Owner: Culinary Tours in Spain URL:http://www.gourmandbreaks.com/blog/ Join Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:18:06 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Blog of Gourmand Braks, culinary travel agency in Spain Site statistics:Click here
Mushroom Shopping at La Boqueria 2008-09-03 10:03:36 Located in the back of La Boqueria market in Barcelona is the remarkable collection of Llorenç Petrás: baskets and baskets of gourmet mushrooms with different sizes, colors smells and flavours from all over the world. His stand, which has earned him the nickname “wizard of mushrooms,” is one of the best of its kind in [...] Read more:Mushroom
, Shopping
Girona Cathedral 2008-09-02 04:35:16 Towering above the cobbled medieval Jewish quarter winding around it, the beaming Girona Cathedral
has been a significant work of Gothic architecture since its construction began in the 11th century. Its prominence especially rose in the 15th century when architects added what is still the largest Gothic nave in the world and the second largest [...]
Dalí Theatre Museum in Figueres 2008-09-01 19:13:36 There’s only one place you can see some of Salvador Dalí’s best works in a museum that he personally designed and was laid to rest at: the Dalí Theatre Museum
in Figueres. Dalí selected this former city theatre, now adorned with large bright white eggs and a pattern of golden bread, because he wanted visitors [...]
A Peaceful Stroll Through Pals 2008-08-28 05:56:19 Picture courtesy of VirtualTourist.com
After a hot summer day, a light mist rolls in from the visible sea shores of Tamariu over hazy hay-wheel dotted farms surrounding the pueblo. Within it winds quaint cobblestone streets with Romanesque walls and arches dripping with hundreds of years of Catalan history. Sprinkled along these passages are shops selling locally [...] Read more:Peaceful
Montserrat Tomatoes 2008-08-27 04:15:05 It’s too bad Montserrat tomatoes aren’t grown widely out of Spain because they’re gorgeous specimens. As soon as you cut slices of this Catalonia-grown tomato, which looks like some giant mutating piece of produce at first, an elegant almost floral-like design falls onto the plate. Delicate ruby-colored pockets of juice stud its center and especially [...] Read more:Tomatoes
Escalivada 2008-08-24 08:42:54 Since the name of this dish comes from the Catalan word escalivar, meaning “to roast over ashes or embers,” it is traditional to cook this over a real flame. If you can’t though, you can bake these in the oven with good results as well. Catalans eat this dish as a first course or as [...]
Suquet 2008-08-22 04:25:43 Feel free to experiment with the type of fish you use–the sauce and Picada are the most important parts of this recipe! Every Catalan cook along the Costa Brava, north of Barcelona, has a different way of preparing this dish. The name “suquet” comes from the Catala word “suc,” which means “juice,” and is a [...]
Fideuá 2008-08-21 08:17:34 10 oz. fideos (or angel hair broken into 2″ pieces)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and flnely chopped
1 tsp sweet paprika
12 small clams or mussels, scrubbed under cold water
6 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 oz scallops (large [...]
Grape Harvests Are Starting! 2008-08-21 06:06:34 There’s only one time of year in Spain to come and participate in the grape harvest and it’s here! Most grape harvests, or “vendimias,” happen in September and October, but this week Raimat vineyards owned by Codorniu have already started, according to La Vanguardia newspaper.
We’re excited because it’s a unique time for visitors to come [...] Read more:Grape
Barcelona Through Woody Allen’s Eyes 2008-08-20 03:54:41 Ever since the advent of the Google image search, I’ve had a habit of longingly gazing at several pictures of my travel destination until the date of my trip. But if you’re preparing a trip to Barcelona
and its surrounding areas now, there’s new enticing visual imagery that will beat the Google image search any [...] Read more:Allen
, Woody
, Woody Allen
Festa de la Merce 2008-09-24 07:02:48 Ever since the Virgin of Mercy saved the city of Barcelona from a plague of locusts in 1687, the city has been celebrating the miracle she helped create with the liveliest festival it has all year. Happening at the end of September and on the 24th this year, the parties will go on for four [...]
Catalonia’s Wine Cathedrals 2008-09-22 06:01:12 As wine lovers venture out of Barcelona streets laced with Gaudi’s intricate designs to vineyards in the countryside, they are never left without brilliant Modernist architecture to gawk at. That’s because several of Catalonia’s best vineyards lie next to cellars often called wine cathedrals and you can visit them all on our Penedès Wine Tours. [...]
Greek and Roman Ruins in Empuries 2008-09-12 04:58:49 Once you’ve visited the Greek
and Roman
ruins of Empuries, you’ll be expecting a higher standard for all of your archaeological site visits that follow. I mean, how many archaeological sites are literally steps away from an incredibly beautiful blue beach?
Three centuries after Greeks established a busy trading post here, Romans of the 6th century [...] Read more:Ruins
La Diada 2008-09-11 05:03:03 The red and yellow stripes of the Catalan flag drape windows, balconies, walls, make up flower bouquets and wave in the fabrics Catalans hold up in the street all day on La Diada, or Catalonia’s national holiday. Celebrated on September 11, the day of Catalonia’s defeat under Spanish armies in 1714, the holiday brings attention [...]
Jewish Heritage Month in Spain 2008-09-07 04:38:55 Up until Jews were expelled out of Spain
by its government and church in 1492, Jewish
communities played a significant role in the culture, the architecture and academia of medieval Spain.
