Catalonian Cuisine
The "pa amb tomàquet" tradition
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The cuisine starts from the basic trilogy of wheat, olive and wine enriched by contributions from the East and the New World, with a tradition based not only on everyday practice but also on the theoretical tradition that goes back to medieval times. In fact, the first recipe book is "Llibre de Sent Soví" (1324), which compiles more than two hundred recipes. This cooking manuscript, one of the oldest in Europe, is proof that already in those times, Catalonia enjoyed a gastronomy very refined and full of nuances. Nowadays, the Catalan cuisine is regarded all over the world for the great innovation it has developed to remain updated without losing the identity of so many years of tradition.
In short, we can divide it in mountain and inland cuisine - where meat, the dairy products and the products from the woods, the garden and the farmyard stand out -, the sea food cuisine - where fish plays the main part and it's accompanied with rice, noodles or potatoes- and the bourgeois cuisine from the cities that reelaborates traditional dishes and adapts from the international cuisine.
Among its basic components and products, a leading role is played by vegetables, -onion, garlic and tomato (fried mixture base), pimento and aubergine - and legumes - broad beans, peas and chickpeas. Fruit is eaten not only as dessert but is also served with roast meat and poultry. Dried fruit, almonds and hazelnuts are also added, alone or pounded, to the meat and fish dishes. Allioli (garlic mayonnaise) and romesco (hot sauce for fish) are two other distinctive sauces.
Among the spices, cinnamon and saffron stand out, and as seasoning the aromatic herbs: laurel, thyme, parsley, etc. Furthermore, dishes made with differents kinds of mushrooms are very traditional. Sausages are a separate issue and for its singularity, it is necessary to mention "the pa amb tomàquet" - a slice of cottage loaf rubbed with tomato pulp and dressed with olive oil and salt.
Pastry and cakes accompany meals and display a variety that is related to the annual liturgical ritual: torrons (nougat) and neules (wafer) for Christmas, mones de Pasqua (Easter cakes), crema de Sant Josep (cream), coques de Sant Joan (flat cake), panellets de Tots Sants (small, round cakes made with marzipan for All Saints).
The wines - already famous in Roman times -, have undergone a considerable improvement in the last decades due to the introduction of new vine stocks and enological techniques. They are protected by nine appellations of origin. Cava, produced for more than a century following the French champagne method, particularly at the Penedès region, is exported to all over the world.
In short, we can divide it in mountain and inland cuisine - where meat, the dairy products and the products from the woods, the garden and the farmyard stand out -, the sea food cuisine - where fish plays the main part and it's accompanied with rice, noodles or potatoes- and the bourgeois cuisine from the cities that reelaborates traditional dishes and adapts from the international cuisine.
Among its basic components and products, a leading role is played by vegetables, -onion, garlic and tomato (fried mixture base), pimento and aubergine - and legumes - broad beans, peas and chickpeas. Fruit is eaten not only as dessert but is also served with roast meat and poultry. Dried fruit, almonds and hazelnuts are also added, alone or pounded, to the meat and fish dishes. Allioli (garlic mayonnaise) and romesco (hot sauce for fish) are two other distinctive sauces.
Among the spices, cinnamon and saffron stand out, and as seasoning the aromatic herbs: laurel, thyme, parsley, etc. Furthermore, dishes made with differents kinds of mushrooms are very traditional. Sausages are a separate issue and for its singularity, it is necessary to mention "the pa amb tomàquet" - a slice of cottage loaf rubbed with tomato pulp and dressed with olive oil and salt.
Pastry and cakes accompany meals and display a variety that is related to the annual liturgical ritual: torrons (nougat) and neules (wafer) for Christmas, mones de Pasqua (Easter cakes), crema de Sant Josep (cream), coques de Sant Joan (flat cake), panellets de Tots Sants (small, round cakes made with marzipan for All Saints).
The wines - already famous in Roman times -, have undergone a considerable improvement in the last decades due to the introduction of new vine stocks and enological techniques. They are protected by nine appellations of origin. Cava, produced for more than a century following the French champagne method, particularly at the Penedès region, is exported to all over the world.