the first successful cuisine: mediaeval cooking

The first recipes in Latin-derived languages 14th and 15th century are in Catalan, like the so-called Sent Soví. Probably much of the uniqueness of Catalan cuisine comes from the fact that it has managed to bring together, from the basis of its classical and visigoth heritage, the fine influences of Andalusian culture, thus guaranteeing the Mediterranean culture and transmission of oriental treasures.
The Arabs introduced and reintroduced many products to the Iberian peninsular, some of these still play a part in idiosyncratic nature of Catalan food, like rice, spinach, egg plants, lemons, sugar or pasta (fideus), and there was a certain taste for greens, which the philosopher Ramon Llull identified as a source of health, especially taking into account that garden fruits had really undervalued until then by feudal masters. As well,
the presence of fish and other products from the Mediterranean characterised this mediaeval Catalan cuisine. And there were also some exquisite sauces like ginestrada, a cream made with rise, saffron, with the milk of almonds, and costum —exported to a large extent— made by cooking poultry in citric fruits, as well as various dishesdelicately scented with rose water and prohibitive mixes of far off spices.

 Remember that ginger arrived much before sushi, or coriander before guacamole, and that galangà came before the Tom Iam soup.
Catalonia shared this way of cooking with, firstly -and in a very special way- Occitània, as it did with serenading, the trobadors and an occasional heretic, and afterwards there were successful contacts with Sicily, Sardinia and the Italian Peninsular.

In the moment when Catalan cuisine was really founded, it already
showed its most characteristic trait: the capacity to incorporate the best of other culinary cultures, that for one or another reason, it had come into contact with. This was not a unique thing; anthropologists have shown that cuisine reflects societies quite clearly. So it is not at all strange that cuisine in Catalonia reflected the spirit of a place that was very much a thoroughfare and place of arrival, preferring to incorporate that than resist other styles.

the fusion of «new» americas products

With time ultramarine products from the Americas were incorporated into Catalan cuisine, which without them today would look very different. For example, sausages and beans (American), Egg plants with peppers (American), Soup of Cauliflower and potatoes (American), and tomato (American)-bread and even our bread and chocolate (American) for an afternoon snack.

Modern times is not especially good —as everyone
knows— for the production of Catalan culture, which
was persecuted and occasionally had to hide even in convents or monasteries. Precisely it was in the
monasteries where many of the recipe books of the time were written, faithful to the mediaeval tradition (there was still a fair mix of sweet
and salty dishes that were so liked in the Middle Ages, for example, but also with the healthy meat restrictions as prescribed by monastery rules. And bit by bit the new incorporations began to bring the makeup of the dishes, despite not losing their character, to current day ones.

Welcome
 Bienvenido (sg) Bienvenidos (pl)
 
Hello
 ¡Hola!
¿Aló? ¡Bueno! ¡Diga! ¡Dígame! ¡Hola! (on phone)
 
How are you?

I’m fine, thanks. And you?
 

 
 ¿Cómo está usted? (frm) ¿Cómo estás? (inf)
 
Bien gracias, ¿y usted? (frm) Bien gracias, ¿y tú? (inf)
 
Long time no see
 ¡Cuánto tiempo! ¡Tanto tiempo sin verte!
 
What’s your name?

My name is …
 

 
 ¿Cómo te llamas? (inf)
¿Cómo se llama Usted? (frm)
 
Me llamo …, Mi nombre es …
 
Where are you from?

I’m from …
 

 
 ¿De dónde eres? (inf) ¿De dónde es usted? (frm)
 
Soy de …
 
Pleased to meet you
 Mucho gusto Encantado
 
Good morning
 Buenos días
 
Good afternoon/evening
 Buenas tardes
 
Good night/evening
 Buenas noches
 
Goodbye
 Adiós, Hasta luego, Hasta la vista, Hasta manaña
 
Good luck
 ¡Buena suerte!
 
Cheers/Good health!
 ¡Salud!
 
Have a nice day
 ¡Que pase un buen día!
 
Bon appetit
 ¡Buen provecho! ¡Buen apetito!
 
Bon voyage
 ¡Buen viaje!
 
I don’t understand
 No entiendo / No comprendo
 
Please speak more slowly
 Por favor hable más despacio
 
Please write it down
 ¿Puede escribirlo, por favor?
 
Do you speak Spanish?

