In the Middle Ages, the town combined Christian practices with rituals of pagan origin. As a reaction, the feast of Corpus Christi, a new celebration in honour of the Blessed Sacrament, was born, which over time lost much of its religious character and became a social event and festival.
The first celebrations of Corpus Christi in Catalonia were those of Barcelona (1320), Manresa (1322), Vic (1330), Tortosa (1330), Solsona (1331) and Bagà (1333). The festival revolved around the triumphal procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the streets and squares of towns and cities.
The hierarchy and protocol, vital to the organisation of the Corpus, from the beginning co-existed with farcical interludes. These Christianisations of pagan elements sought to moralise and educate those who saw the procession, but in the end the playful overcame the instructive. This facilitated the appearance of the "bullícies" of the Blessed Sacrament, the origin of the Patum de Berga.
Other characteristic elements of the Corpus are the Ou com Balla, an empty egg that rises and dances as if by magic on the jet of water of a fountain, and carpets of flowers, ephemeral works of art that were trampled on by the procession and that survive in towns like Sitges, Arbúcies and la Garriga.
The Catalan cultural sphere is the only one in the Iberian Peninsula in which there was intense dramatic activity during the middle ages. The great theatrical performances are the Passió de Crist i l'Assumpció de Maria (Passion of Christ and the Assumption of Mary).
From the 14th century, theatrical productions of the Passion of Christ were differentiated from ecclesiastical dramas in Latin. The new performances (mysteries) highlighted the human nature of Christ, incorporated the vernacular language and allowed for the participation of the people.
Nowadays, three types of mysteries are still going on in the so-called "Valley of the Passion", in Baix Llobregat: those with traditional roots, such as those performed in the theatres in Olesa and Esparreguera; the promenade performance at Sant Vicenç dels Horts; and that of Molins de Rei, a modern performance of an authored work.
The great dramatic cycle of medieval Catalan Theatre is completed with four representations of the Assumption of the Mother of God: the liturgical drama of Santa Maria de l'Estany, the Mystery de la Selva, the Assumptionist Mystery of Valencia Cathedral, and the Mystery, or Festival, of Elx.
Other medieval performances that have survived to the present day are the Chant of the Sibyl in Mallorca and Alghero, or the Dance of the Death in Verges.
The Catalan culture cannot be understood without all the fantastic facilities of Barcelona. This setting has become the backbone of the country's culture.
The Palau de la Música, the work of Lluís Domènech i Montaner and a Unesco World Heritage site, is much more than a refined example of modernista architecture. The witness to key episodes in Catalan history, it has become a reference point for Catalans.
Sharing centre stage as a symbol of the Catalan culture is the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Built in 1847, and linked from the beginning to the bourgeoisie of Barcelona, this building has survived two catastrophic episodes: an anarchist bomb in 1893 and a fire in 1994.
Among the modern facilities for the performing arts the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, the Teatre Lliure and the Mercat de les Flors stand out. In the musical field, beyond the examples of the Palau de la Música and Liceu, is the L’Auditori of Barcelona. Regarding the visual arts, the main institutions are the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), which offers a global and historical perspective of Catalan art, and the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), offering a showcase of the most up-to-date art.
Without forgetting its link with the traditional and popular festivals, the Fira de Teatre al Carrer de Tàrrega (Tàrrega Street Theatre Festival) has become a benchmark for its commitment to theatrical innovation and quality and is todayone of the most important European markets for the performing arts.
The success of the street shows that the Comediants company organised in 1980 was the seed of the Fira del Teatre al Carrer de Tàrrega which, just a year later, was turned into an annual event.
For the historian and theatre critic Xavier Fàbregas, one of the creators of the project, it was necessary to take back the street as a space for creative activities and at the same time renew the popular and traditional festivals. This is why the early shows were directly linked to popular culture.
With the creation of the Municipal Public Foundation Board and the department of programmers, and the commissioning of theatrical professionals for the artistic direction, the Fira del Teatre al Carrer de Tàrrega started to become professional and it turned itself into a national and international market for sales and recruitment for Catalan theatrical shows. It has always been noted for incorporating new trends and techniques and languages which are increasingly visual and contemporary.
From before the Middle Ages, gastronomic fairs and markets have been held in Catalonia. They started as necessary meeting points between merchants and buyers, but also became points of social interaction.
The markets as we know them today emerged as a response to the scarcity of supplies as a result of the concentrations of people: dates had to be arranged for the commercial exchange. One of the oldest Catalan markets to have continued is that of Bellcaire, from the 14th century.
The fairs, on the other hand, relied on livestock movement and the trade routes, were linked to religious festivals and would be held annually. Currently there are still villages like Guimerà, Peratallada, Batea, Vic or Montblanc which, once a year, hold these fairs to recall those of the Middle Ages.
The appearance and the produce in markets and fairs in Catalonia are very different today. What has not changed is the character of a traditional and social event, and the fact that they are synonymous with a range of quality goods. In addition, there is now an extensive calendar of fairs and markets across the country, as well as gastronomic routes which have been created to promote the local products.
The festive cycle in Catalonia includes a mix of pagan, religious and civil celebrations, both of ancestral origin and those that have newly emerged. A calendar of traditional festivals and customs in which the food has a major role.
