BOTIN RESTAURANT MADRID

Peer down the steps leading out of the south-west corner of the Plaza Mayor and you see what is, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest restaurant business in the world. The descendants of Jean Botin, a French cook, ran a restaurant near by on the Plaza de Herradores until fire destroyed the premises in the 1940s. The sobrinos (cousins) took over the present establishment, which dates back to 1725. Each dining-room reeks with atmosphere. One was the 16th century bodega (wine cellar) and has arched brick walls; the others have dark beams and wall tiles. The focal point is the original homo de asar (wood-fired oven), hidden behind well-worn antique ceramic tiles.

Although the inn has seen a few changes over the centuries, the oven has always been used to roast or bake meat, such as cochinillo (roast suckling pig) and cordero (milk-fed lamb). After three hours of slow cooking, the meat is so tender you can cut it with a fork. Legend has it that in 1765, the 19-yearold Goya worked at the original Botin, washing dishes.  Not much has changed today. This remains as much a place for locals as a shrine for foreign visitors.