The Dishes to Eat in Barcelona

By Aina de Lapparent Alvarez

Please enjoy this article by Aina de Lapparent Alvarez!

The Dishes to Eat in Barcelona

by Aina de Lapparent Alvarez

Barcelona’s multiculturalism can make it hard to find food that feels unique to the city. However, Barcelona’s homegrown food culture, much like that in the rest of the surrounding Catalan countryside, is thriving if you know where to look. For your next visit, here are some suggestions if you want to explore further than paella and jamón.

Calçot is a vegetable halfway between a spring onion and a leek. It is traditionally braised over a fire and smothered in a tomato and almond sauce called romesco. Don’t think you’ll just be able to walk up to a street vendor and order one lonely calçot with a side of romesco though. You can never have just one, and there’s a traditional way to eat them. 

The technique is as follows: first, grab a bib. No matter how clean of an eater you are, you will need it. Next, grab the calçot with your hands, remove the blackened part of the onion, smother it in romesco, and eat. Repeat until you feel absolutely fit to burst. The calçots are followed by meat dishes, usually grilled lamb ribs and white beans or potatoes, and finally dessert. Every January until April a frenzy of friend groups, families, and work friends organize days out to go enjoy a calçotada. This tradition originated in Valls, one hour west of Barcelona, but it now has spread all around Catalonia.   

Fricandó: This slow cooked beef stew with mushrooms was my favorite dish as a kid. It involves two critical elements of Catalan cuisine: sofregit (starting a dish by frying onions and tomatoes) and picada, a mix of nuts, bread crust, parsley, and garlic which further binds the sauce.

Fideuà is better than its more famous cousin paella. It is also less favored by tourists, so there are no frozen options served at restaurants. Instead of rice, you’ll have short, thin noodles which are cooked in fish broth. It is also served with aioli. Eating it by the sea is an unforgettable experience. At L’Escribà, you can see the cook juggle seven orders at once. Call ahead!

Croquetas: This deep-fried breaded roll is your inner child’s favorite food, even if you never had it. Similar concepts exist in multiple food cultures. In Spain, the critical aspect is mixing bechamel into the filling, though many places have successfully veganized the dish. Ham, chicken, cod, and mushroom are the most common varities, but, unlike fideuà, croqueta is an open field of experimentation.

Escalibada: This vegan dish is made of roasted vegetables, usually red pepper, onion, and eggplant that are burned in the oven or grilled. The skin is then discarded and the vegetables marinate with olive oil, garlic, and parsley. It has a nicely smooth texture. Amazing on toast or cocas, which are rectangular types of pizzas.

Mel i mató i nous: Not the most elaborate dessert, but this ricotta-style cheese is a refreshing end to a heavy meal. It is enjoyed with honey and/or walnuts and is consistently good almost anywhere you go. You can also find it in the supermarket or in one of my favorite creameries: la Granja Armengol, which has eight shops in Barcelona.

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