Here at RealFoodTraveler.com, we always advocate for visiting the restaurants the locals do, eating what they eat for an authentic culinary experience, and connecting with the people behind the food. Writer Betsa Marsh certainly took all of that to heart. Going beyond just looking for where to eat in Toledo, Spain, she got to experience a very special at-home lunch with some of the locals.

Asun Diaz welcomes travelers to the fern-filled patio of her historic palace/house in the heart of Toledo, Spain, where a fountain still bubbles in the Moorish tradition. Archaeologists have traced the home’s oldest construction back to the Muslim-era 9th century. Later owners added on through the 17th century. Photo by Betsa Marsh.

Join a centuries-old dining tradition in a Toledo home

No one can leave Spain without scooping into a warm, rice-y dish of paella. But how about being in on that first sizzle of olive oil?

Evocarte offers a new home-visit experience in Toledo that takes you right into the exotic house of Asun Diaz, now known as Casa Palacio Rincon de la Catedral bed and breakfast. You’re welcome to stir the onions, peppers and rice in the expansive kitchen retrofitted into the medieval stone house, huddled next to the lavish Toledo, Spain cathedral.

The four-story building was once home to the cathedral’s dean, and frescoes from his private chapel remain in the master bedroom; biblical quotes ring the walls. The house reflects Toledo’s history – 2,500 years layered with Muslim, Jewish and Christian cultures. Step inside and a traditional Moorish fountain bubbles up from the fern-filled patio. One Muslim-era keyhole arch reaches back to the 9th century, now matched with new carved wooden doors from Morocco.

Asun Diaz, right, and restaurateur Mercedes Barato invite lunch guests to a table of starters in Diaz’s historic palace/house, Casa Palacio Rincon de la Catedral bed and breakfast. Photo by Betsa Marsh.

Diaz invites our lunch group of travelers through the arches to a long kitchen table of cheese, wine and the best Spanish omelette I’ve ever tasted – potatoes, onions and eggs rich with good olive oil.

Starters range from cheese cured in olive oil, quince, heritage tomatoes and figs from the yard of Asun’s mother-in-law. The Spanish omelette is eggy and rich with onion and olive oil. Ercavio tempranillo wine is aged six months in French oak barrels. Photo by Betsa Marsh.

Lunch started on heritage china with olives, cheese, quince, grapes, Marcona almonds and Spanish omelette. Photo by Betsa Marsh.

Let’s nibble some homegrown figs, olives, Marcona almonds and heritage cherry tomatoes. Who cares about anything more?

But there’s paella to cook, and Diaz and her friends and family line up traveler volunteers to stir and taste. Our expert is Mercedes Barato, chef/owner of the La Encomienda Restaurant near Ciudad Real, south of Toledo. Barato pours the first oil, and the giant, propane-heated pan crackles satisfyingly.

First, onions, then peppers, garlic and even mushrooms, a bold addition that might make traditional paella chefs from Valencia faint away. But this is free-styling paella, in Toledo, and anything goes, en-robed with saffron-spiked olive oil.

Restaurateur Mercedes Barato stirs the garlic and peppers to start her paella. Photo by Betsa Marsh.

Today’s theme is seafood, with shrimp, clams and scallops, catered to the tastes and food allergies of the group. Evocarte tailors the menu with the home cooks after each reservation is made.

The prepared lunch unfolds on the penthouse floor, around a long table topped by embroidered linens and tucked into an alcove looking out to the edges of Toledo. Step outside onto the terrace and the cathedral tower buddies up to your right, so close it seems almost touchable. The cathedral dean, all those centuries ago, lived over the shop.

Diaz pairs the creamy paella with a crisp salad, bejeweled with pomegranate arils. The local Ercavio rose flows, pink with Tempranillo grape skins.

Travelers, with help from Chef Mercedes Barato, sizzle up a rich seafood paella at Casa Palacio Rincon de la Catedral bed and breakfast in the heart of Toledo. Photo by Betsa Marsh.

For dessert? Every grandmother’s waste-not want-not trick, torrijas. Close to French toast, it’s day-old bread dipped in egg, fried and topped with a slab of sugar and cinnamon. By the time you snap through the crust with your spoon, add a bit of raisin-nut ice cream and fresh strawberries, you’re almost part of the family.

Do you truly want to move in? Asun rents three B&B rooms, decorated with saris, silver-foiled walls and velvet bed spreads.

Toledo’s city archaeologist mandated any structural changes to this heritage building, since all of Toledo’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Buildings older than 100 must be vetted by the archaeologist before the architect can move on.

Even within these constraints, Diaz’s exotic sense of style reigns, and travelers can enjoy her taste at the table and throughout her home.

Things to know before you go visit Toledo, Spain:

Evocarte curates cultural experiences in Toledo and other major Spanish cities. Casa Palacio Rincon de la Catedral bed and breakfast is in the heart of historic Toledo.

Toledo is 42 miles southwest of Madrid, an hour’s drive or 30-minute ride on the high-speed AVE train.

For more information on Toledo, visit their website. And for more information on Spain, click here.

— Story and photos by Betsa Marsh

Hungry for more? Let writer Betsa Marsh lead you to Spain with her other articles about the destination – this one, about the glorious marzipan, and here for a very unique, historically-inspired dinner. To plan your own trip to Madrid, you can start planning with this affiliate link to Travelzoo.com.

Until you can go enjoy this wonderful experience in Spain, you can shop to create your own paella meal here: a Paella Pan, Saffron, wooden serving tray, and decorate plates to eat off of.

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