Barcelona Food Specialities

by Greg | Catalan cuisine

The classic combination of ‘mar i muntanya’ – sea and mountain – is what has combined to give Catalan food, especially around Barcelona, its own unique features.

Barcelona is close by some wonderful unspoiled countryside, enabling a constant supply of fresh vegetables and fruit to always be at hand. In tandem with the riches available in the nearby Mediterranean and the animals grazing on the slopes of the mountains, this gives an abundance of culinary opportunities.

Catalan cuisine goes back at least as far as the 13th century, when the earliest recipe books have been discovered and its richness and variety help make it one of the most popular in the entire Mediterranean area.

So, what exactly can we expect of our specialities in Barcelona?

Well, firstly, expect there to be lots of tasty sauces. Allioli, literally garlic and oil, is common throughout Spain but in Barcelona it is classically produced without egg, and with just a little salt added. It is often served with rice and meat dishes. Samfaina is a sauce produced with chilli pepper and aubergines; sofregit with fried tomatoes, onions and garlic; and romesco with tomatoes, garlic, almonds, vinegar and olive oil. Picada, a seasoned mix of almonds, pine and hazel nuts, and sauces originating from the regional spiced pork sausage, botifarra, are commonly seen.

Also, it’s very usual to add dried fruit to meat and fish dishes. Aubergines, chickpeas, tuna, anchovy and cod are additionally very familiar ingredients in Catalan cooking.
Typical starters include ‘escalivada’, with aubergines, tomatoes, chilli peppers and allioli and also ‘esqueixada’, with cod, onions, beans, olives and assorted other vegetables.

On the main course menu, expect to find plenty of dishes based on beef and lamb as well as all kinds of game. Specific dishes include ‘mongonguilles amb sìpia’, meatballs and cuttlefish; ‘llagosta amb pollastre’, lobster and chicken in a hazelnut sauce; ‘farrillada’, grilled mixed fish; and combinations as diverse as chicken and crayfish, rabbit and rum and duck and turnip. You might also be a little surprised to see quite a lot of pasta – Catalan cooking is second only to Italian in the amount of pasta consumption.

Seasonally, you will see elsewhere on these pages that wild asparagus and calçots (large spring onions) are common in the spring and rovellons (mushrooms) in the autumn. In the winter, the locals like nothing more than churros (doughnut-type pastries) dipped in hot chocolate for breakfast and then the incredibly tasty escudella d’olla for their main meal. Literally meaning a large bowl, escudella is one of those comfort stews that you dip your bread into and just allow its taste and smell to overwhelm you.

The most famous speciality dessert is, of course, the ubiquitous Crema Catalana but mel i matò, cream cheese and honey, is also deservedly popular.

Enough of this; I need to stop now before my taste buds lose control. Suffice it to say, that, although there are many restaurants in Barcelona offering international cuisine of the highest standard, don’t neglect Barcelona’s own food specialities – they really are special.