Calçots were originally grown in Valls, a small town in the South of Catalonia. A farmer by the name of "Xat de Benaiges" (pronounced "Shot de Benajes") accidentally burnt the onions he was grilling. Instead of throwing them out, he decided to peal away the outside to reveal the juicy, sweet part inside. Astonishingly, he realized it was absolutely delicious, and simply everyone must try it. Thus, the calçotada was born.
Calçots are planted in trenches, like most root vegetables. The reason they get so tall is because farmers slowly pile dirt around them as they grow. By the end of the season, each calçot looks like a little hill. This is actually where the name "calçot" comes from. The verb calçar in catalan means, "to hill".
Calçots are at an all time high! Right now in Catalonia, everything is being cooked with calçots: pastries, tortillas and soups. Calçots are the pumpkin spice of Girona. There is only one worry: chemical contamination. Just like most of our farm foods, we're worried that the water we're using to grow our plants may be contaminated with PFAS! This is why finding a way to degrade these chemicals is so important.
