Autumn is here, for many the most romantic season! Discover how we celebrate the autumn in Catalonia, a land of peculiar traditions and delicious gastronomy.
In this post we show you the typical food of Catalan gastronomy during the autumn months and the greatest dishes of the most popular Catalan feast during autumn: La Castanyada.
In Catalonia, Halloween is only celebrated in few cities, usualy the most populated ones, such as Barcelona, probably due to the mixture of cultures that the city enjoys. However, in most Catalan towns, La Castanyada is celebrated, a popular festival traditionally celebrated in Catalonia, Aragon, Valencia and the Balearic Islands on October 31, the eve of All Saints' Day.
During All Saints' Eve, Tots Sants in Catalan, tradition marks some of the most typical autumn dishes in Catalonia:
- PanelletsOne of the most popular Catalan sweets and the star dessert of La Castanyada.During the autumn months and, especially, the week of October 31, you will find the traditional panellets in all the bakeries. The most classic panellet is the one made with almond dough, sugar and pine nuts.
A delicious cupcake very easy to make at home and a fun family activity for this season, children will love to mold the dough from the panellets and glue the pine nuts to them.
- ChestnutsChestnuts give name to the Castanyada feast. According to historians and like Halloween or the Mexican Día de los muertos, this popular Catalan feast comes from a funeral ritual to honor the dead on the night of October 31. Today the Castanyada has taken on a more festive and joyful air, a party that brings together families and friends to roast and eat chestnuts.
- Sweet potatoesIn Catalonia, along with chestnuts and panellets, sweet potatoes are also a typical autumn food, especially the chestnut of All Saints, and it is very common to find them in the chestnut stalls that appear during this season of the year in almost all the Catalan towns.
- Muscat
The typical drink that accompanies the chestnut is muscatel, moscatell in Catalan, a delicious sweet wine typical of Catalan gastronomy. Moscatell was another kind of funeral offering during All Saints' Day, however, currently the muscatel is a very popular drink in social gatherings during the autumn months.
Come and enjoy autumn in Catalonia and discover the most incredible places on the Costa Brava! During this time of year, the beaches and coves of Lloret de Mar give off peace and tranquility, the ideal environment for a romantic getaway in Spain.