Visiting Barcelona in Late Winter, Early Spring: A Must-Try Travel Tip

Did you see this week’s New York Times article about Barcelona? They focused on some of my favorite Barcelona neighborhoods, Born, El Raval and Barceloneta—El Raval in particular—where you can’t help but be awed by the juxtaposition of antiqued and avant-garde. But, for an article being published in April, they missed one key mention: If you’re planning a trip to Barcelona in late winter or early spring, you should venture outside the city for a calçotada.

Calçotadas are lively, hours-long, seasonal barbecues set around “calçots,” leek-like, over-sized onions that reach their flavor peak this time of year. Friends and family converge on the Cataluña countryside to celebrate with a hearty meal: messy, flame-grilled calçots dipped in tangy romesco sauce (mainly almonds, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, vinegar and oil), white beans, sausages and lamb chops. And they pass around a seemingly bottomless glass porron filled with red wine—the other reason why bibs are not an option.

Here’s a video I found on YouTube:

If you want to attend a calcotada, Travel + Leisure magazine recommends Felix Hotel in Valls (Tarragona).

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