area has its own specialty. ♪ >> you can catch that brand-new episode tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern. that will do it for me. thanks so much for watching. have a great night. ♪ >> anthony: welcome to the enchanted, seldom-visited wonderland of asturias. that's in spain, if you didn't know. and of course because it's spain, i did not come here alone. i came here with a good friend, great chef. he's a complicated man. nobody understands him but his woman. and i'm not talking about john shaft, shut your mouth. i'm talking about jose andres. >> jose: another beer! wide! shit, and tony's waiting! >> anthony: the only chef in the history of america ever to be sued by a sitting president.

i'm so proud of him. ♪ i took a walk through this beautiful world ♪ ♪ felt the cool rain on my shoulder ♪ ♪ found something good in this beautiful world ♪ ♪ i felt the rain getting colder ♪ ♪ sha, la, la, la, la, ♪ sha, la, la, la, la, la, ♪ sha, la, la, la, la,, ♪ sha, la, la, la, la, la ♪

>> jose: you know, sometimes we have a hard time leaving the comfort of the known. and we don't understand that life only starts at the edge of the unknown. that's where life starts. ♪ i've been an immigrant all my

life. from asturias to catalonia, from catalonia to madrid. then i landed in america. i've been in the states more than 26 years of my life. more than half of my life i've been there. i think everybody should be always finding the place they come from. asturias, i left when i was 5. a lot of people will not have a lot of memories before 5, but i do have. and me, i always feel in spain so proud that i am a spaniard. that's why for me coming back here is to understanding that, yes, i am from here, but i have to work hard to belong. [ group singing asturias song ]

♪ ♪ >> anthony: astonishing. unbelievable. >> jose: i always wanted to do it. >> anthony: try that in

new york. so a question -- when you were a kid, after you left here at age 5, how often did you visit? >> jose: it took me many, many years. almost like 12, 14 years to come back. you know, because to me when i left so young, it's almost like meeting a family you knew you had but you never met. still nothing beats these moments. always is something happening. >> anthony: what do you eat here? what's good here? >> jose: everything. here, right now is the season of arbejos. which is green peas. and right now is the season. and they love these green peas here in season. and they serve them with ham. >> anthony: whoa, this looks amazing. >> jose: arbejos. it's perfect. croquette. everybody says asturias has the best croquette in spain. everybody can anything.

>> anthony: really? everybody says that? >> jose: everybody. especially the people in asturias. >> anthony: yeah, i would guess. >> jose: you see how creamy? good taste. ah, mussels. perfect. they make a great steak with bleu cheese, right on top. cabrales on top of the steak. it's kind of the sauce happens right on the plate. it's amazing. >> anthony: so you want the whole cheese -- >> jose: it's heavy. it's spicy. >> >> anthony: i like spicy. jose. >> jose: i love all the opinions. everybody has an opinion, as they should be. and nobody is going to agree with anybody, only because --

>> anthony: any place where people argue about food is a good place. so once a year, twice a year you come. >> jose: yes. at least once a year. sometimes i only show up for two, three hours. >> anthony: really? >> jose: yeah. i close my eyes, breathe in, breathe out, and i feel like i'm home. especially when i go in the mountains. i love to be around people because i have a lot of energy and i like the people too. i give energy away, but sometimes i need my moments of solitude. i know you like moments of solitude too, they are powerful moments. >> anthony: yeah, but i'm not walking up a mountain. >> jose: you'll see. i'm going to be taking you probably to the heart of asturias. >> anthony: oh, yeah? >> jose: it's where i feel the happiest. >> anthony: so i got to hike up a mountain? is that what you're saying? >> jose: well, i'll make it easy on you. okay, we need more cider.

♪ we're going deep, deep. >> anthony: through the mountain. >> jose: through the mountain. it's always deep. could you imagine, less than 20 years ago, people had to walk all the way to the town.