And one cannot imagine a good celebration without a good meal, a display of collective identity and social cohesion. Each festival is associated with a typical dish, and these include the crema catalana of Sant Josep, the ‘coca’ of Sant Joan, the chestnuts and the buns of All Saints day, Easter cake, or the various Christmas meals (soups, chicken, cannelloni, nougat, wafers, etc.).
In Catalonia, the prohibitions of the Catholic traditions, such as not eating meat during Lent resulted in the popularity of cod-based dishes or desserts such as ‘bunyols’ (sweet fritters). It is also the case that celebrations of religious origin such as the open-air gatherings, the ‘romeries’ and pilgrimages have become collective gastronomical meetings (ribs, roasts, sardines, grilled onions or snails).
The festive calendar also includes more familiar and intimate celebrations related to the cycle of life, such as wedding banquets, chocolate at baptisms, communion snacks and meals to celebrate Saints’ days and anniversaries.
Catalan cuisine has enjoyed a new golden age coinciding with the turn of the century and with prominent chefs in the country receiving global recognition for their work. The new Catalan cuisine involves a new way of understanding the restaurant trade: it must satisfy both the intellect and the emotions.
One of the highlights of this period occurred in 1999, when the French chef Joël Robuchon claimed that Ferran Adrià was the best chef in the world. His innovations, which ended up on the cover of The New York Times supplement, were based on new products and techniques, unprecedented presentation and surprising experiences.
Even though the media coverage of the most avant-garde cuisine was widespread, its gastronomic repercussions were wider. Thus, the traditional Catalan cuisine also saw a reinterpretation by great chefs with new techniques and more modern presentation. In addition, the concern for what we eat caused the emergence of concepts such as organic cuisine and zero kilometre cooking.
Also noteworthy is the effect of phenomena such as globalisation on the Catalan cuisine. The arrival of cuisines from other parts of the world ends up, inevitably, permeating our recipes and gives rise to concepts such as fusion cooking.
Opulent menus, inspired by the French cuisine and disdain for the traditional and home-made. In the 19th century the Catalan bourgeoisie and the great restaurants opted for a luxurious and sumptuous gastronomy, though it never became mainstream.
Instead, the popular and high-quality Catalan cuisine continued to live on in the fondes de sisos (the Inns of the Sixes - the cost in reales to stay the night), bringing homemade meals at affordable prices to everybody. These establishments popularised dishes such as sausage or pork loin with beans, pan-baked cod or baked macaroni gratin. The creativity and sense of humour stand out in the names of dishes such as la barretina - the Catalan hat - (vegetables with herring) or samarreta amb allioli - vest with aioli - (baked tripe). The Inns of Sixes also gave rise to customs such as the Thursday paella, a commercial event that sought to attract more customers on a particular day of the week that was usually slack.
The first references to the pa amb tomàquet (bread with tomato) are also from the 19th century. According to the gourmand Nèstor Luján, the Catalan dish par excellence appeared in the rural world in an age with an abundance of tomatoes, taking advantage of them to soften the dry bread.
During the modern era, the basis of the rural Catalan cuisine was laid down. Exceptionally refined and complete, the gastronomy of the Renaissance, Baroque and the Enlightenment was the gateway to the traditional Catalan cuisine.
From the 16th to the 18th century, it underwent a revolution with the arrival of new products from the Americas: tomatoes, peppers, beans, corn, cocoa, turkey and vanilla. In addition, it introduced changes in tastes, with the distinction between sweet and salty, and the popularity of new tastes such as cold drinks, salads, chocolate, rice and pasta. The lower classes and the convents were the most receptive to these new products, while the aristocrats and bourgeois were more conservative, preferring to stay with the medieval cuisine.
The most notable written evidence of Catalan cuisine in the modern era are Nuevo arte de cocina (Juan Altimiras), the Llibre dels secrets d'agricultura, casa rústica i pastoril (Fr Miquel Agustí), Instrucció breu i útil per los cuiners principiants (Francesc del Santíssim Sagrament), Avisos y instrucciones per lo principiant cuyner (Francesc Orri), El llibre de l'art de quynar (Fr Sever d'Olot) and the Llibre de cuina de Scala Dei (Monastery of Banyoles).
The current "boom" in Catalan cuisine has much in common with the first golden age of gastronomy of our country, which in the 14th and 15th centuries was considered the first in the Christian world, especially by the courts of Naples and Rome. This is reflected in documents such as the Llibre de Coch (Mestre Robert) or Com usar bé de beure e menjar (Francesc Eiximenis).
Far from the collective imagination that has Kings and nobles eating with their fingers, the Catalan medieval cuisine was noted for its refinement and its wealth of recipes both simple and exquisite. Becoming a symbol of social status, it also had gourmets and famous chefs, and was noted for its good table manners.
Despite not yet having products from America, there was a wealth of ingredients: cereals, all kinds of vegetables, spices and fresh fruit, nuts and dried fruit and pork. The rich added rice, noodles, poultry and game, and fresh or dried fish to their diet.
Catalan cuisine is also innovative from this period because for the first time women could participate in banquets, great meals conceived as theatrical spectacles. Also notable were the great variety of techniques, cooking vessels and utensils.
