Baguettes, Bocadillos, and Bad Knees — Bread Life in Barcelona

In this city, it is common to see people carrying a baguette. They walk  back from the bakery with their baguette to their home or office. Older women are seen walking with their grocery carts, often having loaves of bread sticking out. Children can be seen on the street using a baguette as a sword and enjoying a mock battle.

When walking the streets of Barcelona, there must be at least one bakery or panadería on every block. The types of bread offered vary widely depending on where you are in the city.

The long, thin loaf, which looks like a French baguette, is called pan de barra. It is a long, hard, drier version of the baguette, making it perfect for a bocadillo – the delicious sandwich that is the staple of Spanish cuisine.

The other staple of Catalan cuisine in Barcelona is pan con tomatoes. This pillar of Catalan gastronomy is prepared by toasting bread –  often peasant bread and rubbing it with ripe “hanging” tomatoes, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt. It is a simple, inexpensive, and traditional dish, served in almost all tapas bars and restaurants in the city as an essential accompaniment.

Bread is not just for breakfast; it is suitable for any time of day. On many mornings, the lines at most bakeries stretch out the door, many sell out in the early.

A great deal of wheat is grown here in Spain; no GMO wheat is grown for human consumption, in line with the current EU policies.

The wheat grown in Spain is soft wheat for breads and animal feed, and durum wheat, used for pasta and semolina. Spelt wheat is still cultivated, as it has been grown in Spain for centuries since Roman times. Unfortunately, it must be harvested by hand because of its hull, making it more labor-intensive. Still, the flavor of the finished bread outweighs the addes cost, to those familiar with this grain.

For those of us who are gluten intolerant is something we look at but do not eat.

I love the smell of bread, especially freshly baked. Vven a delicious sourdough bread –  masa madre will catch up with us, causing inflammation in our knees. 

Once in a while, we can’t help ourselves as the bread is so delicious that we’re happy to suffer for the flavor, especially when toasted with olive oil or butter. The Spanish always prefer olive oil to butter. Either way, it’s delicious.

These smells are memories. Like a child in a bakery and wanting all the products in sight, that’s what visiting a bakery in Barcelona is like.  There are two types of bakeries, one for bread and rolls only and the other for cakes and cookies. The variety of forms and flavors is inspirational.

But in the world of breads, there is a wide variety of flours, shapes, and flavors. I would love to say I know them all, but I do not.

What I can tell you about the gluten-free bakeries that we have discovered in this city. It is not hard to be gluten-free here, though for me, it’s a choice, as I somewhat intolerant of gluten but not celiac.  

One of my favorite breads is called masa madre –  sourdough. One bakery in particular does the most amazing bread. Oz Bakery, we used to live down the street from this cafe/ bakery. Unfortunately I cant eat s

until my knees revolted and I was creaking constantly.  The smell and taste are fantastic, but unfortunately, I can’t eat it any longer. 

Or let me rephrase, I won’t do that to my body anymore. Once in a while, it’s a delicious treat.

Personally, good bread is a necessity in daily life. We are so lucky to have discovered Jansana Bakery. This is a strictly gluten-free bakery that folks with celiac love. It was started in 1940. We go there once a month and buy bread and treats for a month. Thank god we have a good-sized refrigerator with a freezer.  Five loaves of sliced country bread, chocolate-dipped small palmiers, apple pie in the French style, and a few cinnamon rolls.

This feast, removed from the freezer as needed, makes eating wonderfully satisfying – and my knees stay quiet.

The flavors are comparable to regular products. In Spain and most of the EU, there are no additives in the food; the flavors are wholesome and cleaner than in many other places.

I love the bread here, especially with good butter or ghee. The Spaniards wholeheartedly prefer olive oil. I am trying to make the switch, but it’s difficult when the butter tastes so good. Eating healthily is easy here with the abundance of fresh markets and the proliferation of markets.

Imagine a fresh farmer’s market every day, that’s the way the fresh markets operate here. Loaded with fresh vegetables, lots of ripe tomatoes, chicken, steaks, pork freshly caught, fish and lots of varieties of cheese. Think of 25 different vendors gathered under one roof that are open six days a week. From early morning until 20.

Normal supermarkets, depending on the chain, run the gamut from budget to expensive. One great local chain is Veritas. It has everything fresh and organic, and is especially good for olive oils, soup broths, and fresh fruit.

Eating well here is simple way of life.

So we must eat!

Bon provecho.

Links: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/tomato-rubbed-bread-pa-amb-tomaquet-pan-con-tomate/

Catalan Tomato Bread (Pa Amb Tomàquet)