Catalan to English Culinary Glossary for Foodies
The Original Names of Catalan Dishes Explained in Plain English
Feb 21, 2009
Fish and seafood feature prominently on the menu in the coastal areas of Catalunya. Inland, typical Catalan dishes combine garden vegetables and a variety of meats.
Ferrán Adrià, Santi Santamaría, Carme Ruscalleda, Jordi Artalor or Carles Abellan are just the tip of the iceberg: so many big names in cooking are now associated with the Catalonia region of Spain, that Barcelona was the first non-French city to become widely known as a 'Ville Gourmande'.
Decoding a Catalan Menu
Restaurant and cafè menus are usually in the local Catalan language (in many ways more similar to Provençal French than Spanish), with a Castilian (Spanish) version. Outside touristy areas in Barcelona and elsewhere, an English translation is only occasionally provided, so here is a quick guide to help any serious foodie decode the basics of Catalan cuisine:
Catalan Appetizers, Snacks and Tapas
- Amanida = Catalan salad
- Cigalas al ajo = Garlic scampi
- Coquetes con samfaina = Vegetable pastries
- Gambas en salsa romesco = Prawns in a spicy sauce dip
- Pan amb tomaquet = Bread and tomato appetizers
- Patatas bravas = Potatoes in spicy sauce
- Xato = Terragona-style salad
Catalan Rice, Pasta Dishes and Soups
- Arros a la català = Catalan-style rice
- Arros amb crosta = Oven-browned rice
- Arros con habas = Rice with broad beans
- Arros negre amb all i oli = Black rice with garlic and oil sauce
- Canelones a la catalana = Catalan-style cannelloni
- Fideos a la catalana = Spicy spaghetti with cured meats
- Fideos con mariscos = Thin spaghetti with seafood
- Fideua = Paella with pasta and fish
- Potaje a la catalana = Chickpea soup
- Sopa de mejillones = Mussel soup
Catalan Meat and Fowl Recipes
- Asado de cerdo a la catalana = Oven-roasted fillet of pork
- Conejo al estilo terraconense = Rabbit and chocolate casserole
- Conejo con caracoles = Rabbit with snails
- Costillas al horno = Oven-roasted pork spare-ribs
- Escudella i carn d'olla = Mixed boiled meats with rice and broth soup
- Estofat de bou = Beef stew with chocolate
- Fricandò = Stewed meat and vegetables
- Mar i terra = Surf-and-turf: chicken with lobster and chocolate
- Paella parellada = Catalan-style paella
- Pavo a la catalana = Stuffed turkey
- Perdice con coles = Partridges in cabbage parcels
- Pollo con pimientos = Chicken with small green peppers
- Pollo en samfaina = Chicken with aubergines and sweet peppers
- Porc amb musclos = Pork with mussels
Catalan Fish, Shellfish and Seafood
- Anguila al alli i pebre = Stewed eels
- Bacalla amb samfaina = Cod with eggplant and vegetables
- Cap roig con salsa de ajo = Garlic scorpion fish
- Caracoles a la llauna = Snails au gratin
- Caracoles a la patarrallada = Grilled snails
- Dorada a la sal = Gilthead in salt
- Esqueixada de bacalao = Dried codfish salad
- Jibias con setas = Cuttlefish with mushrooms
- Langosta a la Costa Brava = Lobster in chocolate-flavored picada
- Mejillones rellenos = Stuffed mussels
- Orada a la sal = Sea bream in a salt crust
- Pataco = Fresh tuna with clams and vegetables
- Rape en salsa de almendras = Anglerfish in almond sauce
- Suquet de pescado con alioli = Mixed fish casserole with alioli sauce
- Zarzuela = Mixed seafood stew
Catalan Egg and Vegetables Recipes
- Berenjenas a la catalana =Aubergines with walnuts
- Coles a la catalana = Cabbage in spicy sauce
- Escalivada = Oven-baked vegetable mix
- Espinacs a la catalana / Espinacs amb passes i pinyons = Spinach with raisins and pine nuts
- Faves al tombet = Broad beans with lettuce
- Habas a la catalana = Broad beans with mixed cured meats
- Panadons amb espinacs = Spinach parcels
- Rovellons a la brasa = Grilled mushrooms
- Tortilla de patatas = Open omelette with potatoes
- Tortilla de tomates y pimientos = Tomato and sweet pepper open omelette
Catalan Cakes, Sweets and Desserts
- Crema catalana / Crema de San José = Oven-baked vanilla custard topped with caramelized sugar
- Ensaimadas = Sweet twists
- Granizado = Lemon water-ice
- Mel i mató = Honey and soft cheese
- Menjar blanc = Almond blancmange
Just like Barcelona is among the world's great capitals of cultural contamination, Catalan cooking is a distinctly Mediterranean blend of heterogeneous culinary traditions, woven together into one unique style.
Sources:
- Catalan Cooking. A Delicious Journey Through the Thousand Flavours of an Unforgettable Land | English Edition | published in 2005 by Casa Editrice Bonechi | ISBN 88-476-1254-3
- Barcelona 2008. Time Out Shortlist | published in 2007 by Time Out Guides Ltd | ISBN 978-184670-0224
- Tourist Guide to Restaurants, Gourmet Shops & Food Markets. Barcelona 2004 | Catalan and English text | published by Turisme de Barcelona | selection by the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy with the collaboration of the Barcelona Restaurant Guild
The copyright of the article Catalan to English Culinary Glossary for Foodies in European Culinary Travel is owned by Maddalena Delli. Permission to republish Catalan to English Culinary Glossary for Foodies in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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