Source: Confitería el Riojano

Christmas Day 2015, our 365 days in Madrid On the way to finishing, last night Christmas Eve was the beginning of the Christmas holidays, family lunches and dinners, with friends and co-workers. A good part of these lunches and dinners end with sweets, and we could not forget that in Madrid there are leading establishments when it comes to preparing these delicacies, we already talked about another institution here, The Mallorquina, today's protagonists have parallel stories with many common points: the the Riojano confectionery y Casa Mira, the sweetest Madrid.

We will start with El Riojano Confectionery, is located on Calle Mayor number 10 and is one of the oldest pastry shops in Madrid, founded in 1855. Its founder Damaso Maza, from Rioja, was the queen's pastry chef Maria Christina of Hagsburg.

The stucco decoration on the ceiling, the Elizabethan lamps and sconces, and the magnificent counters and display cases of the store, which were built by royal cabinetmakers with mahogany wood from Cuba, a gift from Queen María Cristina, draw a lot of attention. to his pastry chef, as well as rich bronzes and Carrara marbles.
The original wood-burning oven is still preserved, now (out of use), the cash register and the old scale. True gems.

El Riojano also has a great history, Maza had no descendants and left his business to his two master pastry chefs. They married their children to guarantee the personal and work union of the business. It remained this way for seven generations until the current owners, history repeats itself, received it from their bosses due to lack of descendants. An incredible story of a family business.

Another peculiarity of Riojano is preserving the typical Spanish and Madrid sweets, such as bartollos (a kind of cake with custard), the meringue to sugar; typically Madrid sweet made with sugar that is put in water and produces a digestive drink that in the past people drank after drinking hot chocolate or liqueurs.
Another curiosity, its famous Council pastes. Invented at the time of Alfonso XIII, were a request from the queen. The king had to participate in the councils of ministers even though he was still a child and was extremely bored (which is what being king has to do). The queen asked Mace to prepare a special sweet so that the future king would be motivated and willing to wait for breakfast time to enjoy the new sweet.

Mira House It offers the “best nougat in Spain”, so strong is its advertising, an artisanal and traditional nougat. It is located very close to the Cuts and the Puerta del Sol, In full Madrid of the Austrias, in Carrera de San Jerónimo number 30.

Luis Mira A master nougat artisan from Jijona tried his luck in Madrid. He left Jijona with a cart pulled by two donkeys, loaded with nougat, and set off towards Madrid. Legend has it that he had to restart his journey four times, since he sold all the nougat before arriving in Albacete.

The business began in 1842 in a position in the Plaza Mayor and opened its current location precisely in 1855, as El Riojano. The business of Luis Mira, who was 21 years old when he arrived in Madrid, is today one of the most significant nougat stores in Europe.

Mira had five children, four girls and a boy who died at the age of twenty-four. Her eldest daughter, Carlota Mira, married Vicente Ibañez from Alicante, who took over the reins of the company upon the death of his father. The current owner is already the sixth generation. He is the great-great-grandson of the founder Luis Mira, who runs the business today.

Another family business that has stood the test of time, two century-old businesses that proudly display their corresponding license plates. Mingote which certifies them as centenary businesses in Madrid.

Two frequent stops on our bike routes of markets and merchants.

A hug and merry Christmas.