>> anthony: wow. >> jose: it's a hot day today. >> anthony yeah. >> jose: i came overdressed. >> anthony: jesus. >> jose: okay, are you hungry now? >> anthony: oh, god, are we there? >> jose: that's the town. you're going to see what the people of the mountain used to eat. >> anthony: well, to quote the great american poet robert frost, beans, beans, the musical fruit. the more you eat, the more you toot. the more you toot, the better you feel, so eat some beans with

every meal. >> jose: that's the reason coming up here. >> anthony: oh, it's beautiful. i expect to be accosted by some keebler elves at any moment. "we welcome you to munchkin land. munchkin land." >> jose: it moves. ♪

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asturias that nothing is plentiful. and the people of asturias, even in the hard times they know what to do with nothing. and i think asturias has been the land that nothing has been able to do a lot. and that shows you the character of the people of asturias. >> anthony: so i'll tell you, a five-hour hike up the mountain, it's tough.

i'm enjoying this cold one. >> jose: boom. >> anthony: i'll tell ya. >> jose: could you imagine what people that live here, the only way to go down and up and bring things was walking three, four hours both ways. >> anthony: imagine, how long was that hike? four hours? >> jose: no, it was like -- >> anthony: i was not sure i was going to make it. >> jose: it was like ten minutes. maybe 20. you're in very good shape, come on. this is nothing, and to eat this kind of food we need to put some exercise, always before. >> anthony: oh, wow. >> jose: what is amazing is that, if i ask you what do you think this is? an appetizer? or is it a main course? many people would say that's a main course. >> anthony: i would say that. >> jose: we eat this in asturias as an appetizer. the first course. >> anthony: wow. and it's favada?

>> jose: favada. it's really difficult to define a region by one dish, but without a doubt, asturias is defined by this dish. favada. >> anthony: deep, deep soulful cooking. >> jose: and you have to meet guillermina now. probably she's inside. guillermina is a very special person. 101 years old. and she is not in the kitchen anymore, but not too long ago she was. in this day and age, it seems that kitchens are manned by men. we don't realize who is feeding humanity are women. the woman like guillermina is very much that. she's the only one who could be up there in that place, at the end of the world. feeling the feel that we'll arrive there to give them enough energy to come back.

>> anthony: these beans really are magical beans. >> jose: because they're special. same seeds anywhere else, but they don't grow the same way they grow here. it's something about this land, and the weather, and the altitude that makes these beans very special. >> anthony: it tastes like it did when it was just little jose up here in his lederhosen? it tastes the same? >> jose: it tastes the same. >> anthony: are you happy? >> jose: this is as good -- >> anthony: i'm happy, too. >> jose: this is as good. it's worth the walk. you show all of us that it's worth it to go to the end of the world to go for the right food. and for the right stories. >> anthony: well, in this case, yes.

♪ do you know how to play this game? >> jose: tony, i've seen this often. i've never played in my life. >> anthony: it has to be over the line? >> jose: over the line, very important. it has to hit that surface, we know that. >> anthony: all right, but it's okay if you hit any pin? but it can bounce? >> jose: it can bounce, yeah. so the ball has to go spinning, so when it touches the spin will take the ball. >> anthony: i can do that. >> jose: probably not. i cannot believe this is the

first time. look at, look at -- with the hand, a little bit of the spin. three points! >> anthony: this game is rigged

>> jose: that was a heckuva good shot, man. >> anthony: too much. >> anthony: they're taking shelter. >> jose: they are? ... for strength and energy! whoo-hoo! great-tasting ensure. with nine grams of protein and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. ensure. now up to 30 grams of protein for strength and energy! but allstate helps you. with drivewise. feedback that helps you drive safer. and that can lower your cost now that you know the truth... are you in good hands?

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>> jose: asturias is really, to a degree it's the land of plenty. but to a degree, it's not. it's not what you want, when you want it. it's what the land wants to give to you. the river, the mountains, the sea -- you have to respect the land first and then maybe then the land wants to give you something back. asturias, many of the restaurants you're going to go, you're going to get that feeling. it's something beyond just the plate you have in front of you. it's the understanding of the

happiness that hardship gives you. >> anthony: so we're drinking cider? >> jose: that's what we should be drinking. >> anthony: it goes good with seafood? >> jose: the biggest partnership in the history of mankind. >> anthony: wow. strong words. >> jose: to me, this is probably one of the most difficult things to do. look at how he's hitting the rim of the glass. look at all the oxygen they're putting. i love this tradition. he doesn't even look at the glass. come on.

he's like a jedi. >> anthony: that's beautiful. >> jose: it's oricios. sea urchin. you know what, i kill for this. >> anthony: holy crap. this is one of my favorite things on earth, good sea urchin. >> jose: me too. probably this is one of the best animals we have in the ocean. oricios. >> anthony: oricios. >> jose: traditionally, i like to eat them raw. but in asturias, the vast majority of the people they like them put into water for a few seconds. this is plancha, the cooking of spain, the cooking of asturias. the seafood will be raw, will be slightly boiled, or will be done on the flattop. >> anthony: quick.

