Calçots are a variety of tender and sweet Catalan onions that look like leeks.
Of the same family as onions with tube-shaped leaves, they are covered with soil as they grow.
This crop was created by Xat de Benaigues, a peasant who lived in Valls, Province of Tarragona, in Spanish Catalonia, at the end of the 19th century, but we know that calçots cooked over a high heat were very popular from the beginning of the 20th century.
The calçots of Valls, classified as Protected Designation of Origin by the European Union, are eaten between January and March, cooked in wood directly on an outdoor grill and accompanied by their typical sauce, the calçots sauce or s "alvitxada", which is close to the "romesco" sauce, sauces easily confused.
Both sauces contain a dried bell pepper grown in eastern Spain called "nyora" very popular in Catalan cuisine.
If you are in Barcelona on the last Sunday of January, you can also visit the Gran Festa de la Calçotada in Valls, the birthplace of calçots.
The Calçotada
A friendly party between relatives, the calçotada is a kind of barbecue for these onions.
Cut off the green ends of the leaves that are too long. Do not wash the calçots.
Put them in a single layer on a grill, directly on the flames, fire traditionally made with vine stocks. Once they are cooked, wrap the calçots by dozens in newspaper. They are served in the paper at the table.
They are then served on a terracotta tile to stay warm. They are eaten with calçots sauce la salvitxada: a delicious sauce made with grilled almonds and pine nuts, tomatoes and olive oil accompanied by wine in a "porró".
The calçots are eaten with the hands.
First remove the charred outer leaves with a sharp blow, then take the calçot by its green end and dip it in the sauce, then bring it directly to your mouth.
According to tradition, large bibs are also used, sometimes made of paper, which are tied around the neck.
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