Tag Archive for: Spain

Catalan Castellers

One of the most entertaining things to watch at the town festivals going on all over Catalonia, Spain,  from May to October are the castellers, or human castle builders, at work.  A tradition since groups around Tarragona started it in the 1800s, teams of castellers from all over Catalonia participate in competitions to see how fast, how tall or how big they can make their castles. Their size ranges from the most common—about 6-8 stories tall—to even more suspenseful heights and sizes in which daredevil athletes risk a dangerous collapse.

Who needs bulls running in the streets when these strapping Catalans can flex their macho muscles without them?As devoted admirerers of this local tradition, we always take our guests to see them, if available, during our private Food Wine & Cultural Tours 

Tarragona

Once the capital of the Western Roman Empire, the seaside city of Tarragona in Spain still has a captivating amount of archeological finds. An amphitheater where gladiators made shows of courage and strength, a circus where legendary chariot races took place, museum of artifacts and archeological passage give visitors a fabulous setting to envision the ancient empire that once thrived here.

After enriching yourself with these archeological destinations, you can relax at the beach, an atmospheric fisherman’s quarter called El Serralló or go shopping on one the city´s wide avenues. If you feel like visiting a relaxing hidden treasure, Altafulla is a quaint seaside city near Tarragona with boutique hotels and quiet seashores to walk along.

Tarragona is an archeological treasure and we have included the city in our Luxury Wineries Tour of Spain   which includes gourmet cooking classes, excursions to Medieval villages and private tours of some of the most exclusive wineries in the area.

Costa Brava: Cadaqués

Cadaques: breathtaking sceneryAuthentic fisherman village in the Costa Brava

Fisherman arranging nets in their boats, Coffee, paella and crema catalana awaiting customers in white-washed buildings accented with brilliant blue hues. Children playing in soft waves lapping up on the shore. Painters still at work outside on the street. Feel such visions combine in the unforgettable atmosphere of what was once a haven for Salvador Dali here in Cadaqués.

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The Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes

The monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes is one of the most important of all Catalan Romanesque sites. Perched high on a hillside overlooking the Gulf of Léon, the setting is as impressive as the ruined walls and towers themselves.   The first written record of the monastery dates back Read more

Spanish Olive Oil- The Best in The World!

Spain is known world wide for its excellent quality olive oil and is actually the greatest producer in the world,  for its oil quality is unsurpassable.

Spanish olive oil contains no additives, colorants, flavorings or any other foreign matter and is obtained by decantation, centrifusion and filtration, its quality depends on several factors, Read more

The Most Creative Cooking Class Ever with Gourmand Breaks!

Monday, March 8, 2010 was not only memorable for the incredible snow storms and winds which  devastated Catalunya in Northern Spain and enormous snowflakes, which put surprised faces on the residents and tourists of Barcelona alike.

It was indeed a very memorable day in the life of 16 chefs, graduating chefs and guests from Harrisburg Culinary Arts School, who had arrived in Barcelona (on a private culinary tour) from a snow-filled Pennsylvania in the USA, expecting sunshine and springtime in Spain!   However, their surprise at the weather was soon forgotten when they piled into a cooking school to enjoy a Gourmand Breaks cooking class in the Gothic Area of Barcelona, sat down and commenced to view something quite innovative and amazing.

Gourmand Breaks, together with Spanish Chef Eduard Bosch, who has been a member of the team at El Bulli Restaurant for the last 20 years, had put together a very special private cooking class for professionals and semi-professionals in the culinary business.   The class was to explain some of the complexities of “Spherification” and “Foams” and additionally to point out the major differences between Truffles. Read more

Traditional Spanish Calçots 2010

Calçots were discovered by a Catalan farmer called Xat de Benaiges at the end of the 19th century. The cultivation of Calçots is a complicated process that starts at the end of the year when onion seeds are planted. Once the onion has germinated and begun to grow, it is pulled out of the ground and stored for a time before being replanted. It is only buried half way into the earth and as it grows higher, it is necessary to repack earth around the newly grown part of the vegetable. When harvested it has the long leek like appearance that most people living here know and love.

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Traditional Spanish Recipe Sea Urchins Rice

TRADITIONAL SPANISH SEA URCHIN RISOTTO

Serves 4

1 cup diced yellow onion, 1/8” dice
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
Freshly crushed white peppercorns
1 cup Arborio rice
4 – 5 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 – 3/4 cup fresh sea urchin roe, carefully cleaned of all spines and grit, dividedç

METHOD FOR TRADITIONAL SPANISH SEA URCHIN RISOTTO 

Sauté the onions, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly crushed white peppercorns, in olive oil until they soften and start to turn golden. Stir in the rice to completely coat it with oil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine, and stir until it’s almost absorbed. Add 1/2 cup stock and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the Read more

How to eat Spanish Sea Urchins “Garotes”

 

Paracentrotus lividus goes by many names in Catalonia . In Spanish it´s erizo de mar (sea hedgehog – an old meaning in English of urchin is the same). The Catalans also call the zoological species an eriço but the animal to be scoured out and eaten is a garota. In the villages along the coast, sea urchin eating reveries are held every year known as orisades, garoinades or garotades, organised originally by fishermen, hence the simplicity in their preparation. Outside the Empordan region there is little about sea urchins in the Spanish Mediterranean, however as Barcelona’s middle class began to buy up huge swathes of one of the most beautiful corners of Spain, they muscled in on the custom, and it is now relatively easy – at a price- to get hold of a few urchins in La Boqueria in Barcelona. Garotes feature strongly and strangely on the winter menus of the trendiest Catalan restaurants these days.  Gastronomes here wax lyrical about their delights. The famous Spanish Journalist and Writer, Julio Cambó said ‘there is no seafood that better synthesises the sea so perfectly as the urchin‘ and . ‘an extract of the sea, a breath of a storm, an essence of tempests“. They’re also eaten in Asturias where I believe they use them to make a fine omelette, and urchin caviar is becoming increasingly popular. Read more

Christmas traditions in Spain

Christmas is a very religious time in Spain. It officially begins December 8, with the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is celebrated each year in front of the great Gothic cathedral in Seville with a ceremony called Los Seises or the “dance of six”.

A very important Christmas symbol in Spain is the Nativity scene.  They are exposed in plazas in cities and small towns throughout the country, and can also be seen in the doorways and entrances of many Spanish homes, as well as in storefront windows.  In many small towns, plazas might even have a live Nativity scene, with actors and actresses playing the parts of Mary and Joseph and the three wise men as well as live animals. Read more