Traditional Pasteries - Interview with José Ramirez from Pastelería Nevada

In Bilbao's gastronomic culture, the sweet tooth occupies a prominent place. No celebration or family meal is complete without a good dose of pastries.

In order to find out more about traditional pastries from the Basque country we interviewed José Ramirez, master pastry chef and chocolatier, and founder of Pastelería Nevada.

Being founded in 1987, Pastelería Nevada is one of Bilbao’s oldest artisan bakeries and confectioneries. With their two locations, including a factory, the Pastelerías Nevada offer a wide range of traditionally handmade products such as cakes and (puff) pastries, buns, bonbons, truffles, and chocolate figures as well as Seasonal specialties.

Ramirez himself began working as a pastry chef in 1966, joining the "Casa Vasca" pastry shop in Deusto at the age of 19 and becoming the manager of the bakery. From 2000 to 2018 he has been president of the Guild of Artisan Confectioners of Bizkaia and Vice President of the Confederation of Confectionery Entrepreneurs of Spain.

The three most typical pastries are “the Bollo de Mantequilla”, “the Pastel de Arroz” and “the Carolina”.

Ramirez describes the “Bollo de Mantequilla” as an “indispensable piece” when it comes to Biscayan pastry. It is a kind of brioche cut in half and filled with a layer of buttercream, egg and usually a layer of sugar on top.

The story goes that the “Bollos de Mantequilla” were an adaptation of the so-called Swiss milk buns brought to Bilbao in the 19th century by cousins Bernardo Pedro Franconi and Francesco Matossi.

The “Pastel de Arroz” is one of the most sought-after pastries. Curiously, although its name indicates it, it does not contain rice. Its main ingredients are butter, puff pastry, fresh milk, flour, sugar, and egg.

Ramirez explained that there are two hypotheses regarding its origin and the name confusion. It is believed that it began to be called this way because the sailors brought it from the Philippines where pastries were made with rice flour. This was replaced by wheat flour as in those times it was not used much around here. Another theory is that its name is due to the fact that, in the past, it was made with rice pudding instead of the current filling.

Despite its apparent simplicity, the preparation of a rice cake is a challenging job. Controlling the temperature of the ingredients to produce a smooth filling is not an easy task.

The “Carolina” is such a well-known specialty in Bilbao that a personified version of it, "Mr. Karolino", was the mascot of the Bilbao Carnival in 2009.

Legend has it that in the mid-twentieth century, a confectioner in Bilbao wanted to impress his daughter with a unique cake for her birthday. He went on to name the colorful dessert after her, Carolina.

The base of the “Carolina” is the Pastel de Arroz. The meringue used to be made out of chocolate and egg yolk yet Pastelería Nevada found a clever way to enable selling it during the summer: by replacing the egg yolk with gelatin it maintained the same taste while being suitable for all seasons.

All three of these are unique and amongst the best-selling traditional products of Pastelería Nevada. The “Pastel Vasco” is not as sellable as the previously mentioned. According to Ramirez, this is because the Pastel Vasco is a basque Pastry meaning it is not only available in Bilbao, but in all of the Basque Country. Even though each of the seven provinces prepares it slightly differently it is not that much in demand.

Nevada has a big selection of products only available in their pastry shop for example their dark chocolate sardines (“Sardinas de chocolate negro”), the Bilbao tile chocolates (“Bombones baldosa de Bilbao”) or their chocolate dantzaris - giving Pastelería Nevada a strong recognition value and uniqueness. Ramirez especially values in-house production and following traditional routines.

Before showing us around the factory, Ramirez mentioned how happy he is younger generations are taking interest in his craft. He explained how more and more big companies and chains are taking over the pastry business whilst crowding out traditional, artisan bakeries and confectioneries. “It is a shame that quantity seems to be valued over quantity”. However, he believes that as long as traditional pastries such as The Carolina are still valued and in demand, businesses like Pastelería Nevada will always have the upper hand.

The Pastelerías Nevada can be found at María Díaz de Haro, 16 (store) and Aurrekoetxea, 1 (bakery and store) in Bilbao. Make sure to bring a big appetite and the intention to try freshly and traditionally made treats when you visit.

Pictures by baskulture team.