Barcelona is one of those amazing cities that can easily whisk you off your feet, enthrall you and before you know it, you’re on your way home, breathless and consumed by a whirlwind of impressions and vague memories. There’s so much to see and do in the city that you’ll soon find yourself zooming from one highlight to another without getting a real sense of the local culture. Strolling around a market or participating in a cooking course are two activities that help me to travel slow and immerse myself in the local culture. In Barcelona, I combined both activities: a stroll around the splendid La Boqueria market, followed by a cooking course that introduces guests to Catalan cuisine. It’s a fun activity to do in Barcelona and you get to learn something about Catalan food!
Catalan cooking class in Barcelona
Cook and Taste (website) cooking school is located a short distance from La Rambla, Barcelona’s most famous boulevard. It’s a cosy place with a long counter along the length of the studio and an exposed, ancient-looking stone wall at the far end.
La Boqueria market
My visit to the cooking school turned out to be one of my favourite experiences in Barcelona (along with the Segway tour). The chef first took us on a tour around the La Boqueria market on La Rambla. It was a fascinating tour as the chef took her time to show us many types of vegetables, meats and seafood and how each are typically prepared in Catalan cuisine.
A stroll around La Boquria is a mouthwatering experience. The seafood looked incredibly fresh and the hams, sausages and mushrooms were more than sufficient to get my juices flowing within minutes.
We spent what seemed like ages exploring the market, picking up some groceries along the way before we were led to the cooking studio. Once there, we washed our hands and donned aprons. I couldn’t wait for the fun to begin. The chef explained the day’s menu: Crema de Calazabo (pumpkin cream soup), fideuá (noodle paella) and Crema Catalana (Catalan flan). YUM!
The cooking class
I was quick to raise my hand when she asked for volunteers to prepare the soup – I love pumpkin soup. 🙂 She explained how the pumpkin should be peeled and chopped and what to do next whilst the others in the group looked on. She then turned her attention to the others and explained the first steps of preparing the noodle paella.
She kept a close eye on us as we chopped, blended and stirred all sorts of different concoctions, and explained the origins of the dishes and the specific use of certain ingredients in Catalonia. I loved the way she mixed the cooking instructions with stories about her grandparents and anecdotes about the dishes we were preparing.
Catalan pumpkin soup
I chopped the pumpkin, onions and potatoes and dumped them into a pot of water and left them to boil. I then fried the leek before turning my attention to the others. It was good fun having a peek at what the others were up to. After about 30 minutes, I put the boiled vegetables into a blender and watched it churn into a porridge-like soup. A sprinkling of salt and pepper and I was done!
My pumpkin soup was a big success! Phew! I’ve since tried this recipe a few times at home and it’s delicious every time. Another simple recipe I picked up at Cook & Taste was how to make toast with tomato and garlic. It’s so simple yet absolutely delicious and perfect for a Sunday morning. The fideuá and the Crema Catalana were done really well – Rich did a fantastic job with the burner to create a thin sugary layer with a lightly burnt colour.
We had a fun afternoon at this Barcelona cooking class and I came home with some great memories, insights into Catalan cuisine and new recipes. It sure is one of the best things to do in Barcelona.
Everything looks yummy. I’ll be in Barcelona in a few weeks….hmmmm.