The municipality of Ledesma, in the north of the province of Salamanca, is known for its Roman bridges, its castle and for housing in its church the most pilgrim set of relics of the Middle Ages: the skeletons of Ysacio, Josephus and Jacob, the shepherds of the portal of Belen. But these are not the only relics of the town, which also treasures one of the last restaurants worthy of the name of Spain.
The Fernandica It is literally a town house where meals are served. Its two rooms are the rooms of the house, with its fireplace, its braziers in operation and a decoration that has not changed one bit in decades. Neither has the food, which they continue to prepare daily Angeles Velasco, his sister Teresa and her daughter Maria Teresa Cuadradowho serves customers with his cousin, Ramon Castilla (together, in the opening photo).
“My aunt is 97 years old and she is the one who makes the mashed potatoes and the stews, with my mother,” explains Cuadrado. “They both continue cooking. My mother, who is 78 years old, was always the one who showed her face, the one who spoke and attended to people, but when she is operated on she is not there to serve, but she is there to do other things.”
In it daily menu, which is sung out loud, some well-known dishes in the area survive with other recipes that are difficult to find in any other restaurant. Real homemade food, delicious, and at popular prices: it is difficult to go out for more than 20 euros, eating and drinking everything you want.
Among its specialties, the meneas potatoes (which are grilled), the stewed goat, the pork tostonesmeatballs, stewed tongue or ox tail stewed with vegetables and without wine, which has nothing to envy, insists Cuadrado, which is prepared in Córdoba.
To finish, a Cheeseboard. Or, rather, a stretcher table full of cheeses, which diners can cut to taste. “My mother said why would they leave if she then gets her to wear what she wants,” Cuadrado jokes.
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From bar to restaurant thanks to “nuclear”
La Fernandica should have started operating as an informal bar a few years ago. 150 years, Cuadrado calculates, from the hands of his great-great-grandfather. “The name was given because there were two people named Fernando, one was very tall and one was very small,” he explains. “In the towns there were nicknames, and my grandfather, who was the smallest, was Fernandico and the big one was Fernandote.”
“They have even cooked cats. But the business was wine”
For a long time, La Fernandica It worked only as a bar. “People came to drink a jug of wine, they put five or six glasses and they shared it out. People came with their food. There were no vats or anything. Meals were not given before.”
Then the house began to function as innto welcome the workers who came to Ledesma to work on the Almendra dam, the highest in Spain and the second in Europe, which began to be built in 1964. “When people came to build it, many stayed to sleep , they went to the market and we had a block where they left their bicycles,” explains Cuadrado.
During these years, Ángela and Teresa They cooked only to order. “If someone killed rabbits or goats, my grandmother or my aunt would come and make them for them,” explains Cuadrado. “Then they would bring you the food so that you could make it for them. They have even cooked cats. But the business was wine.”
Things changed in the 80s, when the nuclear fuel rod factory in Juzbado, a town near Ledesma, began to be built. “We started giving meals when nuclear began,” confirms Cuadrado. “They slept in Salamanca and came to eat here. And until now”.
“Wow, where have we gotten ourselves?”
Although La Fernandica made a name for itself among workers in In USA (which is the name of the public company that manages the nuclear fuel factory), many of the senior officials who passed by were scandalized.
Many people when they enter say 'oops, where have we gotten ourselves'”, acknowledges Cuadrado. “As a surprise, you know. I have had people who have left and then have come back and been secretary of state.”
The truth is that the restaurant leaves you speechless, since it is obvious that you are not looking at a recreation of what a restaurant looked like half a century ago. It is a food house from half a century ago.
“We have not wanted to change it, because If you change it's different.”explains Cuadrado. “Now through social media you already know where you are going, but hey, there are always people who are surprised. In Galicia there must be a place like ours, according to what we have been told.”
Gallegos aside, La Fernandica is a restaurant that no longer exists. And Cuadrado is not sure if she will remain open for much longer: “I am happy, but our children no longer help us, and if you bring people in it is different. We have always been just family. The boys help you what they can, but well, they have their lives, their jobs. As long as the four of us can keep going… But I don't think this is going to continue.”
What to ask for: In our meal we especially enjoyed the mashed potatoes, the stewed goat and the almonds, but they spoke highly of the oxtail and the stew, which I will surely try again.
Practical information
Where: Calle Cerezo, 2. Salamanca
Half price: €20
Bookings: 923 57 00 54
Schedules: Opens every day.
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