If you thought the pimientos you ordered in New York or Madrid this winter were good, belly up for another round pronto. What you get, especially if you happen to be in Galicia, in the northwest corner of Spain, will put those wimpy winter peppers to shame. Midsummer is the season for the intensely flavorful, rarely spicy Pimiento de Padrón. (more…)
In this lead-up to Easter Sunday, pastry chefs in Catalonia and Valencia are tempering chocolate like mad and sculpting it into eggs and other shapes to adorn the traditional Easter sweet, the mona de pascua. (more…)
If Valentine’s Day has caught you by surprise, just say you’re holding off until La Diada de Sant Jordi, April 23 – that’s the day love is celebrated in Catalonia. There’s no pressure to buy uncomfortable undergarments for the occasion either because to prove their love, the Catalans give one another books. (more…)
Though Christmas trees are encroaching on local traditions, the old-fashioned symbol of the Christmas season in Spain is the nativity scene. And in Catalonia, the most important figurine therein, once you’ve got your basics—Mary, Joseph, shepherds, sheep—is the caganer. The English language card that came with a beautiful dark chocolate version I bought at the Faure pastry shop, famous for such things in Girona, calls him “the crapper.” (more…)