Yes, a little
 

 
 ¿Habla usted español? (frm) ¿Hablas español? (inf)
 
Sí, hablo un poquito de español, Sí, un poco
 
How do you say … in Spanish?
 ¿Cómo se dice … en español?
 
Excuse me
 ¡Perdón! ¡Perdone! ¡Discúlpe!
 
How much is this?
 ¿Cuánto cuesta? ¿Cuánto cuesta esto?
 
Sorry
 ¡Perdón! ¡Perdone! ¡Lo siento!
 
Thank you
Response (You’re welcome)
 Gracias / Muchas gracias
 
De nada / No hay de qué
 
Where’s the toilet?
 ¿Dónde están los aseos
¿Dónde están los sanitarios?
¿Dónde está el baño?
¿Dónde está el cuarto de baño?
 
This gentleman/lady
will pay for everything
 Este hombre/caballero pagará por todo
Esta mujer/dame pagará por todo
 
Would you like to
dance with me?
 ¿Querria bailar conmigo? (frm)
¿Querrías bailar conmigo? (inf)
¿Quisiera bailar conmigo? (frm)
¿Quisieras bailar conmigo? (inf)
 
I love you
 Te amo / Te quiero
 
Get well soon
 Que te mejores / Que te mejores pronto
¡Recupérate pronto! Pronta recuperación
 
Leave me alone!
 ¡Déjeme en paz!
 
Help!
Fire!
Stop!
 ¡Ayúdame! ¡Socorro!
¡Fuego!
¡Alto!
 
Call the police!
 ¡Llame a la policía!
 
Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year
 ¡Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo!
 
Happy Easter
 ¡Felices Pascuas!
 
Happy Birthday
 ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
 
One language is never enough
 Una lengua nunca es suficiente
 
My hovercraft is full of eels
 Mi aerodeslizador está lleno de anguilas
 
I Missed You So Much!
 Te Extraño Mucho!
 
What’s New?
 Qué Hay De Nuevo?
 
How Are You?
 Cómo Estás?
 
I’m Fine, Thanks!
 Estoy Bíen ¡Gracias!
 
And You?
 Y Tú?
 
Good/ So-So.
 Bíen/ Más o menos
 
Thank You (Very Much)!
 (Muchas) Gracias!

Looking for cool things to do in Barcelona?

Carver Car Circuit Experience Chakra Stone Massage The Barcelona Hammam Experience for Two The Barcelona Treasure Hunt

Las Rambla, the famed pedestrian main street of town, is an entertainment zone unto itself. A fun walk past the many street performers leads to Placa de Catálunya, a huge square with fountains, statuary and a big plaza, where major streets intersect. Upon noticing that there seemed to be a lot of motorscooters and motorbikes parked here, I later learned that Barcelona has indeed the most motorcycles of any European city, due to the constant good climate. They also have over 100km of bicycle lanes, so the traffic here is not nearly as crazy as other big cities. I have explored the city by foot, on the bus and only as a last resort by affordable, speedy taxi drives to get me to my destinations like the hotel and the boat terminal. I saw a fantastic Flamenco cultural show and sat next to a woman from Cape Town, SA. We hit it off and went to enjoy some tapas and drinks after the show at a delightful little tapas bar hidden in amongst Barcelona´s ancient, winding alleyways.

We had a lovely time walking around the area after listening to the delicious sound of the Spanish guitars and the flameco dancers´ rythmic feet. I was wowed by Antoni Gaudí´s tremendous tributes to nature and his incredible designs at the apartment building Casa Milà “La Pedrera”, the famed, sandcastle like cathdral yet to be completed, the Temple de la Sagradra Família, and my absolute favorite, the Casa Batlló. This storybook apartment house, which was rebuilt by Gaudí, is the most wonderful piece of art I have ever had the privilege to walk through. I was enchanted, delighted and smiled at his love of nature, his sense of humor and his sheer design genius.

I visited this house at night, seemingly while most people were out having dinner or changing for dinner, and I almost had the house to myself. This was a refreshing retreat from the city´s crowds and gave me time to linger and gawk unobstructed. This house was a fantastic emblem to art, to ease of use, natural light, nature and imaginative playfulness. I adored it. I then made time to stroll the marina and the crowded alleyways, view Barcelona´s gothic cathedral, illumined by hundreds of red glass candles as well as devout pilgrims and parishioners attending mass, walk through the fantastic fruit and vegetable markets where butchers slice meat directly off the leg of whatever meat you want to buy, visited Gaudí´s masterpieces, ate my fill of luscious local anchovies, the soft and strong Manchego cheese and discovered the most decadent chocolate and hazlenut covered waffles, yet feel I only scratched the surface of this artsy place. I also toured Monseratt, the monastery in the mountains about 50km north of here which is home to another much venerated Black Virgin.

