I’m back!!

Sorry I’ve not blogged for a while, truth is I’ve been in Northern Spain for the last few weeks or so! I did go with the intention of squeezing in a few blogs whilst I was away however, I was completely captivated by Catalonia, a region with a unique identity and a fierce independence in fact, there are very few corners of Spain with more regional pride than Catalonia.

With a history of independence dating back to the Middle Ages, a pretty Romance language that you shouldn’t go calling a mixture of French and Spanish, an industrial heritage not found in the rest of the country, and a strong tradition of art and music, Catalonia strikes outsiders as nearly a separate nation of its own. In fact, many Catalans support the quixotic movement to secede from Spain, waving bold red, blue, and yellow flags from their balconies. But… what about the food?

StartFragmentEverywhere the sky is blue. There are a multitude of cuisines and dishes. I think of them as the languages and dialects of food.

Ferran Adria

Safe to say, you shouldn’t expect to eat typical “Spanish fare” when you visit the region, especially any destination outside the capital, Barcelona.

Oh, you’ll find stuff like tortilla and jamón, to be sure, but since Catalonia developed such a distinct culture from the rest of the country, it’s worth making the effort to try the dishes handed down from grandparents to grandchildren over the centuries.

Catalan cuisine benefits from the region’s diverse geography—from mountains to the Mediterranean—and its rich past as a crossroads between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe: the Greeks brought wine and olive oil, the Arabs introduced rice and citrus, while the Castilian conquistadors imported tomatoes and peppers.

As a committed foodie, I made it my mission to try anything new that flew across my menu! The food on the whole is simple, local and fresh but presented with flair and pride! Take Pa amb tomàquet. Although you can find “bread with tomato” anywhere in Spain, Catalans really take this simple dish, pronounced “pahm too-MAH-ket,” to the next level. First, they rub a fresh clove of garlic over a slice of toasted bread. Slicing a ripe tomato in half, they then rub the tomato over the toast, squeezing it to release all the pulp and juices and discarding the skin. Finally, they garnish it with olive oil and salt, and chow down on this simple snack at all hours of the day. The key to a delicious pa amb tomàquet is the special thin-crust, bubbly pa de vidre bread typically baked in the region – Simply Devine!

More cultural identity can be found in Arròs a la Cassola. Firstly, this is NOT a paella! There are similarities but keep your observations in your head! Think of this dish as a juicy paella cooked in a short earthenware pot, the cassola. In some versions, cooks use pork ribs and rabbit, while in others they toss in whatever shellfish they have on hand. Whatever your preferred protein, arròs a la cassola starts with a base of sofregit, a garlic-onion-tomato sauce to which the short-grain rice and cooked meat are added along with healthy glugs of stock. The dish boils away on the stovetop until the rice is moist and cooked—Don’t insult the waiter by asking for a fork, traditionally you eat it with a spoon to catch all the savoury broth.

Similar to Arròs a la Cassola is Arròs negre. “Black rice” (sometimes erroneously called “black paella”) consists of nothing more than rice, onions, garlic, squid and/or cuttlefish…and their ink, which stains the white rice a striking deep black. It’s traditionally served with a dollop of freshly-made alioli sauce. YUMMY!! I had it in a lovely little restaurant in Girona called Brots De Vi and it was truly excellent!

Sometimes referred to as “Catalan ceviche,” esqueixada really should be labeled a fresh veggie salad that happens to have uncooked cod in it. Don’t worry; it’s actually desalted salt cod, which is much safer to eat than fresh raw fish. Pronounced “us-kuh-SHAH-duh,” this Old World-meets-New World dish combines hand-shredded Atlantic cod—the Catalan verb esqueixar means “to shred”—with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and olives, lightly dressed with oil and vinegar.

There are many, many more dishes unique to the region and I’ll blog more of them over the coming weeks however, there really is only one dish to end a meal in Catalonia, Crema catalana! Simply Catalonia’s answer to France’s crème brûlée. Beautiful aromas of what smells like roasted marshmallows introduce the delicate, glassy layer of caramelised sugar on top which hides the rich, thick custard beneath – to die for!!

Promise not to bore you but I’ll drop in a few references to my Spanish odyssey over the next few weeks, after all, I’ve not even mentioned Desigual so far!!

Speaking of fashion, I needed to do some catching up, this is what I’ve found thus far;

Head & Teeth - .LeLutka. Head.Simone 2.7

Eyes - CATWA UN-RIGGED EYE V1.1 - (Custom eye texture)

Hair - .Entwined. Amelia / Materials

Eyebrows - Glam Affair - Katya suggest eyebrows 01

Skin - LURE: Emily (Carnation)

Body, Hands & Feet - Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara V4.0

Rings & Hand Harness - Zaara : Siya hand-harness & Stacked Rings (maitreya)

Nail Varnish - alaskametro<3 "Classic/Solid" Slink/Omega/Maitreya nail polish applier

AO - VISTA ANIMATIONS *HUD 4.14*MIRIAM BENTO AO-V1B

Physics - 2.- Sutile -Subtle.~ Physics by Temptation

Shape - Custom Made