Passing through villages like Besalú, where a Jewish heritage celebrations takes place at the beginning of every September, makes this all the more evident. In [...] Read more:Heritage
, Month
Mushroom Shopping at La Boqueria 2008-09-03 10:03:36 Located in the back of La Boqueria market in Barcelona is the remarkable collection of Llorenç Petrás: baskets and baskets of gourmet mushrooms with different sizes, colors smells and flavours from all over the world. His stand, which has earned him the nickname “wizard of mushrooms,” is one of the best of its kind in [...] Read more:Mushroom
, Shopping
Girona Cathedral 2008-09-02 04:35:16 Towering above the cobbled medieval Jewish quarter winding around it, the beaming Girona Cathedral
has been a significant work of Gothic architecture since its construction began in the 11th century. Its prominence especially rose in the 15th century when architects added what is still the largest Gothic nave in the world and the second largest [...]
Dalí Theatre Museum in Figueres 2008-09-01 19:13:36 There’s only one place you can see some of Salvador Dalí’s best works in a museum that he personally designed and was laid to rest at: the Dalí Theatre Museum
in Figueres. Dalí selected this former city theatre, now adorned with large bright white eggs and a pattern of golden bread, because he wanted visitors [...]
A Peaceful Stroll Through Pals 2008-08-28 05:56:19 Picture courtesy of VirtualTourist.com
After a hot summer day, a light mist rolls in from the visible sea shores of Tamariu over hazy hay-wheel dotted farms surrounding the pueblo. Within it winds quaint cobblestone streets with Romanesque walls and arches dripping with hundreds of years of Catalan history. Sprinkled along these passages are shops selling locally [...] Read more:Peaceful
Montserrat Tomatoes 2008-08-27 04:15:05 It’s too bad Montserrat tomatoes aren’t grown widely out of Spain because they’re gorgeous specimens. As soon as you cut slices of this Catalonia-grown tomato, which looks like some giant mutating piece of produce at first, an elegant almost floral-like design falls onto the plate. Delicate ruby-colored pockets of juice stud its center and especially [...] Read more:Tomatoes
Barcelona: La Pedrera 2008-10-13 08:12:26 To see Antonio Gaudi’s genius in all its finished glory (La Sagrada Familia is still under construction) aficionados of his work go to La Pedrera, also known as Casa Milá.
Built for the Milá family between 1906 and 1910 on Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona
, this is one of the most imaginative residential buildings ever built. [...]
Spanish Iberian Ham 2008-10-06 04:20:02 If there’s one thing you’ll learn for certain as you browse cafes, fine dining establishments and the plates of all the natives around you, it’s that Spaniards are proud of their ham, or jamón iberico. With one taste of this rich specialty, you’ll already know why, but a little background on what makes it so [...] Read more:Spanish
Catalonia’s Wine Cathedrals 2008-09-22 06:01:12 As wine lovers venture out of Barcelona streets laced with Gaudi’s intricate designs to vineyards in the countryside, they are never left without brilliant Modernist architecture to gawk at. That’s because several of Catalonia’s best vineyards lie next to cellars often called wine cathedrals and you can visit them all on our Penedès Wine Tours. [...]
Greek and Roman Ruins in Empuries 2008-09-12 04:58:49 Once you’ve visited the Greek
and Roman
ruins of Empuries, you’ll be expecting a higher standard for all of your archaeological site visits that follow. I mean, how many archaeological sites are literally steps away from an incredibly beautiful blue beach?
Three centuries after Greeks established a busy trading post here, Romans of the 6th century [...] Read more:Ruins
La Diada 2008-09-11 05:03:03 The red and yellow stripes of the Catalan flag drape windows, balconies, walls, make up flower bouquets and wave in the fabrics Catalans hold up in the street all day on La Diada, or Catalonia’s national holiday. Celebrated on September 11, the day of Catalonia’s defeat under Spanish armies in 1714, the holiday brings attention [...]
Jewish Heritage Month in Spain 2008-09-07 04:38:55 Up until Jews were expelled out of Spain
by its government and church in 1492, Jewish
communities played a significant role in the culture, the architecture and academia of medieval Spain.
Passing through villages like Besalú, where a Jewish heritage celebrations takes place at the beginning of every September, makes this all the more evident. In [...] Read more:Heritage
, Month
Besalú 2008-11-03 05:04:44 As soon as you encounter the entrance to this gorgeously well-preserved monument to medieval Jewish communities in Spain—a graceful bridge arching over the Fluvia River—you will feel like you’re walking into another time altogether.
Still standing today are examples of how Jewish and Catholic communities lived harmoniously together until the Spanish government expelled them in 1492. [...]
Typical Catalan Dessert: A Day of All Saints Delicacy 2008-10-21 06:39:08 Panellets, Catalan for “little breads,” is a traditional dessert served in Catalonia on the All Saints
Day, which takes place on November 1. These warm, squishy sweets are especially comforting during the cold and crisp days of fall - that’s why we always stop to try some in our favorite Barcelona pastry shops on our autumn [...] Read more:Dessert
Dali’s House in Port Lligat 2008-11-17 08:09:17 Just a short drive away from the beautiful fishing town of Cadaqués is Port Lligat, the location of what was Salvador Dalí’s private home and art studio. In addition to getting a more intimate picture of the painter himself through kitchy images and rooms he’d use for inspiration, the house contains original artwork that the [...] Read more:House
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