The competition was tight, but we already have the undisputed king of Catalan cuisine, at least for this year.
This Monday, at the Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm, the grand finale of the tenth edition of the “Plat Favorit dels Catalans” contest was held, a now classic event promoted by CUINA magazine, Abacus and the Generalitat de Catalunya. And yes, that dish that we associate with the Sant Esteve festivities and Sunday family meals has won the gold medal.
A heart-stopping final (gastronomic)
Let no one think that it has been a bed of roses. To reach the podium, the cannelloni had to sweat the béchamel. The voting, which has collected more than 25,000 popular votes in four weeks, was complemented by the verdict of a professional jury (with a weight of 30%) where sat chefs of the stature of Fina Puigdevall (Les Cols) or Oriol Castro (Disfrutar).
In the grand final, the cannelloni (defended by chefs such as Carles Gaig) faced other titans of our gastronomy: Botifarra amb seques, Suquet de peix and Cargols a la llauna.
Left behind were 11 other dishes that are authentic emblems. And it hurts to see some of them “fallen” in combat: fricandó (winner in 2021), escudella, calçots and even, hold on, pa amb tomàquet. Almost nothing.
The victory is also part of the acts of Catalunya Regió Mundial de la Gastronomia 2025, a recognition that, as highlighted by the conseller Miquel Sàmper, seeks to “value the product and also the preparation of our cooks”.
The Barcelona secret of the cannelloni
But what makes cannelloni so much our own? Here comes the plot twist. Although today it is the symbol of the cuisine de aprovechamiento (la cuina d’aprofitament) par excellence for using the leftovers from the Christmas roast, the cannelloni is, in reality, an immigrant.
The tradition is not as old as escudella. According to several sources, such as El Nacional.cat or GastroBarna, cannelloni became popular in the city at the beginning of the 20th century thanks to French and Italian influenced restaurants.
Many place the epicenter of this pasta fever in the Maison Dorée, a luxurious French restaurant that opened its doors in Plaça Catalunya (yes, where Primark is today) and that triumphed among the Barcelona bourgeoisie importing Parisian recipes, such as the “Cannelloni Rossini”.
It was the Catalans who gave it their master touch, changingthe raw minced meatfilling (Italian style) for roast meat (the rostit), often left over from the carn d’olla or the Christmas chicken, or cooking the pasta instead of leaving it al dente.