16 Catalan Dishes to Savor in Barcelona

In terms of cuisine, Barcelona embodies Catalan culture more than Spanish traditions.

Catalunya, an ancient triangular region home to 7.5 million people, boasts a unique language, history, culture, and customs that have flourished for nearly a millennium. While language may be the most prominent aspect of Catalan identity today, its distinctive culinary heritage closely follows. Barcelona stands as the epicenter of la cuina catalana.

Since the 12th century, Catalunya has been united with the medieval kingdom of Aragon, controlling a vast territory across the western Mediterranean, including regions that are now southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Malta, the Balearic Islands, and parts of Greece. La cuina catalana, enriched by its Greek, Roman, and Arab influences, was esteemed even then, with many recipes published during the Middle Ages (notably, the Llibre de Sent Soví, which dates back to 1324). This culinary tradition reflects a rich, autonomous culture that upheld its own constitution, laws, and governance, which persisted even after the 15th-century union of Ferdinand and Isabella that merged Aragon and Castile, laying the groundwork for a modern Spain. Catalunya lost its autonomy after the fall of Barcelona in 1714, following the War of the Spanish Succession, and it would take over 250 years—barring a brief respite during the Spanish Civil War—for it to regain that independence.

Throughout these centuries, Catalunya has maintained its unique identity, with its cuisine evolving by incorporating new influences, particularly from the Americas, through European chefs in Barcelona during the 19th century, and from immigrants drawn to Catalunya’s burgeoning economy in the 1950s and 1960s as the region industrialized.

Under Francisco Franco’s dictatorship (1939-1975), Catalans faced severe cultural repression, including a ban on their language in public. However, Catalan cuisine remained apolitical and consistently present, surviving even through more recent challenges. In late 2017, Catalunya’s autonomy was suspended, its parliament was dissolved, leaders were arrested, and direct rule from Madrid lasted over seven months due to the Catalan government’s independence efforts. Despite these upheavals, the cuisine has continued to flourish and adapt, enriched by new waves of immigration from Latin America, North Africa, and various parts of Europe, which have infused global ingredients and flavors into the Catalan culinary tradition.

“A country’s cuisine is its landscape in a pot,” a saying from Catalunya’s renowned food writer, Josep Pla, encapsulates this culinary tradition. Catalan cuisine extends far beyond the coast, framed by the Pyrenees Mountains to the north and 360 miles of Mediterranean coastline to the east. With rich agricultural plains in the interior, the region’s produce flows into Barcelona’s markets and kitchens, where Catalan chefs create unique combinations, blending mar i muntanya (sea and mountains) or dolç i salat (sweet and savory) in inventive dishes. Think chicken paired with langoustine, lobster drizzled with chocolate, meatballs alongside cuttlefish, and squid stuffed with ground pork, all enhanced with spinach, pine nuts, and raisins.

Catalan cooking features signature elements like sofregit — a sweet, slow-cooked mixture of onions and tomatoes in olive oil. It serves as a flavorful base rather than a sauce for many dishes. Another key component is picada, a paste made from pounded garlic, parsley, and nuts like almonds or hazelnuts, sometimes enriched with saffron or chocolate. Added towards the end of cooking, it enhances the depth and earthiness of everything from lentil pots to braised meats.

While this may sound intricate, Catalan cuisine prioritizes les matèries primes, or high-quality ingredients, prepared to highlight their natural flavors rather than conceal them. This focus explains why Barcelona boasts 39 bustling food markets and numerous specialty shops. To truly appreciate a dish, like sea bream simply baked with salt or grilled wild rovelló mushrooms, freshness is essential.

The changing seasons are often celebrated with specific culinary traditions: a cargolada for snails, a calçotada when calçots (spring onions) come into season, and a sardinada for summer sardines. Catalans enjoy communal dining, and meals are often festive gatherings, particularly when the focus is on food.

Following Franco’s death in 1975, democratic Spain established a new constitution that granted Catalunya significant regional autonomy, including the restoration of its parliament and control over education and language. By 1979, as Catalan culture began to flourish once again (with Catalan being reintroduced in schools), journalist Néstor Luján cautioned that Catalan cuisine still faced challenges: “la prisa” (hurry) and tourism. He noted that visitors often showed little interest in the culinary traditions of Catalunya. Although la prisa remains a concern for traditional cuisines worldwide, the influence of tourism on Catalan food has evolved.

In Barcelona, it's not a lack of tourist interest that endangers the local cuisine, but rather the overwhelming popularity of the city itself. Many of Catalunya's vibrant culinary traditions can easily be overlooked amid the wave of globalization and the often mediocre food served to tourists.

