Barcelona: the food

Three days passed on my trip to Barcelona before I ate Catalonian food. Barcelona is the capital city of the state of Catalonia, in the northeast of Spain. Catalonians consider themselves different than Spaniards, primarily, because the official language is Catalán. As such, the food is also slightly different (I say slightly because pork and seafood - prawns, octopus, etc. - are eaten in abundance throughout Spain).

I spent the first three days of my trip taking advantage of the many opportunities for international (not Spanish food) that Barcelona has to offer. Sevilla's repertoire of good international restaurants is limited, so I ate Middle Eastern, Italian, Asian (yes, I know that Asian is not a cuisine, but we ate at an all-you-can-eat restaurant with all sorts of Asian food - a dream) and Thai before I walked (or at this point of the weekend, waddled) into a Catalonian Restaurant for tapas. Enjoy a photo tour of my Catalonian tapas....

tostada con tomate (toast with tomato), a typical Spanish breakfast dish

Fried camembert with raspberry sauce - no words necessary

The menu called this dish meatballs but really, they were potato balls stuffed with 

meat and covered in a marina-like sauce - much more flavorful than it may sound

Smoked tuna with roasted almonds- we aren't accustomed to eating smoked tuna in the states, but it's a versatile fish that can be eaten cooked, seared, raw, and (as I now know), smoked.

Duck foie gras with gingerbread and a mango sauce - my favorite tapa of the day (keeping in mind that I don't consider fried cheese to be in the same ballpark as any other food...)

fried goat cheese over tomato salad and balsamic vinegar

 and, for desert, apple pie "balls" with pistachio ice cream - surprisingly good combination

To be honest, this excellent Catalonian meal can not truly be called Catalonian, but rather a Catalonian-fusion of sorts (as you may be able to tell from the apple pie dessert - that's OUR dish!). Fusion or not, I'm a fan of this Catalonian cuisine.

Other culinary delights? We stumbled across a Museum of Chocolate.

 yes, this is liquid dark chocolate.

 yes, I also had an ice cream cone "rose" of Italian gelato from the famous gelatería 

Amorino the very same day. My flavors? Coconut and Hazelnut. Divine.