at Horchatería Santa Catalina, an institution in Valencia. Being the smart man that he is, he ordered both.
Look at how how happy he is, and how much restraint he is showing, patiently waiting for me to take the picture before he can dig in...
So here it was, pretty early in the morning (come to Santa Catalina any later in the day during Las Fallas and you will have to wait) and we are gorging ourselves on buñuelos y chocolate, washing it down with horchata. This produces an intense food rush, with my heart racing and my body refusing to stand still. Perfect for a walk around town looking for where to have lunch.
And that is how we began one of our last days in Valencia - high on two of the local specialties and searching for more.
