The Calçotada Festival

If you’re in this Catalonian city during the month of February, you’re in for a real culinary treat! The Calçotada is a traditional Catalan feast held mostly in the second month of the year, but sometimes in March because it all depends on the early harvest! Early Spring might seem like an odd time for a harvest festival, but this celebration is all about Spring Onions! Everyone at this citywide event wears a bib and gets messy in all the right ways with classic Spanish dips and incarnations of onions that you can’t even imagine.

In the town itself you’ll find demonstrations of how to make the sauce, an explanation of how they are grown (planted, uprooted, stored over winter in the dark, replanted and covered with a “boot” of soil so they don’t get too much sunlight) and vendors selling calçot related products such as a liqueur made from the onions. In the squares they have fires going with great piles of calçots and for a few euros you can buy 12 calçots with pa amb tomàquet and wine.

But one of the highlights is the calçot eating competition. Numerous men (and I’ve never seen a female participant) are given piles of the onions and whoever eats the most in an hour wins. I know someone personally who took part and managed 100 calçots, but the real champions can eat many more!

While such a festival may seem strange seen through British or American eyes, it makes a great day out and the calçots are delicious and warming. And if you’re in Barcelona for a day or so during the season I definitely recommend you find a restaurant that advertises “calçots” or “calçotada” and give them a try for yourself.