Calçots

There are only a handful of Spanish dishes that I can appreciate, because most involve pork (aka jamón), fish, or at the very least meat broths. That´s why I usually content myself with enjoying Spanish ingredients, like olives, fresh-squeezed orange juice, or the massive and sweet red peppers. So when my friend T. suggested a meal of a local onions, I was very excited.

These onions, named calçots, are a Catalan specialty eaten in the spring. (By the way, Catalan in the language spoken in Barcelona, which is different enough to Spanish that I cannot understand it. It also uses the letter "ç" which finally explains why that letter is on my Spanish keyboard, even though Castillian, the Spanish that I speak, does not use it.) It´s quite an event to eat them, starting with the fact that we had to request the number of calçots that we wanted when making our reservation, and our lunch reservation was limited to a strict two hours so the next shift could eat. (Usually, once you book a table, it´s yours for the entire mealtime, which can be 2-4 hours.)

The actual eating is also a bit of a process. The calçots are grilled until they are black and charred. To eat, you peel off the outer burnt layer, revealing a smoky soft onion. After donning you plastic bib, you dip it into the romesco sauce sauce, which is made of roasted red peppers, tomato, almonds, garlic, and oil. Then you lower it into your mouth, because you´re not supposed to eat it with silverware.

They were delicious and definitely the highlight of the meal. We had very simple main dishes - my friends shared a sausage and a few slices of potato, and I had white bread topped with tomato paste and slices of manchego cheese. I hope I can make eating these a regular springtime tradition.

Eating lunch with friends can be an all-day affair here. After the three-course lunch, we went to a café for coffee. My friend T then needed to go, so A and I went to a third location for Aperol Spritzes, which are the taste of warm weather for me.