Calçotada

The traditional calçotada’ in Cerbère will take place on Sunday 24th February, from 11.30am, when you can down as many of these tasty onions as your tummy will allow, dipped in sauces and usually served up with BBQ, live music, sardanes….

A finger feast which may well require a bib!

Eat by suspending onion dipped in sauce over your mouth and opening wide! Followed up with ‘galtes de porc i mongetes’, braç de gitano, café, cremat, lashings of wine, with music and show for 26 € per person.

This Catalan tradition can leave you in a fine old mess, but onion lovers will sigh with pleasure at these ‘calçots’ (pronounced cal-show) served up with a ’sauce romesco’  at a convivial ‘calçotada,’ (communal calçot get-together) and accompanied by entertainment, live music and dancing.

Calçots are a variety of long, thick green onion (rather like skinny leeks) that have their peak season in January, February, and March.

They are normally cooked on a barbecue and turned and turned until entirely blackened outside and soft and sweet inside. They are traditionally served on an upturned terracotta roof tile, dipped in salvitxada or romesco sauce,  and accompanied by red wine or cava.

If you don’t know of a ‘calçotada’ in a village near you, they can be ordered at many typical Catalan restaurants, particularly in south Catalonia. They will probably supply you with a bib, and some may even offer gloves!

Traditionally, sausages or lamb are served up after the calçots, followed by crema Catalana.

To eat, peel off the blackened outer layer, dip liberally into the sauce, hold above the head and start from the bottom that is dripping in sauce.