Nearly two years ago, the Epicurious food and dining website declared that Barcelona had, in its words, jumped the shark. Long known as a culinary leader for its regional chefs’ efforts at the forefront of the tapas movement and more widely acclaimed for advances in molecular gastronomy, the city and wider region had lost their creative juice, slowing under over-indulgence and over-exposure. However, as the New Year arrives and the region struggles to figure out a path forward without the aid of its flagship of culinary innovation, Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli, the local menu is showing new signs of life with a return to traditional staples – delicious simplicity. Though, this being Catalonia, … [Read more...] about Catalan cuisine faces the future by returning to its roots
catalan food
Bacalao
Cod preserved in thick layers of salt, providing a unique flavour and texture. Traditionally done as a way to store fish - though much of it now comes from Norway and Iceland - the dish remains popular all over Spain but especially in the Basque Country and Catalonia. In the latter region bunyola de bacalla are popular: salt cod fritters usually sprinkled with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon, eaten with an ice cold beer as an appetizer or main course. … [Read more...] about Bacalao
Pa amb oli / tomàquet
Bread with olive oil (pa amb oli) or bread with tomato (pa amb tomàquet)? Actually, the two dishes are usually the same - rustic bread rubbed with olive oil and tomato and seasoned with garlic and salt, perhaps topped with a slice of jamón or manchego cheese. The difference lies in the name: the former is what it is called in the Balearic Islands, the latter in Catalonia - a source of great controversy for such a simple dish. … [Read more...] about Pa amb oli / tomàquet