{"id":3395,"date":"2016-12-15T18:21:18","date_gmt":"2016-12-15T16:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devourbarcelonafoodtours.com\/?p=3395"},"modified":"2016-12-15T18:21:18","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T16:21:18","slug":"taste-of-catalan-countryside-day-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dev.devourtours.com\/blog\/taste-of-catalan-countryside-day-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"All About the Catalan Cal\u00e7otada"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Winter is here and it’s the perfect time to experience an authentic Catalan cal\u00e7otada<\/em>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n You might be asking yourself…what in the world is a cal\u00e7otada? The word comes from cal\u00e7ot<\/em>, which is a special type of spring onion (similar to a ramp) that hails from the northeastern state of Spain, Catalonia. This sweet onion comes into season roughly between December and March, and that’s when the locals get their fires going…<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cal\u00e7otada is a festive and filling barbecue, in which the cal\u00e7ot is chargrilled on an open-fire, dipped into a delicious romesco-style sauce, and lowered into one’s mouth. Sound messy? It is! In fact, it’s not uncommon to where a bib for the event!<\/p>\n\n\n\n But that’s not all. As with any true Spanish feast, the cal\u00e7otada has various parts. After the onions come grilled meats, like botifarra, <\/em>the traditional Catalan sausage, and lamb, all washed down with plenty of wine. There are plenty of options on where to eat cal\u00e7ots near Barcelona, but none quite like our pop-up experience! Plus it’s one of the perfect day trips near Barcelona…<\/p>\n\n\n\n So where do the cal\u00e7ot and cal\u00e7otada come from? If you zoom in on a map, about 100 kilometers southwest of Barcelona, you will find a small town called Valls. It was here, in this lost little town, that the cal\u00e7ot was born…<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the late 19th century, a village farmer of Valls decided to try an experiment by planting white onion bulbs in trenches (as usual) and then increasing the depth of the soil as they grew. The result was the incredibly delicious, mild and sweet cal\u00e7ot, harvested roughly from November to April each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, the people of Valls have prepared cal\u00e7otades for holidays and special family meals. However, little by little word spread and they became a popular tradition all around Catalonia, so much so that you can now enjoy cal\u00e7otades in the city of Barcelona! But, though the cal\u00e7ots might be delicious, urban cal\u00e7otades are a far cry from the traditional rustic experience of the countryside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winter… A time for hot chocolate and churros, soul-warming soups and stews, full-bodied Spanish reds, and…onions? Yep! You heard right… Winter is here and it’s the perfect time to experience an authentic Catalan cal\u00e7otada! What is a cal\u00e7otada? You might be asking yourself…what in the world is a cal\u00e7otada? The word comes from cal\u00e7ot, which is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":3455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[361,362],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is a cal\u00e7otada?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
History of the Cal\u00e7otada<\/h2>\n\n\n\n