Barcelona food
Paella de mariscos. Photo by Manuel Martín Vicente [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
When visiting Barcelona, sightseeing and visiting museums is just a part of the entire experience the city has to offer. With so many adventurous things to do in Barcelona, it’s easy to forget that Barcelona is a culinary gem on the Mediterranean. There are many dishes, prepared with various types of fish or meat and garnished with traditional sauces and spices that make up Barcelona food.
Traditional Food in Barcelona
- Escudella d’Olla is a traditional Catalan stew and is usually served during the period between October and May. It is usually served in two dishes, the first is the soup and after the various types of vegetables, pasta and meat. Some of the food that is usually found in this stew is the pilota, which translates to ball in Catalan and it is a large meatball. Botifarra is sausage in Catalan and it can also be found in this type of stew.
- Allioli is a traditional sauce and it is very similar to mayonnaise and is widely used in Barcelona food. To prepare it all you need is salt, olive oil and garlic. However, there are many variations of this sauce and it can be eaten along with almost anything that goes well with garlic.
CC BY-SA 2.0 de, Suquet de Peix
- Suquet de Peix is consisted of potatoes as the base of it. It can be prepared with various types of fish, actually it can be made with almost anything you can find, that is fish of course. It is prepared with tomatoes and garlic. The end result is a mouthful of flavors.
- Esqueixada is the complete opposite of Escudella d’Olla in the way that it is server in the warm period of the year. It is practically a salad that is prepared with only fresh salt cod or bacalao, peppers, onions, tomatoes and olives. Often people use olive oil and vinegar to combine the flavors.
- Fideua is a noodle dish. Usually the locals and restaurants prepare this dish in a large pan and there are many ways to cook this dish. Usually it consists of many types of fish. Normally it is served with garlic, olive oil and alioli.
CC BY-SA 2.0 de, Crema Catalana
- Crema Catalana is a traditional type of desert. It is made from custard and is a bit different from the English or French custard in the way that it is a bit softer and contains cinnamon. Crema Catalana is also considered to be the original custard desert.
- Escalivada is a very easy to prepare but also one of the most prepared dish in Barcelona. Escalivada translates to “to roast on ashes” and it is prepared with peppers and eggplant. Locals prefer to add other veggies as well such as garlic, tomatoes and onions. This dish goes very well along with other foods that consist of mostly meat or fish.
- Mel I Mato is a dessert like no other. It is very easy to make, all it takes is soft cheese with no salt and honey. It is preferred by most people because you decide how sweet you want it to be by pouring honey over the cheese as much as you like. Often people top with walnuts to give it more flavors.
There are many more dishes in the Barcelona food specialties. However, these are some that any tourist should try at least one time. You never feel the true Barcelona experience until you also try the food. One of our favorite bars in Barcelona is The Stoke Bar. They have great options of culinary delights.