Table of Contents:
LOCAL MISCONCEPTIONS.
TAPAS.
ENTREES.
VEGETABLES.
DESSERTS.
Wines of Spain. Spanish Beers. Spanish Spirits.
Barcelona, as a city, does not have its own cuisine. It has Catalan cuisine which it shares with the region of the same name.
Within this region, you have different influences. Along the Mediterranean, you have fresh vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, beans, chickpeas, mushrooms, and artichoke. And there’s the seafood and fish including sardine, anchovy, tuna, and cod.
As you move away from the coast, you see more recipes including pork. Catalonia is a significant producer of Spanish swine products.
The dividing line gets blurrier every year. You can find several pork dishes by the sea.
All of Catalonia share garlic, olive oil, cheese, and wine.
You will also find some pasta, poultry, lamb, and beef.
In other words, you need to get out and experience Catalonia. Then sample the taste Barcelona represents.
Catalan Misconceptions.
Tapas – For some reason, many people think Barcelona is the only place to get Tapas. Maybe they have not been anywhere else in Spain? Tapas are a national offering.
Tapas came about in Medieval days. Not as a way to impress guests, but out of necessity. It was a piece of ham larger than the top of the glass, keeping the flies from falling inside. Thank goodness, the offerings and taste Barcelona tapas offer today has dramatically improved.
Another Misconception.
Paella is from Barcelona, and you must taste Barcelona paella while you are there. – Close, but not quite right. Paella comes from down the coast in the Valencia area, although you can find it anywhere (everywhere) these days.
And although you CAN find paella in Barcelona, you probably will not see the locals and travelers ordering it.
- Fideuà (also from Valencia) is similar to paella but substitutes a small pasta noodle for the rice. Like the rice, the noodles are not pre-cooked, but “simmered” in a small amount of liquid in the broad pan. Predominantly, you will only find this in Valencia and Catalonia. This dish is what the locals order; you should taste Barcelona Fideua as well.
Tapas.
Although ALL tapas, do not come from Barcelona, some tapas stem from Catalan cuisine.
- Bombas – A Barcelona original, they are a salute to anarchists. These are a “tennis” ball (bomb) of potato and minced meat that they fry in olive oil. They serve it with two sauces. A white garlic aioli (the bombs fuse) and a spicy red sauce that represents… You guess.
- Bunyols de Bacalla – are balls of cod, that they mince and add garlic and parsley. They deep fry these in olive oil also.
- Pa Amb Tomaquest (Pa is bread, so bread with tomato). It’s not hard to find a bread and tomato appetizer anywhere in Spain, or France, or Italy, or… In Catalan, they make you do all the work. You rub de penjar tomato (local) on local coca bread, and a splash of (loca_) olive oil. You can taste Barcelona in every bite.
- Coca de Samfaina – is coca (local pastry dough) with samfaina, (Spanish ratatouille – zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onion, garlic, and parsley simmered in olive oil) on top. Botifarra means the addition of some local sausage.
- Cargol a la Llauna – is traditionally Catalan as that’s where the snails (Caracoles) live. The traditional preparation is slowly grilling them with a paste of oil, garlic cloves, and parsley. Another presentation is in a spicy tomato sauce. This item is usually a large plate for sharing.
- Paltruc (cured meat) – in Catalonia is from a bull and has a mild taste. They have white and black Paltruc, the difference being that black includes animal blood and pepper. This seasoning gives it a little kick.
Taste Barcelona Entrees.
Seafood.
With the Mediterranean at their doorstep, the Catalonians have made good use of local ingredients.
There are too many choices to name them all here (and everyone has a different recipe for them).
- Arros Negre (Rice black) – is another example of them serving paella, but not the way you know. Squid is the crucial ingredient in this dish which is Paella with black rice. Actually, by the end, everything is a little darker from the squid ink.
- Bacallà amb Samfaina – Cod (Bacalla) is very plentiful, and therefore popular in Catalonia. Salted cod is a style of preserving the cod by drying it in salt. They then remove the salty taste with repeated water baths. This process can take up to 3 days before cooking. They lightly saute and serve it with Samfaina (Spanish ratatouille) over the top.
