5 Steps To Eating Calçots Like A True Local
CALÇOTS: CATALAN SPRING ONION!
Wintertime is the calçots season in Catalonia: both a social event and a culinary experience for the locals! Calçots are a Catalan spring onion harvested in the winter.
Catalan people organize “calçotades” with their friends and families, what could be socially considered our equivalent to summer American BBQs. For this calçots season party, we get together and buy literally hundreds of units of this Catalan spring onion (one serving is around 10-12 calçots).
Subtítol 3 amb kw i minúscules
1
Get protection
Before starting eating calçots, put on a bib (if you are eating them in a restaurant, they’ll provide them for you). You’ll understand why later… They’ll also give you globes (but in my opinion they are only for faint spirits, LOL)
2
Pinch it
Now grab your calçot and pinch the root end of it with your fingers.
3
Pull!
Pull the burnt skin out. It’s the easiest way to clean calçots. Your fingers will quickly get black from the ashes: don’t worry now, you’ll be able to wash your hands when the meal is over.
4
Dip
Dip the Catalan spring onion in the calçots sauce (the white tender part of them, though). This local sauce is very similar to romesco, another typical Catalan sauce.
5
Aim and eat
Keep grabbing the calçot by the green leaves, lift up your arm and aim the calçot at your mouth. Be careful with the sauce drops!
As you see, eating calçots is a fun (but a bit messy) tradition!
AND BONUS! Where can you eat calçots when you come to Barcelona?
6
Where can you eat calçots?
If you are not lucky enough to be invited by local friends, you can go eating calçots in most good tapas bars and traditional Catalan restaurants, and even in some market bars. Here are our recommended restaurants for calçots.
But if you have an extra day left, I recommend you to take the RENFE train to Valls, the hometown of Calçots.
Have fun and good appetite!
Have you been in Barcelona during calçots season? Did you get to eat them?
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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