The following 16 dishes represent timeless classics of Catalan cuisine, all available in Barcelona, the region's culinary hub. Ditch the pre-packaged paella and oversized sangria on Las Ramblas, or even a bowl of grains from that trendy café, and instead, search for these authentic dishes.

Pa amb tomàquet

(country bread topped with tomato and olive oil)

Nothing embodies the Catalan dining experience quite like pa amb tomàquet: thick slices of toasted country bread rubbed with ripe tomato, drizzled generously with olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt. Whether enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, or as a snack—with cured meats, roasted escalivada vegetables, Spanish tortilla, or grilled meats and sardines—pa amb tomàquet is simple and versatile (likely originating as a way to use up stale bread). There’s even a special variety of tomato just for this dish: tomàquets de penjar, small, intensely flavored tomatoes braided together and harvested in summer. These thick-skinned tomatoes can hang without refrigeration until spring. Be ready to prepare your own pa amb tomàquet in rustic Mytouries. Pro tip: Adding garlic is optional—just peel a clove and lightly rub it on the bread before adding the tomatoes.

Escalivada

(roasted red peppers, eggplant, and onions)

The name of this dish comes from the Catalan term for “cooking on hot embers,” which imparts a distinct smoky flavor to the roasted red peppers, eggplant, and onions. These vegetables are roasted whole, peeled, sliced into long strips, drenched in olive oil, and served cold. It makes a perfect appetizer alongside plenty of pa amb tomàquet.

Esqueixada de bacallà

(shredded salt cod and tomato salad)

Since the Basques introduced dried and salted cod to Spain in the Middle Ages, chefs have created an endless array of dishes featuring this ingredient. Catalans have crafted their own distinctive bacallà recipes, with the highly favored esqueixada among them. Its name comes from the Catalan verb esqueixar (to shred), aptly describing the small, hand-torn pieces of cod that make up this vibrant salad, complemented by tomatoes, black olives, and olive oil.

Escudella i carn d’olla

(two-course soup)

This traditional two-course soup has been a daily favorite in Catalunya for centuries and is so cherished that it features prominently in traditional Catalan Christmas meals. It begins with boiling bones and chunks of meat (beef, pork, poultry), along with a large, oblong meatball called a pilota, chickpeas, herbs, and vegetables to create a rich broth. After removing these ingredients, short, thin fideus noodles or another small pasta are cooked in the flavorful broth. For Christmas, a larger snail-shaped pasta known as “galets de nadal” (literally, “Christmas cookies”) is used. The broth with pasta (the escudella) is served in bowls, while the carn d’olla (literally, “meat from the pot”) and chickpeas are presented on a platter as the second course.

Espinacs amb panses i pinyons

(spinach with raisins and pine nuts)

Combining sweet and savory flavors is a defining feature of Catalan cuisine, exemplified delightfully in the dish of spinach with juicy raisins and toasted pine nuts. This colorful dish is so emblematic of the region that it is referred to as espinacas a la catalana in other parts of Spain.

Calçots amb romesco

(calçots with romesco sauce)

Calçots are long, thick green onions that mature in late winter. Grilled over open flames and served wrapped in newspaper on concave terra-cotta tiles, they are typically enjoyed outdoors in groups. The fun lies in the eating process: peel away the charred outer layer and dip the sweet, smoky white flesh into a bowl of romesco, a chunky sauce made from dried red peppers, roasted tomatoes, garlic, almonds, hazelnuts, breadcrumbs, olive oil, and vinegar. Tilt your head back, hold the calçot high, and lower it into your mouth. Restaurants often provide cheesy bibs and plastic gloves, especially useful for those less confident in their hand-to-mouth coordination. It’s also common to enjoy a porró of wine with calçots, a thin-spouted glass beaker held at arm's length that streams wine into your mouth—preferably without spilling, so that bib might come in handy too.

Arròs caldós amb llamàntol

(soupy rice with lobster)

This “soupy” rice with lobster is a delightful fusion of luxury and comfort. It starts with a sofregit base of caramelized onions and tomatoes, and is finished with a pounded picada of herbs, garlic, almonds, and dried red peppers that thickens the dish while providing a rich, nutty flavor. In between these signature Catalan elements, you'll find lobster, an abundance of seafood for the stock, and rice sourced from the Mediterranean’s edge. The dish's name comes from caldo (broth), and it should be soupy enough to enjoy with a spoon, though the exact consistency can vary from one kitchen to another.

