“Calçotada” is an annual event in rural Catalonia which celebrates the harvest of “calçots”, the Catalan name for a type of green onion milder and less bulbous than regular onions. The calçots are grilled over a hot fire and after peeling with bare hands, are eaten by dipping them one by one in salvitxada sauce.

The first event of 2020 for the Bailliage of Barcelona was an urban calçotada at the Restaurante Font de Prades. For 50 years now the restaurant has been offering a traditional Catalan cuisine with a Mediterranean influence.

This rustic, cosy establishment is located in Barcelona’s “Poble Espanyol” (literally: Spanish town), an open-air architectural museum near the Fountains of Montjuïc. Built for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, the museum consists of over 100 full-scale buildings which recreate Spanish villages. It also contains a theatre, restaurants, artisan workshops and a museum of contemporary art.

We began our calçotada on the terrace with a welcoming glass of cava accompanying some anchovy olives and croquettes. The day was grey but the desire to have fun was not subdued by the weather!

Once seated for dinner we could enjoy a magnificent fuet sausage with peasant bread toasted with tomato, something that can never be missing from a Catalan table.

Then we delighted with the arrival of the calçots. A selection of meats followed: chicken, lamb, Iberian pork “tears” (veined pieces of meat with a high proportion of fat which gives them great juiciness and flavour), Cal Xullat sausage and cantimpalo chorizo. All was accompanied with “all i oli” (Spanish-style olive oil and garlic mayonnaise), baked potatoes, and Santa Pau beans.

Dessert was an exquisite Catalan cream.

The liquid part of the evening consisted of Costers de Segre white wine, Raimat Chardonnay, Priorat red wine from Clos Corriol, beers, soft drinks and mineral water.

At the end of the meal, José Félix Bentz i Oliver and his Bailliage Officers thanked Pere Chias and his team for their dedication in making the entire evening simply perfect.

We aspire to more moments like this one at the Restaurante La Font de Prades where, accompanied by friends, we can enjoy the gastronomy and share the values that unite us as Chaîne members.

Vive la Chaîne!

Abel González
Chargé de Misions