The Calçot Ritual
Knowing how to enjoy a calçotada to understand the intrinsic part of the culture of Catalonia
It's much more than just sitting around a table, with the bib up and hands full of charcoal. TheCalçotada is culture, tradition, and gastronomy. The Calçotada is a whole ritual. If you want to be a true Catalan, you must know it, and above all, practice it. Don't worry. We'll tell you how to do it in these simple four steps.
The raw material
The calçots are onions, but not just any onion. They are sweet, white, and tender. They are grown by stacking the soil, that is, piling the soil around their buds. This technique results in their distinctive elongated stem that will make your fingers lick. And although spring onions are essential, as important as the accompanying sauce. It's called romesco sauce and it has so much flavor that we promise you won't forget it. Tomatoes, ñoras, garlic, bread, hazelnuts, olive oil, vinegar, sweet red pepper, and almonds are the rest of the raw materials you will need for your preparation.
How?
Calçots are prepared on the fire, allowing the inside to be tender, but the exterior is crisply stewed. It's important to know how to enjoy a calçotada to follow the usual ritual: peel them with your hands, dip them in the sauce, and get your hands messy (it's the most delicious and fun part).
They are typically cooked as a meal for family celebrations, gatherings with friends, and all kinds of events at home or in the countryside.
When?
The Calçots season starts with their harvest in November and ends in April. This timeframe is the perfect time to enjoy this delicacy of Catalan cuisine.
And by chance. That's how this tradition was born in the late 19th century. A farmer put onions on the fire and discovered that grilled onions are much tastier. A few decades later, the consumption of calçots spread beyond the Alt Camp region, where it originated, to the popularity they have today.
Where?
The grand Calçotada of Valls. It is celebrated on the last Sunday of January and is its most important celebration. What are you waiting for? Parades, cooking demonstrations, contests for growers or sauce, tastings, folk dances, and above all, the best calçots.
Calçotadas are culture, tradition, and gastronomy!
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