Camilo de Blas Bakery - Oviedo

(Pictured in the foreground above: una Manita, Pio Nono y un bizcocho con mazapan)

 

We can't leave Oviedo without featuring the Camilo de Blas Pasteleria.  A beautiful, historic bakery and the creator of many delicious sweets.

We went there specifically for the Carbayo'n (accent over the o) treat but left with a few others to taste.  The people of Oviedo refer to themselves as Carbayones after the beloved oak tree that represented the city for generations.  In the late 1800s the tree was cut down in order to put in a boulevard and the carbayones (citizens of Oviedo) were left in a state of mourning.  The bakery Camilo de Blas decided to honor the tree by creating a pastry named for it, thus the Carbayon was born.  It's an incredible combination of almonds, cognac and cake topped with a crusty, sugary syrup.  I was very much looking forward to tasting this treat and am happy to report that I was not disappointed.  Unlike the pastries of Cadiz, this pastry tasted even better than it looked.  An added bonus was the beautiful bakery - there were so many eye-catching treats that it truly was difficult to decide what to try.

 The elegant and eye-catching bakery from the outside - just a hint of the delicacies that are created within!

 On the left is the carbayon - about 4 inches long.  To the right is the clavo, or capuchino as it is known in Cuba.  The clavo was too sweet even for me, but my mom enjoyed it much as she did as a little girl in Cuba.

 The inside of the bakery - yes, those are bottles of liquor.  You have just entered the gates of heaven.