Discover Ourense IX: O Conxuro da Queimada

The postcard Gema sent to Michaela from Mounds View in Minnesota (USA) featured one of our many traditions: A Queimada. A Queimada is an alcoholic beverage of Galician tradition. It is a punch made from Galician augardente (Orujo Gallego) - a spirit distilled from wine and flavoured with special herbs or coffee, sugar, lemon peel, coffee beans and cinnamon.

A queimada

Although sometimes believed to be an ancient Celtic tradition transmitted along generations, some claim that the Queimada was actually developed in the 1950s. A Queimada was initially prepared by groups of Galician emigrants in places like Madrid, typically after fellowship lunches and other group events. This was accompanied by theatrical revivals of old beliefs such as the reading of spells written ad hoc to keep witches away.

Queimada

This ritual was so successful that it quickly became very widespread. Tito Freire designed in 1955 the clay pot in which Queimada is usually prepared and the spell that is recited nowadays was written by Mariano Marcos Abalo in the 1960s.

Gema and Miranda (ESO 2 Group A) have recorded a new podcast with the spell we usually read when we prepare "A Queimada"! It's recorded in English and Galician. Hope you like it!