Gastronomic Tourism
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Gastronomy, or as we like to call it, food crafts: a magical combination of colors, smells, noises, flavors and textures with which the fire pit dance delights us, making us vibrate all the senses. Able to get excited, move to any part of the world or transport us back in time when we try a recipe that reminds us of that stew that our grandmother cooked for us when we were little. Gastronomy is undoubtedly an art, a culinary alchemy that goes beyond the ingredients contained in a recipe. It is a way of seeing and understanding life, of living the culture of a region, of connecting with the nature of a place and understanding it better. Thus, it is not by chance that Catalonia is a benchmark land in world-class enogastronomy .
Gastronomic tourism is that modality in which the gastronomy of the visited region is one of the main points and reasons for the trip. However, gastronomic tourism goes beyond going to eat at gourmet restaurants, but is aimed at all those offers related to living new culinary experiences and linked to the gastronomic identity of a region: visits to local producers and markets, learning the essence and identity of recipes and ingredients, discover new flavors, participate in gastronomic fairs and events, and countless other proposals.
The landscape inside the plate
Keeping track of the identity products of Catalan gastronomy or tasting the typical seasonal recipes of each of the regions of Catalonia are, without a doubt, a good excuse to travel the territory from north to south and from east to west to enter and discover all the secrets that make us one of the richest and most varied cuisines, and more, taking into account that each season or season of the year will provide us with a new excuse to revisit each of the regions of our most foodie Catalonia.: olive oil from Empordà, Siurana, les Garrigues, Tierra Alta or Montsià, calçots from Valls, beans from Santa Pau, apples from Girona, salchichón from Vic, pears from Lleida or the clementines from the Ebro Lands, the prawns from Palamós or the anchovies from L'Escala, etc. You see, just one example of the great infinity of products that this land of contrasts and landscapes gives us so that we can enjoy them through the palate.
Some of these products have deserved some of the official distinctions such as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and / or Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) thanks to the specific character of their flavor and the close relationship between each of these products and their environment. and the talent, care and tradition of human exploitation.
If we must highlight something, however, it is the capacity that we Catalans have to create recipes that fuse landscapes, giving rise to the delicious and surprising recipes of 'Sea and Mountain'.
Tradition and identity
From ancient times to today, Catalan cuisine has received a large number of influences from the various peoples that have passed through our lands, and indeed, each and every one of them has left their own mark on our gastronomy. Can anyone imagine today a Catalan gastronomy without the quintessential Mediterranean trilogy made up of wine-wheat-olive oil? We are sure not. And without the rice, introduced by the Arabs? The answer is still no. Or a tomato-free sauce that was introduced into our diet thanks to the discovery of America? The answer is still obvious!
All these influences have shaped a culinary culture with a Mediterranean essence recognized throughout the world, and it is not for being modest, but the truth is that, we are not surprised!
Vanguard, innovation and creativity
Passion, creativity, originality and surprise have been the ingredients of the magic recipe that have made Catalan avant-garde cuisine stand out as one of the most prestigious internationally, attracting curious visitors from all over the world who want to experiment and be surprised. for the talent of the gastronomic alchemists of Catalonia. Research, innovation, the mixing of new culinary techniques with traditional ingredients or the creation of new gastronomic concepts are just some of the factors that have made the names of local chefs resonate and are recognized around the world, and this prestige and recognition s has moved in the form of Michelin stars distributed in restaurants throughout the territory.
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