Arròs negre amb allioli

(black rice with allioli)

Fishermen make the most of every part of their catch, ensuring nothing goes to waste—not even the ink from cuttlefish. This intense, jet-black infusion of the sea elevates this moist seafood rice dish from the Costa Brava north of Barcelona into a truly remarkable experience. The secret lies in the allioli served alongside, traditionally crafted by painstakingly grinding garlic with salt in a ceramic mortar and then slowly incorporating olive oil drop by drop while stirring with a pestle until a thick emulsion forms. It perfectly complements the natural sweetness of the ink.

Canelons de carn

(cannelloni filled with meat)

Catalan cuisine is known for its ability to integrate influences and dishes, and canelons are a prime example. Emerging in the 19th century from Italian or Italian-speaking Swiss chefs in Barcelona, canelons not only gained immense popularity but also became a culinary icon. These rolled squares of pasta are filled with a mix of braised and ground beef, pork, and chicken, smothered in béchamel, and baked until the grated cheese on top forms a golden crust. For many Catalan families, no Christmas celebration would be complete without a platter of canelons, traditionally made on December 26 from the leftovers of escudella i carn d’olla.

Suquet de pescadors

(fisherman’s stew with monkfish and potatoes)

This straightforward fish stew may not have a lot of liquid, but it’s infused with flavor thanks to a small amount of sauce—the suquet, which is a diminutive of suc (juice). Originating from the fishing villages of the Costa Brava, pescadors would prepare this dish either on their boats while at sea or once they returned to shore, using the less desirable fish that wouldn’t sell well at market. Remarkably, this included rap (monkfish), which is now the preferred fish for the dish.

Bacallà a la llauna

(salt cod baked “in the tin”)

In the days before freezers, dried and salted cod was the perfect fish for storage. Once rehydrated through soaking and cooked, it boasts a flavor that often surpasses that of fresh fish. There are numerous recipes for this essential Catalan ingredient, and bacallà a la llauna stands out as one of the finest. Dating back to 18th-century Barcelona, it is baked in a llauna (a rectangular baking dish) with olive oil, paprika, and generous slices of garlic.

Mongetes amb botifarra

(white beans with grilled pork sausages)

For many Catalans, this delightful combination of white beans and rich, fresh sausages is a national favorite. It's rustic fare that has also found a home in Barcelona. Note the emphasis in the dish's name: the tender beans are the stars of the show. Don't forget to top it generously with allioli.

Mandonguilles amb sípia i pèsols

(meatballs with cuttlefish and peas)

A hallmark of traditional Catalan cuisine is the fusion of mar i muntanya (sea and mountains) in a single dish. The pairings can be quite innovative and surprising. One beloved classic features stewed meatballs made from equal parts pork and beef, combined with cuttlefish and fresh peas. Don't forget to have plenty of bread on hand to soak up the rich, picada-thickened sauce.

Cargols a la llauna

(snails grilled “on the tin”)

Snails play a significant role in Catalan gastronomy, whether simmered in a spicy tomato sauce or with rabbit. There are over two dozen traditional recipes for cargols—more than double those for chicken. A must-try is the grilled version a la llauna. The snails are placed on a baking sheet with their shells up, drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and garnished with finely chopped garlic and parsley, allowing them to cook in their own juices.

Mel i mató

(honey paired with fresh cheese)

There’s nothing simpler than fresh cheese drizzled with honey and topped with nuts for dessert. Known as mató, this delightful treat has been crafted in Catalunya since medieval times using cow or goat's milk—or a blend of both. Mató is a soft cheese with a slightly grainy texture, offering a fresh, milky taste. While sugar can be added, honey remains the traditional sweetener.

Crema catalana

(Catalan burnt cream)

Few desserts can rival the experience of cracking a thin layer of burnt sugar to reveal a creamy custard infused with lemon zest and cinnamon. Crema catalana, akin to crème brûlée, uses milk, egg yolks, and starch for thickening instead of whole eggs and cream. According to local lore, convent nuns devised this dish for a visiting bishop; when their flan turned out poorly, they salvaged it by adding burnt sugar. Upon tasting it, the bishop exclaimed, “Crema!”—meaning both “It’s burning hot!” and “cream” in Catalan.

Jeff Koehler, a James Beard Award winner and recipient of two IACP cookbook awards, has resided in Barcelona since 1996. He has authored seven books, including La Paella and Spain: Recipes and Traditions. Gerard Moral is a Barcelona-born photographer who focuses on portrait, travel, and lifestyle photography.