On
the 28th of january Festa
de la
Calçotada (Calçotada Fair) took place in Valls
with an estimated participation of 30.000 people who filled squares
and streets, one year more.
This
fair or public party, is based on calçot, a kind of onion specially
produced to be cooked over flame and eaten with a delicious sauce. A
farmer named Xat de Benaiges discovered the calçot on XIXth century
and, also, invented the sauce we use nowadays with some variations.
The calçot has turned the reference of its city of origin, Valls,
and surrounding area.
The
great popularity of the Calçotada starts in mid-XXth, when several
cultural and artistical Barcelona representatives where invited to join
this event. This exquisite meal has become one of the most tipical in
catalan cooking.
In
this year edition there have been the usual folk elements, public tastings,
public shows on how to correctly cook calçots, calçot's
producer contest,
sauce contest and the eating one (record of this year: 315 calçots
weighting 2.905 grs). Here
you may find the list of the restaurants where calçots are offered.
It
is important to know that calçot and xató sauce are different.
In spite they share some ingredients such as hazelnuts or almonds, the
one used for calçots is much more spicy due to the addition of
nyores (a kind of dried pepper), garlic and pepper. The one used for
xató doesn't need this spicy point since it is brought by cod
fish and anchovies.
Calçotada
takes usually place standing up with some wine. Once calçots
are cooked, embers are used to cook meat, sausages (butifarres), artichokes,
potatoes or whatever required...A must for desserts are oranges and
cream cake. Of course, there are infinite versions.
Soon
calçots and xató sauce will be available. Until then,
the video from Valls with music from Dijous
Paella:
11/02/07
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What
is the 'Calçot de Valls'?
On
1995 the Government of Catalonia created the guarantee of origin named
'Calçot
de Valls' to protect and distinguish this special kind of calçot.
On 1996 the Regulation Council had already been created to certify all
productions that meet its special requirements.
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