Guide to Barcelona

Christmas dinner in Barcelona

Jueves 03 de Noviembre de 2011 15:17

In and Around Barcelona

What is cozier than a Christmas dinner with the whole family? Almost every country has their own Christmas tradition, but what they have in common is that almost every country enjoys Christmas with the family. Americans for example eat stuffed turkey and mashed potatoes. The Dutch often eat extensive fondue or gourmet in company of the whole family. Common dishes in Mexico are various fruits and salads including bananas, peanuts and beets. So when it comes to Christmas dinner, every country has their own. Christmas dinner is Barcelona is quite unusual. Most parts of Spain eat their Christmas dinner in the evening of the 24th of December while in Catalunya, Christmas dinner is served during lunch time.

Escudella de carn d’olla

In general the Catalan Christmas dinner begins with a soup, known as Escudella de Carn dólla, as a starter. This dish is a traditional kind of stew that consists of various kinds of meat, a lot of vegetables and Christmas noodles. This is the most traditional Christmas dish in Spain, which is very unusual in other western countries. The soup is made with a large piece of meat that is cooked in the pan for hours to ensure that it will be thick enough for the soup. After that, the meat will be removed, and the Galets will be added. Galets are large pieces of pasta that look like snail shells. It is definitely worth to give it a try.

As main course, the meat where the soup was cooked with will be used. You can eat this alongside various tapas dishes such as, langoustines, grilled prawns, jamon and stuffed turkey as part of the Christmas dinner in Barcelona.

Turron

In Catalunya it is normal to have a delicious dessert. That is why various sweets are part of the Christmas traditions. A combination of desserts such as Marzipan, Neules, Christmas bread, El Pa de Nadal are served on Christmas very often. But the most traditional dessert is the Turron.

Turron is a typical Spanish sweet with nougat in it. It is made out of honey, sugar, egg white and various nuts. This dish is not only served during Christmas season but all year around. There are three varieties of this delicious sweet. The’ Jijona’ is a softer version. The ‘Alicante’ has a hard nougat. And there is Mazapan which is pure and simple.

Most restaurants are open during the Holiday season, so if you are on vacation in Barcelona and you are unable to make those delicious traditional Christmas dishes yourself, there are plenty of restaurants who have Christmas menus and will be glad to make those Catalan Christmas dishes for you. However, to avoid disappointment I advise you to find out if particular restaurants are open, what their opening hours are and make sure you will make a reservation because Christmas time can be hectic.

After Christmas dinner the Catalans go out to meet friends and family. They can also visit other families to wish them a Happy Christmas, often bringing gifts such as legs of jamon (Cured ham). During this period everybody drinks lots of Cava (Spanish equivalent of Champagne). At Christmas time some families make special self made- instruments like a Zambomba (a kind of drum), a Pandereta (tambourine) and Botella de Anis (a specific glass bottle with a ridged edge to slide a stick up and down). These instruments are played while singing Christmas songs. Children often take their instruments and go from door to door, singing carols and receiving money or sweets.

If you once want to experience a Christmas in Barceloona and are looking for a comfortable stay: check out our apartment selection

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