July 29 - Food, Food, and more Food

As much as I wish that I could have slept in to recover from a beach day, I knew I had another fun day ahead of me filled with lots and lots of food. My Saturday began bright and early for a perfect first weekend in Barcelona. A few of us had booked a food tour so we eagerly got dressed and ready to head out. We loaded up our tickets, hopped on a metro, and went to find our meeting spot. We made it a few minutes early to a market called Santa Caterina and decided to explore. It was mid morning and we were all pretty hungry but we knew we couldn’t grab any food if we had an entire tour ahead of us filled with local cuisine. I stopped at a fruit stand and got myself an orange juice to satisfy my need for food since we were only a little ways away from eating. Finally, we found our tour guide and met up with our group to begin the excitement.

Our tour guide, Ariana, introduced herself and began giving us a history of the city and the cuisine. Here is a brief summary of everything we learned on the tour:

• Olives cannot be eaten straight off of a tree. You have to brine them and soften them or else they will be too bitter to consume

• Black olives and green olives are the same except black olives are left on the tree for a longer period of tome

• Pan con tomate is a popular side dish since it allows old bread slices to come back to life with the fresh tomatoes

• Cava is the Spanish version of Champagne except it is cheaper to produce and has a higher alcohol content

• Spain is actually the biggest exporter of olive oil and has large exports of paprika and saffron as well

• Each neighborhood in Barcelona has its own market and each vendor specializes in something different

• Like French wine and cheese, eggs from different regions can be found and they all contain different flavors

• The most famous cheese in Spain is Manchego cheese

• Spanish ham has four different labeling systems with black Ibérico ham being the highest quality and priciest one

• Nougat and Marzipan are common sweets found across Catalonia and they all use relatively the same ingredients

• Horchata is a common summer treat here but it is made using the Chufla root rather than with rice

• Because France has a large influence on Catalonian culture due to its proximity, there is a large market for French viennoiserie such as croissants

• There is only one tapa that was created in Barcelona: the bomba

• Vermouth is a popular drink in Barcelona since it is sweet and has a much higher alcohol content than normal wine

• Paella originally was made using game caught by hunters but is now commonly found with seafood along the Mediterranean coast

• Arroz de señorito is paella but the seafood is already cut up and ready to consume

• Spaniards only drink sangria during holidays so order tinto de verano instead. It’s similar but there is a definite difference

Our first stop on the tour was at one of the stalls in the market for some olives. We had a mixture of black, green, and Olivas de Abuela olives. The green olives were bitter yet oily. The black olives were juicy and deliciously brined. The Olivas se Abuela were some of the best olives I have ever had since they were brined in a unique mix of spices and peppers to combine into a delicious little treat. We discussed the history of olives in Spain and their importance in the culture before moving on to our next item.

We moved over to another stall to enjoy some already prepped meats, cheeses, sandwiches, and cava. We enjoyed 2 different cheeses that were both deliciously tart with a hint of salt. For meats, we enjoyed 2 different types of sausage as well as 2 different types of Spanish ham. The meat was perfectly savory and we had so much leftover that I was able to take it all home as a late night snack for the rest of the weekend. After meats, we tried two different sandwiches — one with a spinach tortilla and the other with a chorizo spread. The sandwiches were incredible and will definitely be something I miss when I go home. We ended our time at the market with a large glass of cava. This Spanish wine was delicious and I would argue that it is even more flavorful than the pricey champagne I tried in Paris. I left the market feeling incredible (and a tiny bit buzzed) as we headed for our next stop.

We explored the area around us called Born before making our way to a famous bakery. This bakery specializes in croissants and other pastries. We picked up some pistachio croissants and a hazelnut bread similar to a biscotti. The croissant was lightly flakey with a creamy filling. The little pan de coca was crunchy and a great palate cleanser since it wasn’t overly sweet. I even had extra to take home with me! We enjoyed these sweets before moving onto yet another sweet shop.

Our next sweet shop specialized in Spanish nougats (turrones) and their horchata. We had a soft nougat, a hard nougat, and a piece of marzipan. I had bought myself a pack of nougat from the oldest shop in Barcelona and let me just say that oldest does not mean best. The nougat we had at this shop was worlds better than the one I bought. The soft nougat was chewy and did not leave my teeth feeling sticky. The hard nougat was perfectly crunchy and did not hurt to bite. The marzipan was deliciously toasted with an almost crème brûlée taste to it. To refresh us from the turrones, we each had a small cup of Spanish horchata. I am still not quite used to it since I am an absolute fiend for Mexican horchata but it is good. This one is light and fruity rather than creamy and spicy. I will still drink a ton of it while I’m here but I’m not quite sure if it takes the spot of the horchata back at home.

After taking a little break for sweets, we moved back to savory dishes. We walked through the city to a small hole in the wall spot along the Barceloneta beach. At this restaurant we sat down and were greeted by a large glass of Vermouth for each of us. I will admit that I was a bit apprehensive of it due to its dark color and strong smell. The taste blew me away though. The first sip caught me off guard since it was syrupy and thick yet it tasted sweet and had very little alcohol flavor. I can see how that could be dangerous but I only had half my glass. The group sipped on our drinks as the waiter brought us our next plate: a bomba. This tapa typically consists of a meatball dipped in mashed potatoes that is then dreddged and fried. Instead of a meatball, ours was made using fish. It was a unique dish that was flavorful and helped to soak up some of the vermouth. I was already pretty full at this point but knew I had to continue to our final restaurant.

The walk to our final destination was short but allowed me to digest some food and let my stomach settle a bit. Along the way, we asked our guide about her life in the city and for other recommendations to try. She was quite knowledgeable and had a fun way of describing everything. We continued our conversation until the group sat at the final table waiting for more food. At this restaurant, we were presented with a large dish of paella as well as glasses of a drink called tinto de verano. The paella was already prepped and ready for us to eat. The tinto de verano was fresh and provided a nice way to end off the tour. Everything we ate was delicious and I shared all of the restaurant recommendations with my classmates so they could try it out too. I highly recommend taking a food tour of a new city because you will find things that you would not otherwise know about.

Once the tour was over, my friends and I went to a nearby market to grab some snacks for later (even though none of us were hungry) and some small items for souvenirs. After all of that food and a long day the day before, we were all exhausted and definitely in need of a siesta. We made our way back to the hotel and I immediately flopped on my bed as soon as I got into the room. I napped for about twenty before being kicked out by room service so they could clean. I worked on this blog for a little while since I have consistently been behind and then went back to my room for more rest. While heading back to my room, I ran into Morgan and Audra who were also about to take another nap. We all decided that it would be a fun idea to just nap together in their room and so off we went. We were bundled up in bed like the grandparents from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We napped for probably an hour off and on and stayed in that bed for nearly the entire evening. It was exactly what I needed.

Although we were still pretty groggy and still pretty full from all the food earlier, we forced ourselves out of the mega bed and into the streets of Barcelona for some food. Since we had eaten nothing but Spanish food, I decided to switch things up and found a dumpling place that looked pretty tasty. We took the metro over and it was most definitely worth it. I wasn’t planning to order too much but I ended up with two pork bao buns and six pan fried dumplings. It was incredible. I ate so much but I needed something flavorful and greasy to revive me. To end off the night, we took a walk along the beach since it was nearby before heading back to the hotel for more rest. It was genuinely an amazing day and I have truly fallen in love with food tours. Who knows, maybe if this blog gets big enough then one dy I will be the one traveling around and hosting the tours.

♡ Katie