- Esqueixada de bacallà – The traditional preparation is to tear (esqueixada) the desalted cod and mix with onion and olive oil. They chill the mix in the refrigerator and serve it as a salad. Additional vegetables including tomatoes may also be present.
- Tonyina en escabetx – is a pickled (escabetx) Tuna (Tonyina). They pickle thin slices of onion in garlic, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, vinegar. Then they spread these over the tuna and allowed to marinate the fish. They serve it hot or cold.
- Suquet de Peix – is a fish (peix) casserole in a sauce (Suquet) with potatoes. With the longer cooking time for potatoes, flaky fish would disintegrate. Meatier fish like grouper are favorites. Today there are several variations on the traditional recipe.
- Mandonguilles amb sípia – Meatballs (Mandonguilles) they simmer with cuttlefish (sípia) in a creamy sauce made from the meatball drippings. Combinations of meat and seafood are prevalent in Catalonia.
Meats.
- Escudella I Carn D’Olla – is a part stew, part soup, part meatball, depending on how you make it. They slowly cook the meat in a vegetable broth. When it is tender, they remove it from the liquid and form it into a meatball. From here, things get blurry. They may serve it separately or back in the stew. They may also include other meat. At one time they would add pasta, although that is not as popular today.
- Fricandó – is a delicious beef stew they slow-cook with mushrooms. Count the number of grandmas there are in Catalonia; there are at least that many versions of this dish.
- Ollada – is a vegetable and bean soup with whatever meat is available. There is no one recipe.
- Mongetes amb botifarra – is Catalan pork and beans. Pork sausage and fried white beans called Mongetes. (These are larger than a haricot). After browning the sausage, they cook the beans in the same pan. This step adds the pork flavor and turns the bean crispy on the outside.
- Embotits – covers a wide variety of cured dry sausages (often pork) in Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. In Catalan, the most popular include:
Taste Barcelona Vegetables.
- Calçots – are a type of green onion (scallion). The calçot from Catalonia is a registered Protected Geographical Indication in the European Union. They eat these more as a snack than a vegetable (think artichokes). They char the calçots on the grill. Wrap them in some paper to steam them. Then they are served with a salvitxada dipping sauce. You eat the white part in the center, not the skin. These are seasonal fall through spring.
- Espinacs amb panses i pinyons – is a traditional dish of spinach (espinacs). They sautee it with olive oil, raisins (panses), and pine nuts (pinyons).
Sauces and Condiments.
Not as numerous as the French sauces, however, there are a few Catalan ones you should know.
- Allioli – is a thick sauce of garlic (all) and (i) olive oil (oli). It is very popular along the coast with grilled meats and vegetables. Although some refer to it as mayonnaise, it does not contain egg.
- Romesco – is a mixture of roasted or raw almonds, or pine nuts, roasted garlic, olive oil, and sun-dried red peppers. Initially made by fishermen to put on seafood, it is now used for other dishes as well.
- Samfaina – See “Spanish ratatouille” under tapas, this is also a topping.
Taste Barcelona Sweet Things.
- Crema Catalana – is the “mother-ship” of Catalan sweets. It is a yellow cream made with egg yolk, milk, and sugar. Similar to the creme brulee or flan, but not the same. The traditional presentation is in a low, broad carafe or bowl. They cover the cream with white crystal sugar and burn it. This heat creates a layer of sugar that you have to break to reach the cream. This dessert is a taste Barcelona is proud of.
- Xuixos – are fried pastries with a stuffing of Crema Catalana.
- Tortell – is puff pastry with a stuffing of trufa (cacao, chocolate, and cream) or with Crema Catalana.
- Carquinyolis – are little crunchy almond biscuits. More of a sweet at coffee time.
- Catànies are local Marcona almonds with a covering of white chocolate and dusting of chocolate powder. Also popular with coffee.
- Menjablanc – is a dessert made with milk, almonds, gelatin, and sugar. It forms in a mold.
- Mel i mató – is the local mató cheese (cows’ or goats’ milk, with no salt added) with honey.
- Peres de Lleida – is a dessert using the D.O.P. pears of Lleida. The peel and cook the pears in a cream similar to Crema Catalana but not as sweet. It may have meringue on top.