Welcome to Andorra, a land of snow par excellence, where all the people of Andorra converge ski enthusiastswhen winter comes to deposit its thick white coat on the steep passes and in the valleys. It must be said that the alpine ski resorts of Grandvalira, Vallnord Pal-Arinsal and Vallnord Ordino-Arcalis allow full balloon runs on more than 300 km of slopes of all colours, and that the Principality also offers many possibilities ofsnow-related activities (sled dogs, igloo constructions and ice skating in particular). And who says physical expenditure means food: after a busy day, what greater pleasure is there than sitting around a table for a good meal? The andorra's gastronomic tradition will be favoured by all gourmands who love mountain cuisine linked to seasonal products and marked by a need, in the past, for self-sufficiency. But not just that! Over time, the Andorran culinary tradition has assimilated the influences of its two great neighbours, France and Catalonia, and subsequently the Swiss, Italian and Argentine know-how and recipes from Asia. Whatever the object of your choice to eat, you can bet that you will find local products on the plate (the meat and vegetables are excellent), accompanied by liqueurs and wines from high altitude just as delicious. Andorra offers an impressive number of very good restaurants, both typical and exotic, that will seduce all palates and suit all budgets and all audiences. So pass a towel around your neck and sit comfortably around the table of one of the typical bordas - ancient mountain buildings that once housed grain and cattle - that dot the Andorran territory: here is the menu!
Local products of excellent quality
For a long time, Andorra remained a difficult access area in the heart of the Pyrenees, but it had to adapt and live in self-sufficiency, taking advantage of the multiple natural resources of a territory located on average at more than 2000 metres above sea level to grow and produce local food products of very good quality. Starting with meat, a central element of Andorran gastronomy. While veal is favoured by local farmers (unlike French veal, Andorran veal is red) and is even stamped with the "Protected Geographical Indication" (PGI) label, beef, lamb, goat and horse are also cooked, sold under the "Andorra Quality Controlled Meat" label, just like the products of Poltrand, a company that sells excellent foal meat. Delicatessen also holds a prominent place in the Andorran regime: the secrets of mountain pork production are passed down from generation to generation, ensuring a deep respect for tradition. In the register, the specialists are Cal Jordi and Els Escaubells, offering fantastic craft products such as botifarra, llonganissa and other bullet.
On the plant side, the Principality makes it a point of honour that vegetables grown on its territory are grown without any use of chemical pesticides and herbicides, ensuring unpolluted crops. Andorra's specialities in this area focus on green vegetables and dried vegetables, such as those found at the Can Sona farm, which also supplies the population with organic eggs. Aromatic plants and medicinal herbs also play a central role in Andorran gastronomy (also used to produce artisanal cosmetic products), such as mint, serpolet, oregano, hyssop and orange blossom. As far as fruit is concerned, it is mainly forest fruits, strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants that are cultivated, then transformed by El Rebost del Padrí, El Pastador or Casa Gendret into tasty organic jams, while Casa Folch and Naturalis produce high mountain honey. In the same vein, in Andorra there is a condiment made from fir cones, with a texture similar to that of honey, called Nectum. This syrup goes wonderfully with salads, white meats or cheeses, and is found in the composition of local jams and sauces.
If the Pyrenean highlands seem at first sight not very well adapted to the cultivation of the vine, some vineyards nevertheless thrive in Andorra, and the sauvignon blanc, Riesling, pinot noir and albariño varieties, cultivated by the houses Borda Sabaté, Casa Beal, Mas Berenguer and Casa Auviny, produce some very good Andorran wines that will most certainly surprise wine lovers! More recently, local beer breweries have been created: Alpha beer and Boris beer are among the stars of the moment, which can be enjoyed at Cervesera Alpha or Era Bauró. And what better way to end a good meal than with a good glass of Ratassia de la Carmeta, this artisanal liqueur of medicinal herbs and nuts, whose method of preparation has always been handed down from mother to daughter.
The bordas, sanctuaries of Andorran gastronomy
Nowadays, Andorra has a wide variety of gastronomic traditions adapted to mountain life - fondues, raclette and other stones from the Alps, fresh Italian products, solid Argentine-style grilled meats, and subtle Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese preparations - but it is the Pyrenean heritage that predominates in the taverns. Combining the pleasure of the eye and the palate, it is precisely in the brothels that the soul of Andorra can be found: about twenty of these old typical high-mountain buildings, with their picturesque architecture (thick stone walls and solid wooden beams) and once a place for storing cereals and livestock, have now been transformed into warm Andorran cuisine restaurants. Good mood and rustic cuisine are on the menu!
It is by combining the above-mentioned products that successive generations have ingeniously developed a cuisine of character, varying according to the food available from one season to another. Andorra's traditional dishes are nutritious and tasty, as much as they are adapted to the harsh mountain climate. Escudella is undoubtedly the most representative of the Principality. It is a kind of stew combining seasonal vegetables and pork, whose Christmas version is available in "pebble soup" or "grossa soup". Trinxat is also a flagship dish of the Pyrenees and consists of winter cabbage, potato, garlic and pork belly. Fabulous! Fabulous! While cannelloni have long been known in Catalonia, their Andorran variation incorporates, in the centre of the pasta rolls covered with béchamel sauce, a stuffing of mutton, pork and chicken meat. But Andorrans are also big lovers of game meat, and you can enjoy superb preparations of stewed hare or wild boar stewed in many brothels from the beginning of the hunting season, generally accompanied by vegetables and mushrooms (porcini mushrooms, delicious milk, charcoal, morels and false mousserons are the most common).
Regarding fish, while cod has long been one of the Principality's main dishes, at this altitude it was impossible to find in rivers, so that, like herring and conger eel, it arrived in salt form from the coast. Even today, cod au gratin with garlic remains one of the country's most emblematic dishes. It should be noted here that when the fishing season is open, you can find very good Andorran trout on the menu of all the bordas: simply fried and decorated with almonds and ham, it is a little wonder! Another local speciality, Codony's allioli, made up of quince, oil and garlic, goes beautifully with grilled meats but also with llauna snails (seasoned with a mixture of spices and cooked on the grill), while wild chicory or dandelion, picked in the mountains in the spring, are served in salads, usually accompanied by bacon and dried fruit. Enjoy your meal! Or rather: Good profit! As they say in the Andorran brothels!
In a future topic, we will discuss the structures dedicated to well-being that dot the territory, to fill up with energy: spas and thermal baths!
More information on the Andorra Turisme website and on the Andorra Turisme facebook page
