Barcelona Travel Guide

Esqueixada (Catalan): salt cod salad. This appears in many guises, the essential is that the fish should be shredded (from the verb esqueixar, to shred) so it can apply to other ingredients, chicken for example, and then marinated in oil and vinegar. It often appears as a tapas.

Canalons a la Barcelonesa is the classic version originating from Italian immigrants during the nineteenth century, it is also worth noting that Sardinia was once part of the Catalan ‘empire’ (Catalan can still be heard in Alhero) although it would be highly pretentious to suggest earlier antecedents for this dish. 

The stuffing is based on pig’s liver and turkey meat and contains no tomato whatsoever, the dryness is made up for in an abundance of béchamel sauce and the dish is gratinated and always served red hot - so beware. A delicious spinach version, canalons d’espinacs , is also popular and suitable for vegetarians. You will see Canalons de l’àvia or ‘granny’s cannelloni’ in some menus but it’s effectively the same and doesn’t contain even the tiniest bit of the proprietor’s ancestor! Canalons are traditionally served on the feast of Sant Esteban, i.e. Boxing Day.