Lluís Plà, age 87, is the host of La Carbonera de Forallac, part country barbecue, part Burning Man Project, a wonderfully odd happening that runs 24/7 for nearly three weeks every October. A sign on the road connecting La Bisbal to Palafrugell, hardworking inland towns near Catalonia’s Costa Brava, points the way to the celebration. My friend Assumpta and I showed up mid-morning last Thursday during a lull in the action that allowed Sr. Plà to tell us about what appeared to be a woolly mammoth, alive and snoring steamily at his feet––the centerpiece of La Carbonera. (more…)
They have lulled you into believing, perhaps, that jamón Ibérico de bellota is the only smuggle-worthy delicacy produced in Spain. Well, I’ve got news for you: the farmers of this peninsula’s northern provinces are over there in their little mountain villages quietly making more and more fabulous cheeses. (more…)
As you drive into La Bisbal d’Empordà, your romantic image of what a historic pottery-making town ought to look like (quaint cottage workshops complete with artisans at the wheel) takes a withering blow. The place is dusty, for one thing — sitting on a great big expanse of clay since the dawn of time will do that do a town. But take it slow here and you will find enough artisanal pottery and good eats to make you forget the scruffiness and want to come back for more. (more…)
Barcelona’s Boquería market is spectacular, but if the Boquería is the only market you see in this town, you’re missing out. (more…)
If you read Bill Buford’s Heat, you know that Mario Batali’s first formative food epiphany came in Spain. Too bombed to recall the specifics, he later moved on, slightly more soberly, to Italy. Now PBS has him roving Spain in the company of Gwyneth Paltrow, filming their culinary road trip for TV. Mark Bittman is along too, presumably to eat for Gwyneth. Stalking along on Batali’s blog, I started to worry that Mario, GP and Bitty’s “discovery” of Vic’s beloved sausage, the llonganissa, might make it impossible to keep production at artisanal levels.
A purist’s salami, llonganissa is made from choice cuts of pork, (more…)