Calçots, Gloves, and a Hike Above Barcelona
- oliviampollack
- Apr 19
- 2 min read
One of my favorite memories from studying abroad in Barcelona was a hike organized by my program, CIEE. We walked up into the hills just above the city to a small local restaurant known for serving traditional Catalan food. It was the kind of place you wouldn’t stumble upon unless someone told you about it, and the perfect setting for our group to experience a Catalan-style meal together.
That semester, I was also taking a class on the history of Barcelona at UPF, where we talked a lot about the differences between Catalan identity and broader Spanish identity. Food came up a lot in those discussions—how meals, ingredients, and even the way people eat can express regional pride. This restaurant was a great example of that. On the menu that day were pan con tomate, porrón wine, grilled meats, and calçots.
Calçots are a type of leek that’s only eaten during a specific time of year, usually late winter into early spring. They’re roasted over an open flame until the outside is completely blackened. At the restaurant, they brought us into the kitchen to see how it was done. The leeks were piled high on a huge grill, the air smoky, and someone explained that the goal is to char the outside until the inner part softens. You don’t peel them beforehand—you roast them whole, then serve them with a thick sauce made from almonds, tomatoes, garlic, and peppers (called romesco).
To eat them, you wear gloves. You grab the charred stem, pinch the base, and pull—revealing the soft, sweet interior. Then you dip it into the sauce and lean your head back to eat it in one long bite. It’s messy in the best way, and kind of funny watching a group of college students try to figure it out together.
That meal made the history we’d been learning feel a little more real. Calçots weren’t something I had ever seen at home, and the way they were served—with ceremony, with a group, and with such pride—said a lot about how Catalan culture treats food. It’s not just about eating. It’s about gathering, about timing, about tradition. And sometimes, about putting on gloves and making a mess.
For those who don't have access to a grill, check out this recipe!
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