A Winter Feast in Catalonia

A calçotada is a seasonal Catalan ritual (November–April) centered on the communal roasting and eating of calçots - sweeter, elongated onion-like shoot cultivated in trenches. You’ll depart Barcelona in private car, into the Catalan countryside. Your destination: a working garden where calçots (pronounced kal-sotz) are grown, harvested and prepared over open fire. Along the way, you’ll stop at the Royal Monastery of Santes Creus, a medieval Cistercian abbey built in 12th century, with Gothic cloisters, royal tombs and austere architectural purity. At the garden, you’ll meet the farming family and learn about the cultivation of calçots. Then comes the feast: calçots grilled until the outer layers blacken, wrapped in newspaper to steam and eaten by hand — peeling away charred exteriors and dipping each stalk into romesco (or a similar sauce). Expect to get your fingers messy, and partake in what is, by design, a convivial, generous meal. This is as farm-to-table fresh as it gets.

A calçotada is a food experience that is sociable, traditional, delicious, and playful. It’s about ritual, regional identity, rural air, fire, laughter, wine, and the earth that grew your food. The ritual of gathering friends for a gluttonous afternoon to eat them defines Catalan winter life in rural areas. While many gastronomic experiences offer tasting or cooking classes to visitors, few immerse you in a tradition still rooted in community and seasonality. In this private gathering, the owners will share how calçots are planted and harvested as leafless stalks. Ask them about the origin story of the calçotada, how it started in the Catalan town of Valls at the end of the 19th century, and about the farmer who experimented with planting onion shoots under soil and discovered their sweet, tender interior. The inclusion of Santes Creus brings in further cultural weight: this abbey served as a royal pantheon for Aragonese kings and houses tombs of monarchs in Gothic sanctuaries.

You’ll be hosted by María Reyes’s colleague in Barcelona, a local insider and cultural expert based in Barcelona. She has a lot of experience hosting visitors from all around the world, and is passionate about welcoming you to enjoy local culture, food, history, and hospitality.

Keep an eye on the weather. It is likely that you will need clothes that keep you cosy, and shoes that are appropriate for the countryside.