Traveling should help us to broaden our horizons and try new things; that’s why we’re supposed to leave our environment. Far from that, instead of innovating, we prefer to look for substitutes of what we have close to home. Many tourists limit themselves to pa amb tomàquet and Estrella Damm and go back to their cities without having tasted the real typical dishes of Barcelona , right?
Pa amb tomàquet
We start with the classic of classics, we know. First of all, the first thing: no pantumaca, no pantomaquet or anything weird. Pa amb tomàquet. Secondly, the tomato is scrambled, not crushed. And from here, the luxuries. If possible, tomato spread, the small and juicy ones. If possible, a good toasted bread of pagés or a crunchy coca de vidre. If possible, good olive oil. And if you want, a little bit of rubbed garlic to increase the umami to everything. Perhaps, the best invention of Catalonia.
By the way, here is a list of everything NOT to do.
Canelons de Sant Esteve
Actually, its origin is Italian but we usually eat them on the day of Sant Esteve to rescue the leftover meat from the carn d’olla. You have to spend all morning in the kitchen making them, since tradition says that they have to be made of meat and homemade. Good bechamel sauce and enjoy them on December 26th or the rest of the year.
Here is a list of where you can try them in Barcelona.
Calamares a la romana
It is the typical dish that accompanies a paella after an intense morning at the beach. It is best to take them with the sea in the background and that, yes, respecting the purism. The calamari “a la romana” are not coated in flour, but in that mixture of water and flour (with beer or baking soda, to inflate) that gives them that crunchy and spongy batter at the same time. Reject imitations.
If you want, check out these authentic beach bars in the city to treat yourself on the weekend.
Catalan cream
Yes, we know that there is no better cream than the yaya’s, but it is not good to take advantage of her culinary skills day in and day out.It is taken with cinnamon and “cremada” and no, it is not the same as the French creme brulee.
Empedrat
It is a white bean salad with black olives, peppers and cod. The star dish of the summer. With good tomatoes, good beans and a good oil and vinegar, glory.
Escudella de nadal amb galets
The equivalent to the cocido madrileño, in Catalan. A wonderful soup with meat from up to four different animals (chicken, beef, pork and lamb) and various vegetables, served in two bowls. First, the broth with some galets boiled in the broth.
Secondly, the meats with the vegetables and chickpeas and, of course, its pilota, emblem and emblem of this dish. We love it, so we leave you a list of where to eat this mustof the Catalan Christmas.
Bikini
Okay, yes: it’s a sandwich with sweet ham and melted cheese. But what a beauty. As with tomato bread, Catalonia has made a virtue out of simplicity and has turned what in Madrid they call mixto into an irreversibly Barcelonian hallmark of its own identity. The origin of the name in terms of popular etymology lies in a Barcelona dance hall: the Sala Bikini.
Here it is so popular that there is even a place that only serves bikinis and, of course, our selection of the best places where they prepare it in Barcelona.
Frankfurt
Like cannelloni, this German heritage has triumphed in Catalonia. Street food par excellence, few things more Catalan than going down to the center of Barcelona and have a frankfurt for lunch at Can Conesa (or its Galia, the Sant Jaume frankfurt) and enjoy the walk soaked in the taste of salchcicha and ketchup. Simple luxury.
Escalivada
Chances are that in your childhood you hated it, but what ten year old kid likes bell pepper, eggplant or onion? (Well, tomato is the only one that is saved). It sounds like a very simple dish and it is and, again, what a treat. Roasted vegetables, a drizzle of olive oil and little more than put it over a pa amb tomàquet and top it, if you like, with an anchovy. Absolutely spectacular.
Cap i Pota
Ferran Lozano Cusi
The xup-xup cuisine cannot be missing in this list, and neither can the casquería. Both are summarized in this great dish, a stew made, literally, with the leg and head of the cow, less noble parts but full of a wonderful jelly that, well cooked, causes what has to cause a dish like this: that the lips are stuck together after eating them. If we add a good sauce and a spicy touch, we already have a classic of the Catalan cuisine that they don’t nail in many places.
Peus de porc
Along with cap i pota, the other great star of Catalan menut and stew cuisine. Also called peus de ministre (or de bisbe), they are another example of how we take advantage of everything from pork and how in Catalonia we love stews whose quality indicator is the jelly they leave on our lips. A real delicacy (which is also grilled) that can be scary at first but that hooks those who try it.
Calçots with romesco sauce
The other great Catalan invention. The social gathering par excellence. The gauge of your social status: tell me how many calçptades you have been invited to and I will tell you how many Catalan friends you have. Again, very easy: onions on a live fire and, yes, a homemade romescu sauce, which is where you can distinguish the experienced cooks from the apprentices. From here, music, friends, porró and enjoy life. They are collonuts.
Butifarra amb mongetes
No, it is not a suitable dish for a date either, especially because of the flatulence that accompanies the mongetes. But hey, better out than in, right? One of the best and most classic esmorzars de forquilla.