Page 167 - Cork & Tee Sample Program Flipbook, 2018

form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues. The city is very much an open
air museum and the perfect excursion from the Spanish capital. Your private tour will include a
walk through the winding streets, a tour of the exquisite gothic cathedral, which took 263 years
to build, the El Transito synagogue and its Sephardic museum, the elaborate cloisters of San Juan
de los Reyes as well as El Greco’s masterpiece: The Burial of Count Orgaz housed in the Santo
Tomé church.

On the food front, you also will explore the principal local specialty—marzipan (mazapan in
Spanish)! While the origins of the specialty are disputed, locals assert that marzipan was
invented by nuns of the Convent of San Clemente in Toledo. After the Battle of las Navas de
Tolosa in 1212 during which several of the would-be Spanish kingdoms fought the Muslims as
an attempt to reconquire the occupied territory, there was a terrible famine in Castile. At the
time, there was no wheat stored in the city, but
there was plenty of sugar and almonds and the
nuns fed a paste made with these two ingredients,
and perhaps some others, to the undernourished
people of the city. It is known that in the hospital
Santiago de Toledo, a preparation of shredded hen
breast mixed with almonds and sugar was
prescribed which was said to be a variety of
marzipan. However, thanks to an ordinance
enacted in 1613, confectioners only accepted
almonds and white sugar as the ingredients of true marzipan. The specialty became so popular in
Spain that during the Spanish colonial period, the dish was exported to the various countries that
feel under Spanish rule in Asia and South America. As a result, some of these countries have
developed their own varieties of the sweet, mainly varying on the type of nut used. While
available year round, marzipan is a traditional Christmas specialty in part due to timing of the nut
harvest, but also because almonds and sugar were quite expensive and purchased only for special
occasions/celebrations. There are still some convents that sell sweets made by the nuns directly
in their door, such as the Convent of Gaitanas, and there are also many shops in the old town
where you’ll see these treats in window displays. With your guide, you might visit the famous
bakery, Santo Tome, which was founded in 1856 and features an array of marzipan treats. Enjoy
a tasting. You could also visit a convent selling the specialty. If you might have tried marzipan
in the past and not enjoyed it, the specialty reaches its zenith in Toledo, so give it a shot! Return
to your accommodations mid-afternoon (return train service is included) and enjoy the balance of
the day at leisure.

Proposed Accommodations: Hotel Orfila

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