Barcelona’s Tast a la Rambla food festival opened in Plaça de Catalunya on Thursday, 28 May, as temperatures climbed above 30 degrees Celsius. The 12th edition runs until Sunday, 31 May, and brings 30 restaurants and six pastry shops into the square.
Queues formed quickly at many of the stalls, with visitors trying dishes such as Nandu Jubany’s roasted cannelloni with morels and moixernons in cream, and Carles Abellán’s truffle bikini sandwich. At Kiosco Universal, the Boqueria stall served capipota, while La Mafia Mexicana returned for a third year with a quesabirria.
Organisers and chefs said the heat was not putting them off. Carles Abellán of Tapas 24 said he expected plenty of people to come and that sun was better than rain. Àlex Balletbó, president of Amics de la Rambla, suggested water, beer and ice cream as ways to cope with the weather.
The festival is also being used to bring restaurant cooking closer to the public. Jubany said some people are afraid to go to high-end restaurants, while Abellán said Tast a la Rambla offers “the identity, a good part of our gastronomy, of our culture”.
This year will be the last time the event is held in Plaça de Catalunya. Organisers hope to return to La Rambla de Santa Mònica next year, once renovation work on the promenade is complete. Balletbó said he hopes Barcelonians will come down to La Rambla and enjoy the city.
The 3rd Tast a la Rambla Award was also presented to Ramon Agenjo, a director and great-grandson of the founder of Estrella Damm, during the brewery’s 150th anniversary year. The award recognises people who have contributed to Barcelona’s gastronomic, cultural and social life, with previous recipients including Christian Escribà and Carles Gaig.
