Traditional Catalan cuisine

Catalan Cuisine is based on fresh fruit and vegetables, meats and fish of great quality and last but not least olive oil. One of the secrets of Mediterranean Cuisine is that food is cooked in olive oil giving food a very special taste. Olive oil also helps to reduce the amount of cholesterol reducing the risk of heart disease.

Here are some examples of Catalan dishes:

Main courses:
Pa amb tomàquet, bread with tomato rubbed over and seasoned with olive oil and salt.
All i oli, sauce made of garlic and olive oil and salt. It is traditionally served with grilled meats or vegetables.
Fuet, dry sausage of pork meat in a pork gut.
Mongetes amb botifarra, beans and pork sausage.
Escalivada, various grilled vegetables seasoned with olive oil and salt.
Calçots, grilled onions.
Escudella i carn d'olla, Catalan stew.
Arròs negre, rice with squid. The rice obtains a black colour from the ink squid. Traditionally served with All i Oli.
Canalons gratinats amb bechamel, pasta filed with meat (chicken, veal and pork) and baked with bechamel on top. Traditionally served on St. Stephen's day (26th of December).

Desserts:
Crema catalana, custard base with caramelized sugar on top.
Mel i mató, fresh cheese with honey. Probably the most typical catalan dessert.

Tags: catalan cuisine, mediterranean cuisine