BASKET. TEXT. CUINA magazine. PHOTO
Garlic from Belltall
Tradition counts in choosing the right garlic
Belltall’s garlic is from a small area of the Conca de Barberà, and was the most important variety until the 1980s, at which point it found itself up against other, more competitive varieties from other areas.
Although this variety of garlic is not officially recognised, it has been cultivated for generations around Belltall, Passanant and Forés Rocallaur. It is slightly smaller in size than conventional garlic, with a rounded, flatter, white-skinned bulb, producing two smaller heads in the centre. Conserving the qualities provided by traditional dry-land farming at 800 metres, it has a more delicate taste, spicy and flavourful without being too strong. The recently harvested crop is snapped up by those in the know each September.