A day in Barcelona may not appear to be sufficient to make a gastronomic tour. But we have traced the key flavors of the city into a massive one day journey of what to eat, when to eat it.
Let’s get started.
Breakfast
Pa amb tomaquet is the place where the core of the Catalan breakfast culture is. Take a piece of pan de cristal (rustic), or coca, hot out of the oven. Rub it with the inside of a tomato that is still ripe until the bread has absorbed that brash acidity then wipe it with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
An ensaimada is something sweet. It is a spiral pastry dusted with powdered sugar, which started in Mallorca but became the favorite breakfast dish of the Catalonia. It is buttery and slightly flaky. Serve it up with cafe con leche half-cup of strong espresso with lots of hot milk.
Midmorning
Entering La Boqueria is as though one is entering the gastronomic heart of Barcelona. The air is reeking with the scent of seafood, cured meat and fruit.
Begin with jamon iberico thin slices of Iberian ham that dissolve on your tongue as having a strong earthy complex flavor. Serve it with a piece of old cheese and dry olives which have been cured to perfection.
To cool off, get a fresh juice by any of the juice stands within the market. The tropical combinations are lively and sweet and in case you want something that is purely Catalan, order a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.
Lunch
In case you are going to eat paella de marisco, go to Barceloneta where the seafood restaurants in the neighborhood run along narrow streets towards the beach. Most delicious versions are brought in piping hot, in a large, shallow pan, with shrimp, mussels, and clams, each grain of rice sprinkled with a pinch of saffron and sea salt.
In case paella is too hard to bear, use a Catalan variation, fideua which replaces rice with short noodles.
Once the colder weather sets in, it is time to try at escudella i carn d’olla, a one-course meal that doubles up as a soup, and doubles up as a meat course, comfort in a bowl.
Canelons, tubes of meat-stuffed pasta with bechamel baked till they are golden. Canelons appear on the tables all year long, but are quite popular around the Christmas season.
Afternoon
Begin with Crema Catalana the Catalan version of creme brulee.
On the otherside, one can speak about the churros con chocolate crispy which consists of fried, dough sticks with thick and almost-gravy-like hot chocolate.
When you are wandering around the markets or chance into a cafe, pick up turron, the nougat (Barcelonans make their own) that they have been slipping into their afternoons centuries. It is thick, nutty and very gratifying.
Evening
The Tapas You Must Try
Patatas Bravas: It is more than fried potatoes it is a Barcelona staple. On the outside crispy, on the inside tender, they are covered with a spicy aioli that creeps up on your in the most pleasant manner. The heat is accumulated with every bite, and almost accidentally you will have consumed the plate. These should be ordered first and you are then making up your mind what to order.
Bombas: These are potato and meat croquettes that were invented in the old district of Barceloneta, the fishermen district, and are still a source of pride in the neighbourhood. They are gold and cream in the inside and substantial. A single, or a couple is sufficient; they are rich and are to be enjoyed with other dishes.
Pan con Jamon Iberico: Tomato bread and shavings of Iberian ham the simplicity was raised. The bread is grilled and rubbed with fresh tomato and forms the base that is just acidic enough to counteract the salt and richness of the ham.
Le Pimientos de Padron: They are mild, and better sweet, most of them, though each handful has a surprise. One that’s genuinely spicy. They are fried in a flash till their skin blisters and sprinkled with fleur de sel. It is what the locals refer to as Russian roulette with peppers.
Calamari a la Romana: Calamari was a source of nourishment when Barcelona was a Mediterranean trading empire. These are rings that are fried in a light batter until crispy but not tough and they have the taste of the sea without being fishy.
