In Barcelona, I have tried so many new foods that it feels like neglect to only detail one. On the side, you can see some of the other foods I have tried. I have tried pan con tomate (bread with tomato), different kinds of pasta and even alcachofas (artichokes). Every day brings me something new to try.
This field note describes one of these new culinary experiences: calçots. On Sunday, my host brother and his friends drove me to Girona, a beautiful city not far from Barcelona. I will be going again officially with my program in February, but it was great to see the city without an agenda. Take a look at the cathedral on the right: do you recognize it? Filming for Game of Thrones was actually done in Girona and if you recognize some of the architecture, that is why! But onto the food...
I tried calçots at a restaurant situated about an hour and a half drive outside of Barcelona. Calçots are a type of scallion, a long onion-like plant with a white bottom and a green top. They come with a sauce for dipping called salvitxada that is mainly a mix of garlic, peppers and nuts. Before eating the calçots, we enjoyed crackers, soup, pizza and onion rings. Then, after eating the calçots, we had to make room for the second plate: chicken, sausage and french fries.
