Groceries in Barcelona

[pedro]

Did you buy anything? How was it?

[Saborosa]

Petras is an icon, you're right Pedro. He has a book of recipes (sold at the stall, of course!) where he recounts having secretive meetings on motorway lay-bys to pick up rare loads of wild fungi. And he looks like a character too - full beard, a healthy figure - enjoys his food certainly! The stall has recently started selling edible insects, which I'm slightly disappointed in as it's something of a move away from the air of traditional, wild, local and seasonal food that the rest of his products have.

Of course, he can sell whatever he likes, and it is an interesting addition, but the insects are products I've seen before elsewhere, such as Selfridges in London, and they seem rather gimmicky - ie foods with an insect stuck in for freak value, rather than as an inherent part of the foodstuff, such as lollipops with a bug in or some jam with a worm at the bottom of the jar. I'd prefer to see the insects sold as ingredients themselves with suggestions of how to use them. To be fair, I've only had a brief glance at the display so maybe he's doing that too. Any thoughts?

Another thought on the Boqueria - it's starting to feel more and more like a food tourist attraction than a market. You can now buy Boqueria souvenirs from a stall at the market entrance! Still love it though.

Silly Disciple - if you haven't found the Petras stall yet, it's right at the back of the Boqueria if you're coming from the Ramblas, you can recognise it by its mushroom decor. I think he usually closes in the afternoons and all day Monday.

[Eduardo]

There's a long article on this month's "VINO Y GASTRONOMIA" magazine, in which they write about insects as gastronomy items. I read it superficially last night and I have the impression that the insects that Petras is introducing in Spain are more kind of a snack or candy rather than real ingredients to be cooked pretending to be substitutes of our traditional “proteins”. It’s more a question of fun and snobbery… This said, the “hormigas culonas” y “cucarachas vietnamitas” are supposedly a great bite…

They tried different dishes in Barcelona’s different restaurants using this insects, and from what I read, is seems that the dishes could work perfectly without them.

They also talked about this Spanish cook (I don’t remember her names) who owns a restaurant in Miami called “Meeting Point”, and uses quite often the insects in her menu.

[Bux]

... the “hormigas culonas” y “cucarachas vietnamitas” are supposedly a great bite…

They tried different dishes in Barcelona’s different restaurants using this insects, and from what I read, is seems that the dishes could work perfectly without them.

Not only that, but if I find a cockroach in my dish, you're going to have a hard time convincing me it belongs there.

[Bux]

Another thought on the Boqueria - it's starting to feel more and more like a food tourist attraction than a market. You can now buy Boqueria souvenirs from a stall at the market entrance! Still love it though.

This doesn't surprise me. It's a shame, but success often breeds its own downfall. It's also my understand that the neighborhood behind La Boqueria is being gentrified. On a parallel note perhaps, I was speaking with Rogelio when I was in Madrid earlier this year and mentioned the old market in Valencia, which is a beautiful old building and somewhat of a tourist attraction itself. He noted that it was not as great a place to shop as it used to be. Even earlier this year, I recall commenting on the market in San Sebastian. It seems to be as good a place to shop for food as I recall it was years ago, but the food vendors have been moved back and underground with the historic old structure being converted into a modern and somewhat banal shopping mall.

[asola]

I'm not absolutely sure but I think it's Petras' son who is pushing insects and other exotic things. I don't think it's a great idea.

Anyway, I wanted to recall a shop I mentioned briefly before but couldn't remember well. It's called Gispert, c.Sombrerers,23, just behind Santa Maria del Mar. Great offering of Catalan specialties and raw products at a 19th century setting. No embotits, very little in pastries or chocolates, just a few dessert wines, but a great number of honeys, malmelades, dried fruits, olive oils, teas, coffees, spices, herbs.

I also visited Casa de la Ribera, mentioned earlier, and found it exceedingly good value. Not so good for gifts to take back home as Gispert though.

[pedro]

I'm not absolutely sure but I think it's Petras' son who is pushing insects and other exotic things. I don't think it's a great idea.

I believe your right, it's his son who's pushing the insects thing. Too far away right now from any cooking tradition here in Spain to catch on, neither there's a well represented offer of restaurants form other parts of the world were there's some serious cooking done with these ingredients. That would be another option to make us familiar with them. I'm thinking, for instance, that not that many years ago I refused to have monkfish liver, and it was the first time that I saw it on a restaurant. Now it's not uncommon to find it in several restaurants. Not to talk about the nowadays ubiquous red tuna tataki...

Albeit, right now I don't think it's a great idea.

[Bux]

I've seen monkfish liver in markets in Europe. I know I've seen it in Spain, but possibly it was only in Galicia. I'm not sure. I wondered if it was traditionally eaten anywhere in Spain. I've not seen it on any restaurant menu, but surely no fish monger is going to get wealthy selling to Japanese restaurants and housewives in Galicia. I've seen monkfish liver in Brittany as well, but never on a French menu in France.

[Saborosa]

Bux, I believe a friend of mine had monkfish liver at El Bulli recently, and she's predicting it will be popping up on many more restaurant menus soon in that 'when Ferran Adria sneezes, Barcelona restaurateurs catch cold' kind of way.

(sorry - bit of a mangled metaphor there - blame the BCN heat!).

Saborosa

www.saboroso.com

[pedro]

I was offered monkfish liver at El Bulli back in 1999. So really it's not a new ingredient to El Bulli.

[pepe]

Question for the locals: Where would you go to get foie?

I've been going more and more to the Boqueria lately, getting to know the different stalls (and still working on my catalan!). It's amazing how quality, variety and price change depending on time and day. Saturday afternoon is my favorite to find bargains!

I haven't discovered Petras yet, but since both my wife and I love mushrooms, I will definitely try and find it next time.

thanks for the good tips.

Silly.

Hello Silly,

Near Ravell in the market is chicken(polleria) Merce, they also have a place at Boqueria, she has foie, mi-cuit homemade, and others from comercial brands, she knows all you want about foie and all birds, if you go near christmas is a stunning place with faisans, poulardes, capons, rabbits, etc.

Try them

I think Petras is closed in afternoons, but his place is near to plaça de la Gardunya