>> jose: fast. the spider crab. where is the instagram? >> anthony: yeah. i'm on it, dude. i'm going to get the zoom shot. people complain about my pans, but i'm going in for a zoom. going in for the close. oh, yeah. >> jose: okay, my man. this is one of the best i've seen in a long time. >> anthony: i mean, it's unbelievable. >> jose: are you smelling? smell this, smell. you understand, this is the smell of seafood. sometimes we forget that it doesn't matter how good is the seafood or fresh. i don't care if it's the catch of the day, if it's overcooked, it's gone. gooseneck barnacles, my boy. all right.

>> anthony: are we going swimming for those things later? >> jose: you want to? >> anthony: what do you just dive right in with a speedo and rip them off the wall, right? >> jose: yup. >> anthony: easy. >> jose: no. you have to respect the sea. these guys put their lives at risk to bring the precious gooseneck barnacles to the table. but it's a flavor like no other. sometimes i feel like we don't appreciate enough when we eat these foods how much goes into it. without those fishermen, we wouldn't be having what we have. so you like the cider? >> anthony: yes. this is quite delicious. >> jose: you see how apples and seafood go hand by hand because this is very acidic. nice acidity goes so well with

the saltiness, it's unbelievable. >> anthony: it's like ebony and ivory living together in harmony. >> jose: where do you come up with this phrases? >> anthony: that's, i think, sir paul mccartney. one of his more insipid lines. i keep my protein interesting. oh yea, me too. i have cheese and uh these herbs. p3 snacks. the more interesting way to get your protein. a new way to save on travel. now when you book a flight you unlock discounts on select hotels that you can add on to your trip up until the day you leave. add on advantage. only when you book with expedia. ♪ one look at you and i can't disguise ♪ ♪ i've got hungry eyes applebee's new 3-course meal starting at $11.99. now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood.

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♪ >> anthony: well you told me asturias was beautiful, but man, you didn't lie. it is amazing. i can't believe there's farmhouses all the way up these mountains. >> jose: they are not farmhouses. it's where the shepherds stay for weeks at a time sometimes taking care of the herd. of the goats, of the sheep, of the cows. the cheeses are made with the three milks. asturias has the biggest concentration of cheesemakers anywhere in the world. period. and we use the land like nobody. especially using the caves to cure them is brilliant.

not a lot of places in the world where you have something like this. caves that produce, for centuries, amazing cheese. >> anthony: you think you could do a cheese-themed theme park? >> jose: that can be fun. >> anthony: giant volcano of cheese. take little boats around in a fondue pot. >> jose: i don't know. you know what i think sometimes? you know "apocalypse now"? >> anthony: yes. >> jose: when marlon brando -- i don't remember what was the name -- >> anthony: kurtz, colonel kurtz. walter e. kurtz. >> jose: and they finally find him living in that cave. i always dreamed like one day i'm going to end up in a place like this. >> anthony: but just surrounded by cheese. it'll be a cheese cave. >> jose: i'd be living alone, and maybe one day my friend eric ripert and tony bourdain visited me before i lose control of my mind. >> anthony: so wait a minute, i'm seeing this -- you're dressed all in black, we shave your head, you're sitting in

this dark cheese cave. eric ripert playing corporal willard comes to kill you, finds you surrounded by all these fantastic cheeses. i'd play the dennis hopper role, of course. >> jose: it's going to happen. i see it happening. >> anthony: have you ever seen a snail crawl across the edge of a straight razor? >> anthony: i could just see eric now dressed in fatigues saying, "they said your methods were unsound." >> jose: man, why you always finish your beer and i barely begin? >> anthony: professional. but i'm seriously liking this cheese. you export these, right? >> jose: spain, oh yeah. big export. like this one is cabrales, which always was my favorite. >> anthony: that is like super

funky, right? >> jose: cabrales, i love it. i do really love it. >> anthony: cabrales, this is really lovely. this is fantastic. it all depends on how far into the funk zone you go. >> jose: look at, look at, look at. look at these, it's almost like green bluish, it's almost like the sky and the grass are touching each other right on the cheese. i mean -- you know one thing, it's full of penicillin man. nobody gets ever sick if you really eat these cheeses. >> anthony: i feel my syphilis clearing up. >> jose: man. cut! ♪ >> anthony: so please explain to me -- this gentleman caught the fish last year?

