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Catalan cookery
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Many people judge the food of Catalunya to be the best in Spain. The region certainly has one of the oldest culinary traditions: the first Spanish cookery book was published in Barcelona in 1477 and, although Catalunya shares some of its dishes and methods with parts of southern France (like Roussillon), it's possible to identify within its borders a distinct cuisine. Fish, as you might expect, plays a major part in Catalan cookery, but there's also an emphasis on mixed flavours which you won't find anywhere else in Spain - some common examples are rabbit with snails, chicken with shellfish, meat or poultry with fruit, and vegetables with raisins and nuts.
We've given a comprehensive glossary of Catalan food and dishes, which should help you find your way around a menu while you're there. The recipes we've listed will point you in the right direction if you want to cook a Catalan meal yourself. You don't need any special equipment, except perhaps a large, shallow casserole dish, but you will need to be insistent on fresh ingredients , especially if you're cooking fish or shellfish. Most recipes require tomatoes, which in Catalunya would be fresh plum tomatoes: these are increasingly widely available but, if you can't get them, use any fresh tomatoes ( not canned plum tomatoes) and accept the fact that you won't get the same taste. Good olive oil is important, too, the best you can afford - bring some back from Catalunya. Some of the recipes described here have been adapted from two fine cookery books -cum-works of reference: The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas and Mediterranean Seafood by Alan Davidson. For specifically Catalan cooking, consult Catalan Cuisine by Colman Andrews. All the recipes are for four people unless otherwise stated Other useful information
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Spain,
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