Bembibre unveiled its “International” Botillo, kicking off the event at the fairgrounds with a pavilion packed with spectators and diners

On Saturday , February 7, Bembibre experienced one of its most special nights—and there were many of them. Because of what was eaten, what was celebrated, and what was honored. This was the celebration of the 53rd Botillo Festival , which was presented to the public with a new title—“International”—and with the determination that it will be more than just a label.

The gala, hosted by Héctor Keudell and María de Miguel, began outside the pavilion, with a view of another of the weekend’s highlights: the Agri-Food Fair. The first segment featured a video link from the Bembibre Arena, a way to highlight the products and the array of goods from a wide variety of sectors before the celebration moved, with all its ceremonial pomp, to its natural setting, the Manuel Marqués “Patarita” pavilion .

He did so by showing a video that depicted the idea that this festival travels the world through a network of contacts that makes it possible, and that it returns in full force to its natural home.

Councilwoman Belén Martín opened the proceedings, placing the event within the municipality’s emotional calendar: 2026 as the year in which the festival takes a look in the mirror and officially sees itself as international. Continuing in that vein, she highlighted the significance of this recognition, which “elevates the Festival to the very top,” and then introduced one of the program’s classics: the Literary Contest, with the announcement of the winning story.

Mayor Silvia Cao highlighted the efforts made to earn this “international” designation, noting that it is the result of the community’s hard work, consistency, and civic engagement. Her remarks also gave special attention to what often goes on behind the scenes at major events: volunteerism—the focus and honoree of this year’s event—and the sister-city partnership with Casa de León in Cantabria, another way to put Bembibre on the map beyond its immediate surroundings.

With the stage set, the spotlight shifted to the event’s host, José Ribagorda, who delivered an opening address that felt like a defense of authenticity. He spoke of botillo as more than just a dish and offered a phrase that ended up circulating as the perfect summary: “Botillo isn’t just eaten—it’s lived.” He turned it into a legacy—passed down from generation to generation—and even into a gentle act of resistance against uniformity. And, in a nod to the modern era, he contrasted craftsmanship with shortcuts: he celebrated the fact that it will be “your hands”—and not artificial intelligence —that will keep botillo on the table.

At the end of this article, you’ll be able to read the keynote speaker’s full speech.

The final segment of the gala was headlined by Ruth Lorenzo, who provided the musical highlight before the evening shifted from a gala to a celebratory dinner. With botillo as the centerpiece and a menu designed for such a special occasion. And, with the atmosphere already in full swing, the closing festivities were extended with festival music, rounding out a day that signaled the Bembibre Botillo Festival has a long road ahead.

Blowing Out the Candles at the First International Festival

During the celebration of this first edition of the Botillo Festival, the event’s organizer, accompanied by the councilwoman for Culture, Commerce, Tourism, and Festivals and the mayor, blew out the candles on a cake that was brought onto the stage to commemorate the moment. A “1” (for the first international edition) and a “53” (corresponding to the overall edition) adorned the cake during a surprise moment shortly before the final performance.

A moment that serves to capture how this celebration was experienced in an arena that once again threw its full support behind its most important event.

 

 

Speech by the keynote speaker, José Ribagorda

When Silvia, the mayor of Bembibre, called me to tell me she intended to appoint me as the patron of your famous Botillo Festival, I had very few doubts—if any at all—about accepting this honor, for which I am so grateful. From the very beginning, I felt a strong connection to this role—first of all, because I really liked the concept of “patron”: preservation has been one of my priorities throughout the more than thirty years I’ve spent editing and presenting television news programs. Preserving our identity as a country, with the extraordinary richness that comes from having such diverse and unique regions. Preserving our traditions—from the most festive to the most religious or spiritual—and ensuring the preservation of bullfighting and our rich culinary heritage have been among the guiding principles that characterized my news programs, which were so widely embraced over three long decades.

And, naturally, this was accompanied by the admiration and respect I have for your famous, centuries-old botillo. I believe we’re dealing with one of the most iconic dishes of our national cuisine. A singular, unique dish, because nowhere else—except here in Bembibre and throughout the El Bierzo region— can you savor that harmonious blend of slow cooking, smoke, and firewood that characterizes the smoking process through which you give an unmistakable flavor to pork ribs, tail, and sometimes also the tongue, jowls, shoulder, and backbone. This, combined with the quality of the potatoes, chorizo, and cabbage grown in these lands, and the expert touch of pepper, salt, and garlic, creates a veritable universe of flavors and sensations for the palate and the nose—one that can only be fully explained and understood when you taste the botillo.

Botillo isn’t just something you eat—it’s a way of life. I’d define it as the archetype of “emotional cuisine.” Botillo brings people together, fosters affection, laughter, memories, and experiences… in short, life itself. Botillo embodies that heritage that you have managed to preserve from generation to generation, upholding it in the face of the tastes and trends of globalization, which does nothing but trivialize everything. It gives me great satisfaction to think that it will be your hands and the ancestral techniques inherited from your forebears—and not artificial intelligence—that will allow us to continue enjoying your sublime botillo. Fire, smoke, clay for cooking—a product tied to your land, your regional identity, history, tradition, and Culture with a capital “C,” because rarely can so much knowledge be concentrated as in a culinary creation…All of this is represented by your botillo, which I encourage you to defend with the pride and passion with which you are already doing so.

I sincerely congratulate you for preserving the best of your past and for defending one of the greatest treasures you hold dear, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this honor, which not only honors me but also binds me even more closely—if that’s possible—to this beloved region and, from now on, to your municipality of Bembibre. A place that will always be a gathering spot for me and my family, filled with the most wonderful feelings one can experience.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Bembibre.

Always for botillo… for botillo and nothing else…