is that correct? >> angel: 2014. >> jose: in 2014 you caught el campanu. >> angel: yes, yes. >> anthony: so that means what, the first salmon caught on the river? >> jose: el campanu. the first salmon of the season. campanu. today, for the entire day, around the rivers of asturias, hundreds of fishermen trying to get the permit in kind of an auction, in kind of a lottery where they are going to grant them certain parts of the river, and only for 30 minutes, 1 hour at a time depending how many fishermen show up. >> anthony: no commercial fishing? >> angel: only the campanu. ♪

>> jose: the old days, salmon was plentiful. the first salmon is called el campanu, and el campanu means really from the bells that would ring on the churches near the river where the salmon was caught. not as a celebration of the salmon, but as a way to tell everybody that salmons are back. let's go back to the river and fish them because that is the food that we are waiting for. i get super emotional when i think, take a look at all these photos. i remember watching these same photos of my grandfather hunting and fishing and catching salmons. and this to me, being here in this moment, becomes really personal. >> anthony: i hear a rumor you're looking to buy a fish today? you're looking to bid on the first? >> jose: i mean, listen to me, bourdain and andres --

>> anthony: you're looking to get me into this? >> jose: "b" and "a". el campanu. between you and me we can afford it, no? >> anthony: all right, i'm in. i'm in for 50% of this fish. now what's the highest price paid for the first fish of the season? >> jose: for a campanu, 6, 7, 8,000? >> angel: 18. euros. 18,000 euros. >> anthony: 18,000 euros? i'm out. some local guy is going to jack the price. we're going to keep bidding until you're up to like 22. >> jose: you are anthony bourdain. what are you talking about? what are you doing with your money? drink beer? >> anthony: what am i going to do with a fish? i can't keep it. >> jose: come on, we're going to eat it. you know? >> anthony: damn, that's a lot of money. >> jose: tony. >> angel: they are delicious. >> jose: let's do it. >> anthony: all right, i'm in. what else we got here? >> jose: we're going to eat

plenty of food. fall in love with iphone xs on t-mobile, and right now, save $300 dollars. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ comfort. what we deliver by delivering.

>> jose: you know, tony is tony. it's easy to love tony. he is a good guy.

super nye. that's what i believe. he seems that he doesn't care about anything, but himself, but then you can see it. he's the most caring person i've ever met. that's why i'm happy and proud to call him a friend.

♪ >> anthony: i wonder where jose is. >> jose: oh, yeah! ah, my hair! >> anthony: i hope he is getting some rest.

♪ >> jose: this is us. ♪ >> anthony: wow, is this a traditional local dish i guess? >> pablo: yes, yes. >> anthony: what's this called? >> pablo: well, i think "pitu de caleya". pitu with rice. >> anthony: wow, all right. so, born and bred in asturias? you were born here? >> pablo: yes. yes, yes. >> anthony: what did your family -- what business was your family in? >> pablo: all of my grandparents were all in the mine. my mother owned a little shop. and my father is a teacher. >> anthony: one of the typical characteristics of somebody from asturias. okay, independent, tough.

