TIME FOR CALÇOTS

What’s calçot in English?” is a frequently asked question that so often fails to receive an acceptable answer, the reason being that other countries and cultures do not have this singular vegetable. Is it a leek? No. Is it an onion? No. Is it a spring onion? No? We need to delve into the Internet for an answer.

“A calçot is a type of scallion or green onion”. So reads its Wikipedia entry, before adding “The calçot from Valls (Tarragona, Catalonia) is a registered EU Protected Geographical Indication”. Well I did not know that, and I’m not even that sure it’s correct English. What I do know is how much I enjoy the tradition of the calçotada, or eating of calçots in a communal setting. Normally this refers to a group of family and/or friends gathering out in the country to cook and eat this unique vegetable, but I’m also referring to simply having them in a country restaurant as a starter before a main course of carn a la brasa, or charcoal grilled meat.

To the uninitiated, eating large quantities of “green onions” in one go might seem a little excessive, and certainly not in harmony with the Catalan trait of moderation. But once you’ve given it a go, it’s hard not to fall in love with this gastronomic celebration. There’s the waiting patiently as the calçot cognoscenti flame grill them in huge numbers before wrapping them in old newspaper and burying them under the ground to steam for some time, the expectant diners chatting and mingling with a glass of red wine or an aperitif as the sauce – whether salitxada or romesco – is put out on the communal tables. Yes, there are two types of sauce, and yes, they are different. Romesco is made from any mixture of the following: roasted or raw almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive or sunflower oil, bitxo and/or nyora peppers (a sun dried, small, round variety of the red bell pepper). More people are familiar with it because it is eaten with other things than just calçots. Salitxada, on the other hand, is “served almost exclusively with calçots” and “similar to romesco sauce, with the difference that it is thickened with toast rubbed with fresh garlic, moistened with a little vinegar and pulverized” (thanks to Wikipedia again).

Technical considerations aside, what makes calçotades special and fun for many first-timers is the wearing of bibs and even gloves to protect clothes and hands from the mess as you peel back the outer layers of the calçot and dip it in the sauce before lowering it into your mouth from above. A heavenly experience. Don’t forget to discard the green tops, by the way, eating the whole thing apparently being a mistake some newbies make.

And if there’s one thing that makes the calçotada very Catalan, aside from the vegetable itself, it is its community feel, joining other traditions, such as sardanes and castellers as another form of joint celebration of Catalan culture.