The surrounding views and rounded mountain tops were more than worth the sometimes funny, interrupted journey to the mountain. Four days here was definitely not enough to see all Barcelona has to offer. My new friend told me her mother always said you must leave one thing to come back for, and in Barcelona´s case, it will be more than one, as the numerous museums, parks and surrounding areas are all great reasons to come back.

6. Jamon serrano, the famous cured ham of Spain. Comes in varying quality, with the most expensive – the jabugo, pato negro – costing up to 200 euros per kilo or more. It is lean, low in salt, utterly delicious, and ubiquitous. Sadly, it cannot be exported, I understand. Whole legs of these prized hogs hang behind nearly every bar in Spain, and many families buy an entire ham, taking paper-thin slices as needed; there is even a special culinary device to hold the ham in place to be sliced.

7. Bread. No Spaniard will sit down to a meal without loaves or slices of fresh bread bought that morning, or very commonly, both that morning and evening. Bread is sufficiently indispensible here that even on Sundays, when all the supermarkets and shops are closed, every panaderia in town will be open until at least 1 p.m. A Spanish barra (long, thin loaf) comes in many varieties, from a French-style baguette (called by the same name here) to my favorite, the gallega – a long, thin oval with a durable crumb and a rich, fermented flavor that stays fresh until the next day – to cracked or whole wheat, seeded, even rye. Good bread here is a birthright. I will miss it.

8. Tempranillo, quince paste: a sweet, vitamin-C-packed firm jelly that is exquisite with either an aged manchego cheese or a slice of jamon.

9. Asparagus. Bottled. Fat, thin, white, green, a multitude of varieties and brands can take up an entire three-foot section of supermarket shelving, top to bottom. I can’t say why the Spanish are so crazy for bottled asparagus – they also love their bottled and canned wild mushrooms, precooked beans, corn, and green beans – but once in a while, it’s nice, chilled, with mayonnaise liberally seasoned with freshly cracked black pepper. By the way, the Spanish assert that mayonnaise, that quintessential French preparation, actually originated in the Balearic Islands, not far off the Barcelona coast, in the town of Mahon. It has a ring of truth.

10. Aioli, or allioli in Catalan, means ‘garlic and oil.’ It’s essentially a thick mayonnaise fortified with industrial-strength amounts of fresh garlic. Spread it on grilled breads or meats, stir a spoonful into a hearty soup, or dip your french-fried potatoes in it. Just don’t breathe on anyone for the next 24 hours unless they’ve shared your meal.

11. Last, but never least: wine. I don’t pretend to know much about wine, although I’ve tasted some incredibly complex, deep and well-constructed Spanish vino tinto. But give me a good table wine for every day, and I’m perfectly happy. There is an amazing abundance of wine in Spain, much of it very drinkable and cheap. I’m talking under 5 euros per bottle – in fact, in my local supermarket, any wine 6 euros or over has an anti-theft device attached to its neck. I even found a very drinkable house-brand rosado (rose) at one supermarket chain for the unbelievable bottle price of 75 centimos! If this could be duplicated in the U.S., it would put Two-Buck Chuck out of business.

This is a random and woefully incomplete list. If you want to know more, come to Spain and find out why its cuisine and wine and gastronomical bounty are beginning to conquer the world of food. Originally: A few good things no respectable Spanish kitchen would be without Images: Justin Metz and markeveleigh

TINTO DE VERANO

One-half liter of cheap red wine
One-half liter of sparkling lemon or lemon-lime soda, or tonic water, or sparkling mineral water
Dash of red Vermouth (to taste; optional)
One lemon, sliced

Mix ingredients and serve over ice.

CALIMOCHO

Pour half a glass of cheap red wine; top with Coca-Cola. Add lemon slices and ice and serve cold.

Thanks barcelonajane.blogspot.com

The local police, Red Cross and a station of rescue and evacuation only give service during the summer period, as the lifeguards.

La Nova Icaria has the Blue Flag. There is also a seafront promenade with chiringuitos and restaurants.

