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Barcelona – a city renowned for its cultural diversity
and multiple influences and in no area is this more noticeable
than its cuisine. Heavily influenced by the surrounding Catalan
region and its diverse geographical landscape the area is a melting
pot of fresh vegetables and choice fish, poultry and game.
Catalan’s also have a growing reputation throughout Spain
and the world and the region is fast becoming renowned for producing
the best chefs and finest gastronomy in the country (a title that
has been traditionally held by the Basques and one that they’re
not going to relinquish without a fight). Men such as Ferran
Adrià have helped to put Barcelona on the culinary map.
He is widely regarded as the world’s most innovative chef
and his restaurant, El Bulli, two hours north
of Barcelona, is regarded as one of the worlds best– the
27 course “degustation” menu has achieved cult status
amongst foodies throughout the world.
Barcelona has a wide selection of restaurants and eateries to
suit all wallets and tastes and this article will give you a rundown
on some of the regions traditional fayre, such as “Mar Y
Mantagna”, a take on “Surf and Turf” which combines
seafood with some poultry or game in the same meal. The proximity
of the Mediterranean coastline obviously provides the region with
a large amount of seafood and the classic fried fish dishes enjoyed
in Andalusia are available throughout the province. With over 500km
of coastline in the region you can expect to be able to get fresh
fish and shellfish of excellent quality throughout Catalonia and
you can be sure that influences from all over the Mediterranean
can be found in the region.
Much of Catalan cuisine lies in the preparation of sauces for
meat and fish dishes; a firm favourite is “Romesco”;
usually made with tomatoes, almond, olive oil and garlic and the
classic oil and garlic based “Allioli” is also a well
trusted formula in the city’s restaurants and kitchens.
Simplicity is also embraced in Catalan cuisine and in no dish
more so than the beautiful “Pa amb tomaquet”, a dish
of fresh bread rubbed with tomato, garlic and olive oil often brought
out before a meal in restaurants and much lauded as a tasty substitute
to bread and butter.
The core of Catalan cuisine still comes from the trio of ingredients
introduced into the region by the Romans. The trinity of bread,
wine and oil has been used ever since in daily life. In Medieval
times Arab influences were also to leave their mark on Catalonia
and classic Moorish combinations of sweet and sour can still be
seen today in favourite dishes such as rabbit with pears and duck
with fruit.
Another regional speciality is “Bacalao” (what is
called salt-cod in English) – it’s easily recognised
in markets and stalls by its pungent smell and harks back to the
pre-refrigeration days when preserving and curing meats and fish
were essential to survival. Today it is used in stews and salads
and can be prepared in a number of ways and is an extremely versatile
ingredient. Particularly excellent is “ Esqueixada”,
a superb salad dish with shredded “Bacalao” which can
be found in bars around the city.
With such a plethora of flavours on offer and the chance to eat
in some of Spain’s finest restaurants, visitors to the region
are rarely disappointed in the cuisine which even prompted American
restaurant critic and writer, Coleman Andrews, to
describe it as “ Europe’s last great culinary secret”.
Well, the secret may well be out now but that shouldn’t hinder
your enjoyment of some excellent food.
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