Due to the strength of the Catholic faith in Spain, there remain many convents in the country and many nuns within these convents. In order to support themselves (beyond whatever stipend is given from the church and the local parish), many of these convents have branched out into other businesses, the most popular of which is baking and other sweets.
We are located near several convents and went out the other morning to sample these convent dulces and see how well these nuns could cook. Our first stop was Santa Paula, which is famous for its nineteen varieties of jam and marmalade. We were greeted by what may be the world's oldest nun, who would not allow me to take her photo in fear that the camera would steal a part of her soul (at least that is my translation, although I do not speak Spanish very well). At any rate, she led us into a very small room with a glass showcase full of jam. After a lot of deliberation, we decided to go with raspberry and lemon (pictuerd above).
Our second stop was much more interesting. we visited Santa Ines, which is located nearby our apartment but is more of an enclosed order where the nuns are not allowed to see the general public. Nonetheless, these enterprising nuns still run a busy baking business and have adapted the lazy susan (pictured above) to meet their needs. Upon entering the convent, there is a wall with the lazy susan, a price list and a buzzer. Instead of having to interact with the world's oldest nun (as at Santa Paula), you instead ring a bell which alerts the world's second oldest nun, and apparently despite not being allowed to see the public, she is allowed to speak with them. You let her know your order and within minutes, the lazy susan spins around and a new section contains your baked goods. You then place your money back on the lazy susan, it spins around once again and you are given your change. Obviously this hinges partially on the honor system, however, I'm pretty sure that these nuns do not get ripped off very often.
Thankfully, the nuns of Santa Paula and Santa Ines are great cooks and we have been enjoying our jams and cookies all week. We may pop into a couple of more convents to see what their specialties are and also to see if we can finally get one of these sisters to pose for a snapshot.
We are located near several convents and went out the other morning to sample these convent dulces and see how well these nuns could cook. Our first stop was Santa Paula, which is famous for its nineteen varieties of jam and marmalade. We were greeted by what may be the world's oldest nun, who would not allow me to take her photo in fear that the camera would steal a part of her soul (at least that is my translation, although I do not speak Spanish very well). At any rate, she led us into a very small room with a glass showcase full of jam. After a lot of deliberation, we decided to go with raspberry and lemon (pictuerd above).
Our second stop was much more interesting. we visited Santa Ines, which is located nearby our apartment but is more of an enclosed order where the nuns are not allowed to see the general public. Nonetheless, these enterprising nuns still run a busy baking business and have adapted the lazy susan (pictured above) to meet their needs. Upon entering the convent, there is a wall with the lazy susan, a price list and a buzzer. Instead of having to interact with the world's oldest nun (as at Santa Paula), you instead ring a bell which alerts the world's second oldest nun, and apparently despite not being allowed to see the public, she is allowed to speak with them. You let her know your order and within minutes, the lazy susan spins around and a new section contains your baked goods. You then place your money back on the lazy susan, it spins around once again and you are given your change. Obviously this hinges partially on the honor system, however, I'm pretty sure that these nuns do not get ripped off very often.
Thankfully, the nuns of Santa Paula and Santa Ines are great cooks and we have been enjoying our jams and cookies all week. We may pop into a couple of more convents to see what their specialties are and also to see if we can finally get one of these sisters to pose for a snapshot.
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