A Short Guide to Catalan Food

9/8/2019

A cheat sheet for first timers in the Spanish food capital

When eating out in Catalonia for the first time, it can be rather overwhelming. Expectations are high as this part of Spain is home to a multitude of Michelin starred restaurants and boasts some of the finest chefs in the World. Add to that the deep rooted traditions of the Catalan kitchen and its unique style and you have a rich and complex assortment of dishes and tastes awaiting you - But what do I order?

We have put together a concise list of the best traditional dishes from the Catalan region to look out for on menus:

Botifarra - the traditional Catalan pork sausage similar to a South African boerewors or Portuguese linguiça, usually served with white beans (botifarra amb mongetes).
Escudella - a soupy stew made with every part of the pig and winter vegetables, such as celery, cabbage and carrots. Sometimes it’s made with botifarra, a Catalan sausage or meatballs.
Fideuá - a paella-like dish made using short noodles in place of rice, you can find anything inside from rabbit to red prawns, depending on the area of Catalonia you are in.
Palamós prawns - Meaty red prawns from Palamós are fantastic, and summer is also the season for lobster and sardines.
Pa amb tomàquet, or Pan con tomate - is a traditional food of Valencian, Aragonese, Balearic, Catalan and Murcian cuisines in Spain. Pa amb tomàquet is considered a staple of Catalan cuisine and identity.
Romesco sauce - this most famous Catalan sauce is made from hazelnuts, grilled bread, garlic, parsley, nyora red peppers from Tarragona, olive oil and a little vinegar. Another is aioli: mashed garlic, olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon (often served alongside a Fideuá or with grilled Calçots).
Samfaina - a Catalan / Valencian dish made from slow-cooked diced eggplant and zucchini, a sofrito of chopped garlic and onion and grated tomato, all cooked in olive oil. Other ingredients like red or green peppers can be added, as well as herbs like thyme and rosemary.
Suquet - a stew made with hake or monkfish, squid, clams, prawns and often fish heads – a very typical Mediterranean dish.