Want to learn how to eat like a local in Barcelona? Trust me you do!
And I did thanks to Farm to Fork, The Boqueria & Beyond a walking seminar offered through Context. Context specializes in in-depth small group tours led by highly qualified docents. Our guide was Sophie who had just published My Barcelona Kitchen. The tour was a perfect fit since I was staying with HouseTrip, a revolutionary apartment holiday booking site. HouseTrip promotes immersing yourself in local culture, where your neighbours are locals, not other tourists. They have over 2000 apartments available in Barcelona alone! I liked the idea of buying food at a local market, then bringing it back and cooking it in my HouseTrip apartment – just like a local would!
First stop was to the Cafe Granja at Xucla 4, not far from the Ramblas. We sampled Churros, a pastry that is dipped in real hot chocolate (not the sweet processed chocolate frequently found in North America), and topped with whipped cream. Surprisingly they even had gluten free churros, which were very tasty.
Next stop was La Boqueria Market, at Rambla, 91 Mercat de la Boqueria. It’s the largest food market in Spain and one of the largest in Europe! It’s touristy, but also popular with locals. The difference being that locals tend to go to the stalls located at the back of the market. Sophie knew the market like the back of her hand and quickly guided us to some of her favorite stalls offering up local goodies, like Arbequina olives, which are grown in Catalonia.
We also ate local sausage that you could eat on the go, or bring home:
Barcelona locals famously eat what’s in season and wait all year long for mushroom season. Fortunately once mushroom season comes along, there’s no shortage of mushrooms, which you could easily take back and prepare to your liking in your holiday apartment:
Tapas are also a local treat. Sophie insisted that we stop for some and try two of the locals favorites; a seafood dish and a mushroom one, since they were in season and lets be honest, we were too lazy to cook:
Next up, and among my favorites was a stop at Formatgeria La Seu, a small cheese shop hidden away at 16 Dagueria. It’s run by Catherine, a Scottish woman who calls herself a little “crazy” and who will take offence if you take a photo without asking first. She hand picks all the cheeses herself from small local producers. You can stop by for an impromptu stand up only cheese tasting, accompanied by a glass of wine for less than €5, or buy some to take back to your holiday apartment.
It’s not possible to eat like a local in Barcelona without stopping for something sweet at Torrons Vincens, located at Carrer de Petritxol, 15. In business since 1775 they specialize in homemade nougat. Locals would typically buy several different kinds, then slice it into small pieces and serve it for dessert for holidays and special occasions. For nougat this good, I could justify any day as a special occasion, it’s delicious! It also packs easily if you are looking for a local souvenir.
I confess I ate a lot! The food was so delicious it was difficult to exercise self control. I wanted to try everything!
Somewhat surprising, considering all that I ate, I did not gain any weight! And that is perhaps the best reason to eat like a local in Barcelona!
Thank you to Context and to HouseTrip for making my Eat Like a Local in Barcelona experience possible. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.
