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I once had a friend tell me that no matter where I go, I will never starve because I speak the language of food fluently. That’s a good thing considering Catalan is not an easy language to learn. I now realize that I couldn’t fail in Catalonia with the delicious meals my family took me to enjoy. If anything, I learned that in Barcelona you cannot go wrong in places with the word “Can” in front of it. Can translates to House and although they are restaurants their food felt very much home cooked.
One of the best meals I enjoyed in Barcelona was at a restaurant called Can Punyetes, which has a few locations throughout the city. Here I had the chance to enjoy Butifarra, a delicious Catalan sausage seasoned with garlic and pepper, a la brasa, or grilled. All the meals at this restaurant are either served with potato, piquillo peppers, or pan amb tomàquet (toasted bread with garlic, tomato and olive oil).
I was also introduced to a very typical Catalonian winter salad called Xató (SHA-toh), which usually features endives, bacalao (salt cod), Bonito tuna, hard-boiled eggs, Black Empeltre olives, and anchovies. But it’s the Romesco vinaigrette that really sets it apart from other salads. The salad comes with the Romesco drizzled on top and then one adds Arbiquina olive oil and sherry vinegar to taste. Romesco is also excellent for dipping grilled green onions called Calçots in, or spreading over a toasted baguette.
The thing that amazed me about Barcelona is its amazing seafood. It’s so incredibly fresh. Wandering through the food stalls at La Boqueria, the market by Las Ramblas, I saw rare delicacies I had never even heard of. What amazed me, of course, was that the shellfish were all still alive and actually kicking, or clawing the air. I don’t think I’ve ever seen seafood that fresh – and I grew up going to Fisherman’s Wharf as a kid. Each vendor stall was full of wonderful items – hanging fuet, giant Chupa Chups, saffron and Pimenton de la Vera as well as Pimentos de Padron, cheeses and other delicious embutidos.
No visit to La Boqueria is complete without a stop at Pinotxo’s. You might have to hover around the bar for a while to snatch a seat, but it’s totally worth it. Not being able to see the menu from where I sat, I asked the cute little old man behind the counter for his recommendations. He brought over a plate of fresh gambas en ajo, (garlic prawns) with Flor de Sal, a lamb stew of beans and mushrooms, and a Vichy Catalan. (We’d already had Estrella Damm beer earlier on our tapeo through Passeig de Gracia.)
On a trip through Penedès, the region famous for Cava, I noticed a phrase painted on the side of a building that said “L’art de bon menjar”. You don’t have to speak Catalan to understand that they take dining seriously, to the point where it has been elevated to an art form rivaling the work of Picasso, Dali or Gaudi.
Until next time . . . Buen Provecho!
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