Sant Climent Sescebes, Girona province. Enric Torrent of Carnisseria Pelai in Sant Climent Sescebes has won the award for the best traditional fresh botifarra in the Girona counties. The prize was handed out at the first Fresh and Creative Botifarra Competition for the Girona counties.
Botifarra is a Catalan sausage made here with a simple recipe of pork, salt and pepper, according to Torrent. He said each butcher brings their own method and experience to the work, with differences in how finely the meat is minced, how much pepper is added, and the balance of lean meat and fat.
In the creative category, the award went to Joan Gironell of Carnisseria Gironell, whose shop is in Girona’s Mercat del Lleó. His winning botifarra was made with rovellons, a type of mushroom.
The competition was set up to highlight the quality and variety of botifarra made by butchers across the Girona area. Organisers hope it will help promote local culinary traditions and the work of artisan butchers.
For more local coverage, see our news page. For background on the market where the creative winner works, see the Mercat del Lleó website. You can also read more about Catalan food traditions on the Generalitat de Catalunya website.
