WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

In Catalonia, where food is a sacred affair, wasting it might be considered a minor crime. Yet, despite most people’s love of every last morsel of escalivada, food waste still persists like an uninvited guest. Why? Well, sometimes our culinary eyes are far larger than our stomachs.

The statistics paint a sobering picture. According to reports published elsewhere in this issue, Catalonia is said to waste around 35 kilos of food per person per year. That’s a hefty amount, especially for a culture that traditionally prides itself on zero-waste recipes. So what’s going on?

Barcelona boasts some vibrant markets, such as La Boqueria or El Mercat de Sant Antoni. Here, you’re surrounded by cascades of oranges, piles of gleaming olives, and sausages that look like works of art. And like all art, they’re hard to resist. A simple trip for two tomatoes somehow ends with you buying three types of fuet, two artisan breads, half a kilo of clams and a papaya (even though you don’t really like papayas).

But all of this has a cost. Markets move fast, and produce that doesn’t sell may be thrown away by the end of the day. Although, as this issue reports, food-rescue initiatives work to redistribute these goods to those in need, much still slips through the cracks. It’s a bit ironic that a country so fiercely proud of its cuisine sometimes doesn’t quite know what to do with it all.

As for supermarkets, they play their own guilty part in this story. Many people are scared of anything with a date even slightly beyond its “best before,” and stores love to nudge this anxiety along.

As for local traditions, the calçotada is one example of where Catalan culinary enthusiasm can go awry. Catalans gather in the winter to consume stacks of calçots, charred to perfection over an open flame. A good time is had by all. But here’s the thing: calçots are incredibly filling, and can be quite messy too. The only person who’s finishing all of theirs is the self-appointed chef, who convinces everyone else to have “just one more” when they’re already full. And so, if not discarded immediately, the leftovers from a good calçotada may sit in the fridge for days, then gradually “disappear” because let’s face it, nobody wants cold, limp calçots for a midweek lunch treat.

And salads? Well, they’re practically designed to waste away. No one can resist buying fresh veggies at the market, but they don’t stay fresh forever, and wilting lettuce can only be revived so many times. Inevitably, we end up with “good intention greens” – all the ingredients of a nice healthy salad that you meant to make but never did. Not to mention broccoli, asparagus, green beans and the like, which also start to lose their appetising crunchiness after a few days of confinement in the fridge.

So what’s the solution? Well, one thing I try and do as much as possible is freeze meals when I’ve made too much of something, and then make sure I use it as another meal within a week or two. And also freeze meat before it reaches its expiration date, and then use it as soon as it has defrosted. It takes a minimal amount of planning, but we’re all capable of that.

We could also try a little harder to cook what we’ll actually eat and eat what we’ve actually cooked, something I freely admit I need more practice at. So smaller servings, repurposing leftovers and judicious use of the freezer might be a good place to start.

Opinion