Equipment and services: this beach has special handicapped persons facilities, renting from water crafts, red cross, walloways, restaurants, chiringuitos, beach umbrellas and hammocks, rest rooms, camping, lifeguards, parking, public phones, bus stop, cleaning service and waste bins.

You can practice here windsurfing, jet skiing and sailing.
 

     
Type: Urbanized
Size: Small (400 m)
Abarcelonage width: 40 m
Type surface: Fine golden sand
Surge: Calm

Barcelona is blessed with a benign, Mediterranean climate. Spring and fall are ideal times to visit, especially May to June and September to October. Even in the winter, days are crisp to cold (due to its proximity to the mountains) but often sunny. Snow is rare and never lasts more than a day or two. Most of the rainfall occurs in April but some quite spectacular storms, as is typical of the Mediterranean, can occur year-round. July and August are hot and humid, even at night, as the temperature often only drops minimally. The surrounding sea is warm enough to swim in from the end of June to early October. Inland the temperatures drop slightly, as does the humidity. North on the Costa Brava, a strong wind known as the tramontana often blows.

August is the major vacation month in Europe. The traffic from France, the Netherlands, and Germany to Spain becomes a veritable migration, and low-cost hotels along the coastal areas are virtually impossible to find unless booked well in advance. To compound the problem, many restaurants and shops also decide it’s time for a vacation, thereby limiting the visitors’ selections for both dining and shopping. That said, Barcelonese also head out of town for cooler climes, leaving tourists to enjoy the city for themselves. Barcelona is also a major international trade fair and conference destination. These happen throughout the year so if you plan to stay in a mid- to high-range hotel it should be booked well in advance. Barcelona is officially Spain’s most popular destination, and tourism is now year-round. The only time you may not be rubbing shoulders with fellow travelers is Christmas!

Catalan and National Holidays

Holidays observed are January 1 (New Year’s Day), January 6 (Feast of the Epiphany), March/April (Good Friday and Easter Monday), May 11 (May Day), May/June (Whit Monday) June 24 (Feast of St. John), August 15 (Feast of the Assumption), September 11 (National Day of Catalonia), September 24 (Feast of Our Lady of Mercy), October 12 (Spain’s National Day), November 1 (All Saints’ Day), December 8 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception), and December 25 (Christmas) and December 26 (Feast of St. Stephen).

If a holiday falls on a Thursday or Tuesday, many people also take off the weekday in between creating an extra-long weekend. While this only really affects those doing business in the city, you should book hotels well ahead of time on these popular puentes (bridges).

Vi/vino (wine) accompanies about every meal. Spanish wine is able-bodied because of the brilliant climate. It comes blanc/blanco (white), negre/tinto (red) or rosat/rosado (rose) in all amount ranges. A �5 canteen of wine, bought from a bazaar or wine merchant, will be absolutely drinkable. The aforementioned money in a restaurant will get you around nothing. Cheap vi de taula/vino de acropolis (table wine) can advertise for beneath than �2 a litre, but wines at that amount can be appealing rank.

Catalunya’s whites are bigger than its reds and the breadth is best accepted for cava, the accomplished bounded bubbly. You can adjustment wine by the canteen (copa) in confined and restaurants. At cafeteria or banquet it is accepted to adjustment a vi/vino de la address (house wine) – usually by the litre or bisected litre.

Beer

The best accepted way to adjustment cervesa/cerveza (beer) is to ask for a canya, which is a baby beaker beer (cervesa/cerveza de barril). A beyond beer (about 300mL) is sometimes alleged a tubo (which comes in a beeline glass). A pint is a gerra/jarra. If you aloof ask for a cerveza you may get bottled beer, which is added expensive. A baby canteen of beer is alleged a flasco/botellin. The bounded beverage is Estrella Damm (of which there are several variants, including the almighty and flavoursome Voll Dam), while San Miguel, fabricated in western Catalunya’s Lleida area, is additionally broadly drunk. The Damm aggregation produces about 15% of all Spain’s beer, as does San Miguel. A clara is a shandy – a beer with a ample birr of lemonade (7-Up).

Other Drinks

Sangria is a wine and bake-apple punch, sometimes abstemious with brandy. It’s auspicious activity bottomward but can leave you with a abscessed head. You’ll see jugs of it on tables in some restaurants. A bounded aspect is sangria de cava, a champagne-based mix that does beneath accident to your neurones and additionally goes by the name of tisana.

There is no curtailment of alien and Spanish-produced top-shelf being – conac (brandy) is popular.