TRADITIONAL FOOD

Catalan cuisine, in the sense of territorial localization, is Gallo-Iberian and, naturally, Mediterranean, but also presents Atlantic and high mountain influences. Basically, it is the language that creates the geographic, historic and cultural existence of this cuisine. Catalan cuisine has spoken, and speaks Catalan and, without any doubt, this is its main character.

Between 1990 and 2008, Catalan cuisine keeps a moment of glory: during these years the most important chefs of the region reach their plenitude and their work have achieved a notable international recognition. In 1999, Ferran Adrià was the best chef in the world, his fame has spread like an oil spillage.

On the other hand,Carme Ruscalleda is the only woman in the world with 5 Michelin stars: 3 for “Santa Pau” in Sant Pol de Mar and 2 stars with “Santa Pau” in Tokyo. The grand chefs have always been excited for traditional cuisine, improving with new technologies, using less fat and served in surroundings of a more modern design.

The traditional Catalan cuisine is quite diverse, ranging from pork-intensive dishes cooked in the inland part of the region (Catalonia is one of the main producers of swine products in Spain) to fish-based recipes along the coast. The cuisine includes many preparations that mix sweet and savoury and stews with sauces based upon botifarra (pork sausage) and the characteristic picada (ground almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, etc. sometimes with garlic, herbs, biscuits). producers of swine productsbotifarrasausagepicadaalmondshazelnuts pine nutsgarlicherbsbiscuits

ASSORTED DISHES Cod (with raisins and pine nuts) Escalivada (various grilled vegetables) Escudella (a stew, it may served as soup with pasta and minced meats and vegetables, or as the soup first and then the rest) Esqueixada (salted cod salad with tomato and onion) Mongetes amb botifarra (beans and pork sausage) Pa amb tomàquet (bread smeared with an olive oil, garlic and tomato sauce) Suquet de peix (a seafood casserole) Embotits, a generic name for different kinds of cured pork meat, including Fuet (a characteristic type of dried sausage) Calçots (specially cultivated onions, grilled and served as a "Calçotada") Cargols a la llauna (cooked snails) Escalivada Escudella Esqueixadasalted codbotifarra Pa amb tomàquet Suquet de peix EmbotitsporkFuet Calçotsonions Cargols a la llaunasnails

SAUCES AND CONDIMENTS Allioli, a thick sauce made of garlic and olive oil, used with grilled meats or vegetables, and some dishes. Allioli means garlic (all) and (i) oil (oli) in Catalan language. Samfaina, also called tomacat or pebrots amb tomàquet. It's a variety of Occitan ratatouille or Spanish Pisto. Xató (made of almonds, hazelnuts, garlic, bread, vinegar, tomatoes, olive oil and dried red peppers) from Valls AllioliCatalan language SamfainaOccitanratatouille SpanishPistoValls

SWEETS AND DESSERTS Crema catalana, the famous yellow cream made with yolks, milk and sugar. Mel i mató, a dessert of mató cheese with honey Carquinyolis are little almond crunchy biscuits often eaten at coffee time. Sweet coques were at first eaten only in holidays. Catalans have different kids of traditional coca for each festivity of the year. Sweet bunyols as bunyols de vent, bunyols stuffed with crema catalana or bunyols de l'Empordà are typically made and eaten on Wednesdays and Fridays during lent. Crema catalanayolks milksugar Mel i matómató cheesehoney Carquinyoliscoquesbunyols

Mona de PasquaMona de Pasqua is a pastry richly covered with almonds, yolk jam, chocolate eggs (or currently big chocolate sculptures) and coloured decoration that the godfather give as a present, every year, to their godchildren in Easter. Panellets are small pastries made of pine nuts, almonds and sugar with different shapes and flavours, eaten during la Castanyada, that Catalans celebrate on 1st November instead of Halloween. “Tortell de reis" is an special coca that Catalans eat in “Three Wise Man” day, a typical ring-shaped pastry stuffed with marzipan and topped with glazed fruit. Torró, a Christmas sweet made, basically, with almonds and using different tastes. Neules are a very thin dought with cilindrical form. They are also eaten on Christmas in Catalonia. Panellets CastanyadaHalloweenortell de reiscocamarzipan Torró Neules Mona de Pasqua

WINES There are 11 Catalan wine-growing regions qualified by the INCAVI (The Catalan Institute of Wine): Priorat, Penedès, Catalunya, Costers del Segre, Conca de Barberà, Montsant, Alella, Tarragona, Empordà-Costa Brava, Pla del Bages and Terra Alta. The sparkling wine cava, made mainly in the Penedès and Anoia regions, similar to champagne. It is widely exported. "Moscatell" (Empordà), is a sweet Catalan wine.PrioratPenedès CatalunyaCosters del SegreConca de BarberàMontsant AlellaTarragonaEmpordà-Costa BravaPla del Bages Terra AltacavaPenedès AnoiachampagneMoscatellEmpordà

TRADITIONAL FOOD COOK LESSONS FRUIT’S JOICE

Gazpacho

Catalan Salad

Fruit sticks

“Canapés”

Quince sweets with apple jam

“Panellets”

Christmas trunk pie

Field trip to “la Boqueria Market”

Bon profit!!!