Typical dishes in Barcelona: what you must try

Taste the typical Barcelona dishes is an essential part of any visit to the Catalan capital.

From an endless array of tapas to mouth-watering desserts, Barcelona has a proud and distinctive culinary heritage.

Today, I present it to you.

Typical dishes in Barcelona: article summary

Typical Barcelona dishes: la Fideua

Although there are many good places to eat paella in Barcelona, the dish is mostly associated with the cuisine of Valencia in southern Catalonia. If you're looking to keep things local in Barcelona, then you owe it to yourself to try this Catalan variation.

Fideua has much in common with paella. However, instead of rice, it is concocted with fideos, a kind of narrow, vermicelli-like noodle. To this are added crustaceans and seafood, most often cuttlefish and shrimp, before being served with an aioli.

According to legend, fideua owes its origins to a happy accident when a Valencian fisherman ran out of rice while preparing paella. prepared noodles instead. The variant quickly made its way north. The people of Barcelona adopted it enthusiastically, and today you'll see it on most restaurant menus.

The Escalivada

The Catalan name for this dish of grilled Mediterranean vegetables gives you a hint of what to expect. Escalivada, a derivative of the verb escalivar, literally means "to cook in ashes".

That's exactly what happens with this popular tapas dish from Barcelona: the peppers and eggplants are grilled until tender, while the onions are wrapped in aluminum foil and buried in the coals. A dish not to be missed when visiting Barcelona.

Typical Barcelona dish: snails

If you love snails, you'll love Barcelona. Snails have been a staple food in the Mediterranean since ancient times, and were considered one of the great delights of the ancient Roman world.

Countless recipes proliferate in Catalan cuisine today. You'll find cargol alla catalana, snails cooked in a tomato sauce with onion and pepper, in most tapas bars.

Le Cargol a la llauna, for its part, offers seasoned snails cooked in a metal tray (often grilled) served with aioli, while cargolada sees snails cooked in their shells with lard.

La crema catalana

If you only try one dessert in Barcelona, it has to be crema catalana. This dish is a Catalan variation on crème brûlée. As with the French recipe, the dessert is made from a custard of egg yolks, sugar, citrus zest and cinnamon. It is then cooked with a blowtorch to give it a crispy caramelized crust.

What's the difference? Crème Catalane is made with milk rather than cream. What's more, it's not cooked in a bain-marie, which gives it a slightly different texture.

Typical Barcelona dish: Esqueixada

Barcelona's culinary identity has been inextricably linked to salt cod for centuries. There are countless ways to eat cod in the city. However, one of my favorites is Esqueixada, a salad with salt cod, onions, olives and fresh tomatoes tossed in a vinaigrette.

If you come to Barcelona during the hottest months of the year, this is a great option for your lunch!

Les Calcots

Take a stroll through the streets of Catalonia's capital and you're sure to come across locals enjoying these massive, unwieldy grilled scallions, a staple of the city's street food. Barcelona in winter and spring.

This type of onion comes from the Valls region of Catalonia. It is barbecued until blackened on the outside. Peel off the burnt exterior to reveal a meltingly tender onion underneath, and dip it in the accompanying romesco sauce made with roasted almonds, pepper, tomato, garlic and breadcrumbs. A true delight.

Typical dishes in Barcelona: tomato bread

Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest. A simple combination of toasted bread rubbed with tomatoes, oil and garlic is enough.

You'll find this Catalan staple in every bar in Barcelona. It's perfect as a snack to accompany your first glass of wine of the evening.

The tortilla

Perhaps Spain's most emblematic recipe, tortilla de patatas elevates the potato omelette to an art form. There's much debate about the perfect way to make a tortilla.

However, there's one thing all Spaniards can agree on: the tortilla is a must-try dish if you're visiting Barcelona. Good places to enjoy tortillas de patatas abound in Barcelona, and it's hard to go wrong when ordering this classic of Spanish cuisine.

Typical dishes in Barcelona: Mel and Mató

Cheese lovers will have plenty to keep them busy on a visit to Barcelona. Catalonia is one of Spain's most important cheese-producing regions.

If there's one you absolutely must try, it's Mató de Montserrata fresh, mild, creamy cheese produced in the mountains around Montserrat.

Mato is accompanied by honey and nuts. If you'd like a taste, I suggest you look for Mel i Mató on the menus to try this sweet delicacy!

There are many typical dishes in Barcelona. When you visit this part of Spain, you'll be able to discover a whole new flavor. Enough to make the most of your trip.