Last year we customized a number of tours around cruises of Portugal and Spain, starting in Lisbon and finishing in Barcelona, for our clients using companies such as Azamara Club Cruises and Paul Gauguin Cruises, amongst others. Here are some ideas to inspire you for your next trip…. Read more
It’s February, which means Calçotada season here in northern Spain! Eating these delicacies is a messy affair, so best enjoyed outside in the open air – perfect for Covid times!
What is a calçot?
The glorious calçot, one of Catalonia’s local delicacies, is similar to a leek or spring onion & very tasty when barbecued, often times accompanied with Romesco sauce. They’ve become such a beloved staple of local cuisine that they’ve earned a Protected Geographic Indication label from the European Union!
How to best cook calçots…
When in Spain you will buy calçots in a large bundle. No need to clean them, they will be well cleaned by the heat of the barbecue flames – because flames are essential when cooking calçots properly. Place them in a row on the grill and turn them every few minutes until they are blackened all over apart from the green stalk. You will know when your calçots are ready, when a little of their juice starts to bubble from their blackened roots. Whip them off the barbecue and wrap them in several layers of newspaper. The newspaper allows them to steam a little as they cool, so that the outer leaves come off easily for eating.
How to eat calçots
Peel off the blackened outer layer, then dip the inner part in Romesco sauce. Romesco sauce is a spicy tomato-based garlicky sauce; which is perfect when matched with the subtle taste of calçots. Lift the calçot above your head so it hangs down vertically, tip your head back and lower the calçot into your mouth. Be warned that this is a pretty messy business!
If you are interested in learning more about traditional Spanish foods, we offer private cooking classes as well as the opportunity to enjoy eating many delicious local dishes. Our TOUR NAME gives you the opportunity to indulge in all kinds of local Spanish flavours and a chance to experience Gourmet cooking classes with professional local chefs – in true Catalan style!
On February 14 of every year we give flowers, cards and make other affectionate gestures to those most dear, in honor of San Valentín. In Spain this day is known as “El Dia de Las Enamoradas” the “ Day of the Lovers ”; little by little the tradition of exchanging gifts, flowers and cards between partners and would be partners, on this special day, has been included into Spanish traditions. Read more
Spanish Gastronomy and products distinguished with the food quality mark are taking part in the 16th Extra Virgin Olive Oil Show and the 45TH Les Garrigues Fair, which will be held from 18 to 20 January 2013 in the Les Borges Blanques Olive Oil Pavilion Lleida, The Fair promotes gastronomy and food quality and having gained a reputation for being the extra virgin olive oil capital of Catalonia, Spain. This event in Les Borges Blanques is quickly becoming the benchmark for top quality olive oil in the Mediterranean.
In the last two decades, contemporary architecture has staged a thrilling encounter with the unlikely world of viticulture. Originating in California’s Napa Valley, the earliest of these winery designs were brash and postmodern, selfstyled “temples to wine” that created a thriving tourist market around California’s vineyards. But in recent years, innovation has turned West, flourishing as a modern form of branding amongst the ancient Spanish wineries of northern Spain.
First things first- it is a pintxo not a tapa. The Basques are very particular about this. The main difference being that pintxos are usually ‘spiked’ with a skewer or toothpick, often onto a piece of bread, and, like tapas, are best enjoyed with an ice cold cerveza propped up at a Spanish bar. Read more
Unlike many of the seaside resorts in the Costa Brava, Calella De Palafrugell has managed to preserve its old fisherman village charm offering a wonderfully laid back alternative for those wanting to escape the over-crowded beaches of Barcelona. It´s one of the last remaining spots on the Costa Brava which has retained a true Spanish feel and where it is possible to go a whole week without hearing an English accent (gasp). Read more
Spanish Chef Ferran Adrià has unveiled plans to establish BulliPedia – an online culinary bible of modern cuisine. We are excited to hear that at the Wired 2012 conference in London recently , the chef revealed more details of the project.
According to Eater, The BulliPedia website is finally live and in two months chefs Grant Achatz, Heston Blumenthal and Spanish chef Joan Roca will have access to the site so they can provide feedback. Described as the ”world’s first culinary Wiki,” the BulliPedia is still being developed. ”The goal is to have the site totally up and running by the end of 2014,” Adria told Eater. Read more
To eat and drink your way around some of Seville´s best tapas bars or to ´tapear´is considered a Sevillianos´ night well spent. However, being faced with a choice of one of the 3,000 dusty, jamon filled tapas bars in Seville can be a daunting prospect, even for the most discerning diner. If you’re keen to try a tapas crawl but unsure where to start then book one of Gourmand Breaks´ excellent local English speaking guides to take you off the beaten track and into a world of culinary discovery….
Without giving too much away, here are just four of some of our favorite food and watering holes in our Seville Best Tapas Bars Tour: Read more
As the name implies, the site of Spanish Winery, Terra Remota ( Remote Land) is isolated and secluded, feeling even more so since the devastating fires that destroyed much of this region recently- leaving a path of charcoaled lifelessness in its wake. Read more