PUTXERA

The PUTXERA or RAILWAY STEW, is an extraordinary dish made with beans, bacon, chorizo and black pudding which dates back to the time of the steam engines, when La Robla engine drivers, during their long rail journeys, heated up their food thanks to the steam from the train boilers.

Balmaseda, the town where this gastronomic tradition originated, has another typical recipe: potatoes with anchovies, which are also known as Balmaseda-style potatoes.

The PUTXERA consists of a container which acts as a pot, embedded into a metal frame reinforced with rivets and made using traditional methods. At a short distance from the base of the cylinder, there is a small hatch through which combustion is controlled by blowing air with a pair of bellows when required, and through which charcoal is introduced.