Calçotada - about onions, tradition & smart ideas

When you hear the word ‘Spain’, I’m almost sure that if you don’t imagine a woman dancing flamenco, you will definitely think of the sun and the beach.
It’s somehow frustrating that such a versatile, multifaceted country is basically known for a stripe of the Mediterranean coast.
Get away from the seaside deeper inside the peninsula and you’ll be amazed by the variety of traditions, landscapes, lifestyles, accents and, naturally, typical dishes!
However, you don’t have to go too far from the coast to get a richer taste of true Catalonia, famous for its unique culture. In the list of Catalonian traditions, “calçotada” should undoubtedly be awarded first prize! This simple, originally peasant feast is a true hymn to Catalan ingenuity.

What is all the fuss about, you’d ask. Well, in fact it’s all about onions. Calçots is a variety of a mild green onion, which were originally cultivated in Valls, in the province of Tarragona. The first time I was invited to eat calçots, I was as puzzled. After looking at the way they look like, I was totally bewildered: a dirty dish of leeks black with ash was quite the opposite of mouthwatering!

However, this gastronomical event got so popular over the last decades, that now one can even try some calçots directly in Barcelona in late winter & early spring. Still, if you have a chance to take part in the real open-air calçotada in the countryside, the experience is promised to be unforgettable.
What can unite people better that good food, indeed? Calçots are grown especially for this purpose, they are roasted directly in the open fire, leaving the core part soft and creamy, and eaten with your hands, and yes, you can get as dirty as you wish! If not, you are always provided with a huge bib! Meanwhile, the coals are used for roasting meat, sausages or artichokes for the main course.

Calçots served on a roof tile with romesco sauce in wine served in a porrón

Delightful smoky smell spreads all around the place and calçots are finally served on a clay roof tile, accompanied by excellent local wines or Catalan cava. Another indispensable uniting element is the typical drinking vessel for wine, called ‘porrón’: it has a long nose, which allows everyone to drink from the same one just by pouring wine in a thin stream right into your mouth.
Last but not the least, the credit should be given to the romesco sauce, in which roasted calçots are dipped, delicious mixture of grated nuts, peppers, tomatoes & olive oil, no calçotada would be good without!