Homage to the Calçot
How much do you really know about this humble Catalan vegetable?
Welcome, Bienvenidos and Benvinguts to all new and regular subscribers of The 'B' Word.
After several years over on Mailchimp, this is my first newsletter on Substack and I’m looking forward to engaging more with you more on here.
It’s almost the end of January, which means it’s prime calçot season in Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia. It’s always a season I look forward to, but this year I decided to go further and do a deep dive into the world of calçots.
Those of you who live here will be fully aware of what a calçot is and have surely eaten them many times, but for those who don’t know a calçot is, it’s a type of sweet onion, like a cross between a leek and a spring onion. They’re typically eaten grilled over hot charcoals until the outsides are completely blackened. You then slip off the charred outer layers (in a very messy process) and dip them in a nutty sauce called romesco made from almonds, hazelnuts, garlic, roasted red peppers, olive oil and vinegar. With the end doused in sauce, you simply lower them into your mouth. Oh and don’t forget your bib, trust me - you will need one.
I recently went to the Calçotada Festival in the small town of Valls near Tarragona - the so-called cradle or birthplace of the calçot. Although I’ve been a few times before, this time I really wanted to find out more about calçots from the experts.
What I discovered really surprised me. Calçots are not actually a natural vegetable, they have to be specially cultivated during a complicated year-long process. They are in fact regular white onions that have been grown in a special and very specific way. The onion seeds are planted in the autumn and when they begin to sprout they are replanted so that the earth is piled higher on top of the white part. As it begins to grow, more of the white part is covered again so it begins to elongate instead of just a round bulb and the calçot starts to form. The process continues like this until they can be harvested around a year after they’ve been planted. The calçot season in Catalonia usually lasts from around November to April.
Historians don’t know the exact origin of calçots and how or why people started growing them this way. A painting of the vegetables that was discovered in Hungry, however, suggests that they may date all the way back to the Roman Empire. But most people associate calçots with Catalonia and particularly Valls.
It is said that the person who discovered how to prepare calçots in the way we know today was a 19th-century farmer from Valls nicknamed ‘Xat de Benaiges’. He decided to burn some calçots in a fire, but instead of throwing them away, he peeled away the burnt layers and decided to eat them. He soon found that they were much sweeter than he had ever tried before and not strong at all.
Whatever you believe about the origins of the calçot, one thing is clear, that it has become an integral part of Catalan culture.
The calçot tradition soon morphed into calçotadas, essentially calçot parties typically a big barbecue out in the countryside with friends. For those who have never tried one, the classic calçotada menu includes pa amb tomaquet (bread with tomato), a course of calçots with romesco sauce, then lots of types of grilled meat, from lamb and longaniza sausages to morcilla (black pudding). And if you still have room there’s dessert - likely a smooth sweet crema catalana like a thick custard with a crème brûlée crackled sugary top. It’s also accompanied by a porrón of wine which you pour straight into your mouth.
If that has you hankering after some calçots, here are some of my favourite places to try them in Barcelona. Remember for calçotadas it’s best to reserve in advance.
Mussol
If you’re in the centre of the city and are looking for calçots without having to travel far or go out to the countryside, this is a good option. As a vegetarian, I’m not always interested in the whole calçotada menu either as many of them don’t offer veggie alternatives to the meat course, so sometimes I just want to be able to order the calçots on their own. Thankfully you can do just that at Mussol, which has several branches across the city. They also include the obligatory bibs and gloves. The full menu this year costs €36.50 per person.
Can Travi Nou
Housed in a beautiful bougainvillea-draped stone masia (Catalan farmhouse), this is one of the most atmospheric spots for calçotadas in Barcelona. It’s located right on the edge of the city near Vall d’Hebron and is a great place for a celebration or the classic calçot experience. It’s like dining in someone’s home, with intimate dining spaces in different rooms of the grand house and old-fashioned original touches in the furniture - cupboards, sofas and even stoves in the kitchens. This year their calçotada menu costs €48.90 per person. Vegan options are available, which is typically a veggie paella.
Can Cortada
Another ideal spot for the classic calçotadas on the edge of the city. Like Can Travi Nou, it’s located in an old masia, yet has cosy cellar-like dining rooms set under wooden beams and stone arches. The calçotada menu also costs €48.90 per person and includes 20 calçots each. Vegetarian and vegan options are available, but it’s best to enquire what they are when you reserve.
Nobu Barcelona
And now for something a little different to calçots. Last week I was lucky enough to visit Nobu Hotel Barcelona and its fantastic restaurant. For those of you who don’t know, the Nobu brand was founded by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert Di Nero and Meir Teper and its restaurants are the cornerstones of its hotels. Nobu is famed for his traditional Japanese dishes fused with Peruvian ingredients. The restaurant in Barcelona is located on the 23rd floor, offering incredible views over the whole city from Tibidabo down to the sea. I tried a vegetarian tasting menu, which featured dishes like asparagus in yuzu sauce, aubergine in sticky miso, hand-rolled sushi and sizzling mushroom toban yaki in a special clay pot.
It’s an ideal spot to celebrate a special occasion, such as Valentine’s Day which is coming up soon. Nobu’s Valentine’s Omakase tasting menu features Fresh Oysters with Champagne Ice, Tuna Sashimi with Fresh Truffle, Tosazu and Shiso Leaf in the form of a rose. It’s available on February 14 and 15 for €170 per person.
Llum BCN (Feb 7-9)
Poblenou’s popular light festival is back again for another year. This edition will feature 30 light installations from 15 professional artists and creators and 17 university graduate schools in Barcelona. Click here to find out more about what’s on this year and download a map so you can plan your route.
Festes de Santa Eulàlia (until Feb 7-12)
Barcelona will be celebrating one of its two official patron saints in the coming weeks - Santa Eulàlia. There will be all the classic elements of a Catalan festival such as gegants (giants), castellers (human towers) and correfocs (fire runs) as well as musical perfomances. A highlight is the coral singing on Avinguda de la Catedral on February 9 at 7pm. This year will also mark the 650th anniversary of Àliga de la Ciutat - the city’s eagle mascot which will be parading through the streets.
Amazonias | El futuro ancestral (until May 4)
The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) is currently hosting an excellent exhibition all about the Amazon which is running until May. It focuses on the indigenous people of the Amazon, as well as the environmental aspect and offers a sensory experience where you can see, hear and smell. Enter a small nightclub in the jungle, learn to identify the smells of the Amazon, admire local artworks and get swept up in the ayahuasca fever.
Mengem calçots amb salsa romesco - We eat calçots with romesco sauce