Tastingpedia

ALLIOLI

Allioli is a thick sauce and yellowish (or greenish, depending on the olive oil) which is made grinding and emulsifying some garlics with salt and olive oil in a mortar. It is a typical sauce of the western Mediterranean, which is found in Andalusia (ajoaceite), in Aragon (ajolio), in Italy -especially Sicily- (aioli), in Occitania -especially Provence, the Languedoc coast and the Occitan Vallada- (alhòli or aïoli) and in Catalan Countries -both in Valencian Country and in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands-. Today, however, it is an internationally known sauce and therefore can be found in many places where in the past was not usual.

Its origin is not clear, but Romans and Egyptians prepared similar sauces. Certainly it has a Mediterranean origin, since this is common and traditional sauce in most of the western Mediterranean, and in the eastern there have always been also sauces with olive oil and garlic.

It is often eaten with grilled meats or baked or boiled potatoes. In Catalonia it is typical to take it with beans with sausage, grilled rabbit, fish, baked potatoes, toasted bread, chops, etc. It is also common, like in the Valencian Country, to eat it with all types of rice or paellas, fideuàs or arròs a banda. Instead, in Mallorca is common to serve it with cooked snails.

BOTIFARRA D'OU (egg Catalan sausage)

Botifarra d’ou is made similarly to botifarra blanca (white Catalan sausage). Therefore, it means that it is made with lean pork, unlike botifarra negra (black Catalan sausage) that is made with fat meat and blood.

This cold meat dates from 17th century. It seems that it was originated in Barcelona and it is related to the Carnival. In the beginning, it was cold meat only to be eaten on dijous llarder or dijous gras and the days before Lent, so it was only found at this time. Nowadays, this product is so appreciated that is sold and consumed throughout the year. However, if it is not Carnival time, it can be more complicated to find it in stores.

CALÇOTS (green onions)

According to some news, calçot was discovered by a solitary farmer from Valls of late nineteenth century known as Xat de Benaiges and is nothing more than each of the white onions pieces cultivated especially for being cooked in the flame.

The process of the calçot planting begins when, in the last months of the year, is sown the white onion seed. When the onion has germinated and grown, it is weeded and, after keeping it for some time, it is planted again so that just leave it half covered. As the plant grows, it is necessary to surrounding it with some soil. Calçots are harvested mainly between November and April.

From the first decades of the 20th century the calçotada became a usual meal for many families in Valls during the holidays. The roots of the big boost experienced by the calçotada throughout the country date in the middle of the century, when the Penya Artística de l’Olla made their famous calçotades and invited personalities from the artistic and cultural world in Barcelona, which helped to make it widely known.

Since the 1960s, the boost of some restorers of entrepreneurial spirit, the spread of the private vehicle and some procedures, businesses from the municipal applications of Valls allowed that thousands of people around the country, each year, visit Valls to do the increasingly popular calçotada.

CAVA

The origin of cava is associated with the splendour of the mid-nineteenth century Catalan viticulture. Louis Pasteur microbiology studies applied to the wine could be used to control the second fermentation in the bottle, and the discovery of the cork allowed not losing the bubbles in the wine. Thus, it was born the traditional method or champanoise.

During the 19th century, several families from Sant Sadurní d'Anoia start looking for this new production technique and apply it to crops in the area, fruit of the studies and trials that they do, which are linked to the prestigious Institut Agrícola Català de Sant Isidre. In that way, the cava was born, with an identity that is different from any other sparkling wine of high quality.

In 1872, the first cava bottles were made in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia following the traditional method of second fermentation in the bottle. The elaboration begins like this and the town becomes the most important capital of the cava.

CREMA CATALANA (Catalan custard)

It is told a funny Catalan anecdote, in which the bishop of the moment went to visit some nuns who were famous for their caramel custard, and as they were in a rush poor nuns did not have the caramel custard set when it was time. The chef Sister was very nervous and decided to set it with starch. The bishop who was used to caramel custard, which was always cold, had a spoonful with gluttony and put it in the mouth. As it was very hot, he shouted: ‘CREMA!!!!” (it burns!!). So its name comes from because of that.