>> pablo: there is another sentence -- "asturiano -- borracho, loco, y mal cristiano." asturian -- drunk, crazy, but christian. that is important. >> anthony: so, fair to say a tradition of independence? >> pablo: yes, before the spanish civil war we have the asturian revolution. that asturias during one month was independent because we have a communist anarchist revolution. the worker's movement here was massive. >> anthony: in the mines? mostly coming out of mines or organized labor? >> pablo: yes, but of course working class fight is over, they win. we lose. ♪ the problem with miners starts when the soviet union was over.

and in europe the social democracy was over. and the last strike was five years ago. the miners were the last soldiers of the working-class movement. in the last strike, the airport was closed by the miners. the highway, the sea, too. they closed asturias. everybody in the streets, screaming. and the miners stayed in the fight, and the war is over when one side wins. they win. we lose. and for me that was the end of -- >> anthony: the end of organized labor. >> pablo: yes, the end of the

working-class left. >> anthony: but still you're here. >> pablo: yes. >> anthony: the war is over but you're here. >> pablo: well, you can create some money, some conditions to survive. but not a properly job. the only way to make money for me was to play music. so now, i'm a musician. i think that for my music, it's good to stay here. here i have the truth. for me, that is very important. >> anthony: i just heard bagpipes. have you been invaded by scotland? >> pablo: well, we are one of the eight celtic nations.

♪ with wales, italia, france, and scotland, and ireland we are celtic nations. ♪ here there is a kind of song that is called "tonada". and tonada is just voice and bagpipe. and it's like the music from the people who work with the cows. >> anthony: right, folk songs. >> pablo: yes. >> anthony: right, folk songs. >> pablo: yes. folk songs. i think that music is allowed identity. i spend a lot of time with my grandparents. and they listen to a lot of celtic music. i had luck to live that kind of music and discover my identity. and i think that celtic is the spirit of freedom, it's part of asturian identity.

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[ beep ] fiyour dad's gonnabest land on the moon.ear." [ dramatic music playing ] we need to fail down here so we don't fail up there. we got a bad fire. they're gone, neil. what are the chances this is the last time the boys are gonna see you? do you think you're coming back? we have serious problems. [ dramatic music continues ] first man. rated pg-13.

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>> jose: are we going to do another shot or what? yeah, we should do another shot. you don't have to do it. >> anthony: i'll do it, i'll do it. >> jose: good. boom. >> anthony: yeah. >> jose: that's arrojo. >> anthony: i've tasted this in one form or another all over the world. >> jose: that's the local moonshine. >> anthony: that's good. >> jose: tony, i have a surprise for you. >> anthony: you finally got us salmon. >> jose: what the [ bleep ], don't move. [ jose speaking spanish ] we searched for it and we found it. >> anthony: the magical salmon. for a thousand euros a bite. >> jose: no!

this one was given to me. i got somebody that got a salmon. he's super generous, you know, "you want salmon? here." friends feed friends. there's no way that you come to asturias and you go without the bite of the salmon. this is going to surprise you because usually everybody always said, "the fish, we need to grill it whole." he breaks the fish in pieces, he cuts all the pieces through. why? >> anthony: grills them separately? >> jose: separately. and over the flesh, because the skin is full of fat, and you don't want that fat to burn, you want that fat to melt. >> anthony: stay inside in the spanish way. >> jose: and you want to maintain the integrity of the skin. so he grills the fish over the flesh, and then probably the skin is better than the flesh

itself. oh, my, god. >> anthony: oh, man. >> jose: is it everything i told you? >> anthony: it's everything you told me. the fats, ethereally suspended somehow between skin, flesh, and bone. you bite into it and just a flood of flavor explodes in your brainpan. >> jose: keep going, keep going. >> anthony: jose, this is an enchanted country, and in fact this region of the country is the most extraordinary place i can think of. >> jose: dollar bills. >> anthony: the mountains, the sea, it's amazing. >> jose: i'm throwing you the bills. if i had hundreds. >> anthony: just stuff it in the

g-string, my friend. >> jose: we are so close to a wide, i don't -- >> anthony: and no, i'll let you say it. what do we say about now? no, first we take one more satisfied bite. >> jose: i think i got the [ bleep ] bone in my throat. >> anthony: tracheotomy, i'm going in. i think we've learned something here in asturias. i don't know why i didn't expect it to be this beautiful, but it is far more beautiful than i could have ever imagined. the food is incredible, the people are wonderful. you were right about [ bleep ] everything. you call it, my friend. turn to the camera and say the magic word -- >> jose: i am not anthony bourdain, but i'm calling "wide!" that's the end of the show.

>> announcer: the warrior bhima is tricked into a fool's errand. he seeks his parents in heaven. they are not there. instead, he finds them in hell. he offers his parents the elixir of life. yet they refuse.