It’s time for calçots in Catalonia, a typical dish in february and march. Calçots are tender onions which through a special growing process are taken out of the ground, saved for a couple months and then planted again, deeper in the ground, so that the onion grows elongated and there is a larger amount of tender white untuched by the sun. The process takes a whole year to make, and then during these months they are harvested.
Restaurants often grow their own calçots although the original ones and which are considered the best are bought down in Valls, Tarragona. Best calçots are baked in bon fires or ovens with burning charcoals.
They are fun to eat as you get quite dirty, so they make sure you have a big napkin or bib so you don’t get big stains all over. They are all black and you have to peal the outer leaves with a bit of dexterity, as if you peal too much you find youself left with no calçot to eat. Then you dip it in a special sauce for calçots and hang it vertical above your mouth and eat it.
It’s quite addicting and once you start it’s hard to stop. Amazing how you can eat so many tender onions. Of course, wonderful if eaten together with some nice red wine.
We went yesterday to eat calçots to Cala Canyelles in Lloret de Mar. They did them quite well. It was such a warm day we sat out in the terrace enjoying the sun by the sea.