This crema is very typical in Catalonia, previously it was only taken for Josep Saint (for this reason it is also called crema de Sant Josep) or for a great celebration, but now its consumption is much more widespread. In the traditional version instead of corn flour is made with starch, served in small cooking pots and often burned with some sugar, which gives it a very nice crunchy.

LLONGANISSA DE VIC

The first written references about Llonganissa de Vic are from 1456. In the past this product was produced at farms located in Plana de Vic as a method of preserving meat, taking advantage of the special climatic characteristics of the area. In order to protect this ancestral product, makers have always tried to preserve its name, quality and tradition.

NEULES

Neules are traditional sweets made with eggs, sugar, vanilla (factory-made), water or milk, flour and butter. The first references are in the early 13th century. According to the specialists of the subject, it is believed that at first they were flat, not too regular and in some cases inscribed, usually with some prayer, or emblems, such as abbeys or some noble or feudal.

It is believed that they were invented in some abbey for monks or nuns, where in that time there were the most abundant raw materials and have appeared much of the sweets and sweet traditional food. They know several recipes and culinary preparations, and they also know some popular cereal beverage, among others.

It is said that it comes from the winding of consecrated hosts considering that they were very big (about 15 cm in diameter) to be able to consume them better, but it is not clear enough, since the clerical host is quite far from neules, not even the version 2.0. is closed. What we certainly know is that the tradition of dipping them in any kind of liqueur (rancid wines, seasoned wines, muscatels, etc.) already comes from the time of Jaume I.

OLIVADA

Olivada is a paste to spread made of black olives carved with olive oil, salt and, if you like, some spice. It is used to spread on slices of bread or sometimes to add, for example, to a salad. It can be used olives arbequines, empeldre, argullol, etc.

RATAFIA

It is said that ratafia is the liqueur to which the barretina (Catalan cap) is better applicable. And it is said that was baptized by bishops of Vic, Barcelona and Tarragona, which had gathered to sign an important document, and when they finished the discussions, they celebrated it with a big meal. In the end they asked the tavern keeper a liqueur to digest, and the man brought them a bottle of ratafia (it was the only drink that he had) from his larder. They liked that. ‘It was made by my godmother!’, the man said, "with tender walnuts and forty kinds of aromatic herbs". When bishops asked for its name, he answered that it was a homemade drink with no name. Bishops said they wanted to call it “rata fiat”, a Latin expression that means "it is signed". The legend says that, but the history tells that ratafia was brought from America by French Indians and entered to Catalonia by Catalan farmers that went to Roussillon to harvest.
(L´Almanac del Cordill, 2006)

ROMESCO SAUCE

The romesco sauce was probably originated in the sailors’ quarter of Serrallo, Tarragona. It is a popular sauce. It appeared without a doubt after the widespread arrival of American products (tomato and pepper) in Catalan homes, which began to occur in the 18th century.

The base is made of almonds and hazelnuts, escalivat tomato, salt, escalivat and raw garlic, oil, vinegar and bitxo. A slice of fried bread and nyores (a kind of pepper that is kept dry and that previously is left to soak) are often added. If it is for fish or snails, some mint leaves or fennel are added to aromatize. However, every family has its "secret" regarding the way of preparation and the ingredients of this sauce.

It is a sauce that has a spicy point and usually accompanies fish, meat or vegetables, such as calçots, although a similar sauce, called popularly salvitxada, it is also used with them.

TORRÓ D'AGRAMUNT

The tradition of nougat candy in the Agramunt municipality appears documented for the first time in 1741, through some letters of the noble families of the village. Nougat candy of Agramunt achieves a wide recognition during the 19th and 20th centuries. In great part, this is due to the fact that the artisans of nougat candy visited fairs and markets of other populations.

Later, the profession suffered the lacks of the civil war and for years the production was paralyzed because of problems with the supply of raw materials as the hazelnut. After this period, only some families continued the tradition until today.