The terroir of the Costa Brava
In terms of terroir, the list is long, as the province of Girona offers so many good products. The "produits de l'Empordà" quality label - from the province's historic name - was created in September 2003. These include rice(arròs) from Pals, including the bahia, bomba, carnerolo and nembo varieties. There are also Figueres onions and l'Ull ros beans, a type of white bean that accompanies Catalan black pudding. Tramontana bread is made by artisan bakers in the Girona region from ancient varieties of wheat, and is characterized by its brown color, sourdough aroma and nutty crumb. On the seaside, the Palamós shrimp, of the species Aristeu antennatus, is caught in the waters off the coast of Palamós. Don't forget the tasty anchovies from l'Escala.
Cured meats(embotits) are an essential part of Catalan cuisine. You'll find hams(jamòn/pernil in Catalan), botifarra, a sausage similar to blood sausage, which can be white, made from pork flesh(botifarra blanca), or black, made from blood(botifarra negra). Bull is quite similar in composition, but is made from the pig's large intestine, resulting in a much thicker sausage with whole pieces of meat. Fuet is the equivalent of a sausage, but much longer. Also worth mentioning is botifarra dolça, a sausage produced since the 14th century, eaten raw or dried, which in addition to pork meat contains a hint of sugar, lemon and cinnamon.
Catalan cuisine in Girona
The Costa Brava is home to many classic Catalan dishes, including tapas. There is an incredible variety of these little morsels, and recipes often depend on the creativity of the chef. Among the most common recipes is pa amb tomaquet, made from bread rubbed with garlic, tomato and olive oil. A little more sophisticated,escalivada is a mixture of grilled vegetables served on bread with anchovies.Cargols a la llauna, snails with garlic and herbs, are served with aioli. Calçots, sweet grilled green onions, are served with salsa romesco, a tomato, chili, almond and olive oil sauce. The esqueixada salad is a fresh preparation of peppers, tomatoes and shredded cod. The more heartyamanida catalana is a lettuce and tomato salad richly garnished with cold meats. Alternatively, coca de recapte is a savory pie with cooked vegetables and fish, usually sardines or anchovies.
In addition to appetizers and tapas, there are many more hearty specialties, including numerous fish dishes. Suquet de rap i gambes is a fisherman's dish of monkfish, prawns and potatoes cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. There are many rice dishes in the region, combining vegetables, seafood and/or meat. The best known, arròs negre, is colored with cuttlefish ink and garnished with squid. Typical of Girona is the mar i muntanya style of cooking - which means sea and mountain. It consists of a meat and seafood dish, very often chicken or prawns, cooked in a clay pot with a rich tomato and white wine sauce.
There are also many meat dishes, some of which are robust winter recipes, such as escudella i carn d'olla, a stew garnished with winter vegetables (cabbage, potatoes, leeks, carrots, chickpeas) and large meatballs. Other meats include lamb, chicken, ham bone and sausage. This dish is traditionally served on Christmas Day, December 25. The simplerescudella de pagés is a soup made with slices of botifarra negra, bacon and ham, as well as potatoes, leeks, chickpeas and white beans. The rustic botifarra amb mongetescontains botifarra blanca and white beans. Finally, patates d'Olot are slices of potato stuffed with pork and then fried. Quite unclassifiable, poma farcida de carn is a hollowed-out apple stuffed with a mixture of sausage meat and dried fruit, then baked in the oven, originally from the Empordà region.
Desserts and drinks
For a touch of sweetness, it's impossible not to mention the crème catalane, a crème brûlée delicately flavored with lemon and cinnamon. Another local specialty is xuixo, a deep-fried croissant generously sprinkled with sugar. The simpler mel i mató is a fresh sheep's milk cheese with honey and walnuts. For a sweet snack, nothing beats bunyols de l'Empordà, ring-shaped doughnuts flavored with green anise, eaten especially during Holy Week. Finally, xocolata desfeta is halfway between drink and dessert. This hot chocolate is so thick you could stick a spoon in it, even though it's usually used to hold churros(xurros in Catalan), which are usually eaten for breakfast. Coffee lovers will also be delighted: Catalans, like the rest of Spaniards, love this hot beverage, and the region abounds in cafés.
On the wine front, Carignan is the mainstay of Empordà viticulture, along with Grenache, Tempranillo, Ull de Llebre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Wine enthusiasts can also explore the region by following wine tourism itineraries such as the DO de l'Empordà route.
As its name suggests, Brava Beer is a local Pilsner made from barley and hops. All ingredients are natural, and the fermentation time is three times longer than that of industrial beers. For the more curious, try ratafia, a caramel-colored liqueur made from green walnuts, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, accompanied by herbs and aromatic plants, with distinct flavors depending on the process used by the manufacturer. Formerly used as a medicinal remedy, today it is consumed as a digestive in rural areas of the Catalan Pyrenees.
