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 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.
It doesn't matter that it is not a public holiday. Every 23rd April, the streets, ramblas and squares around the country are filled with books, roses and flags to celebrate the Diada de Sant Jordi (the Day of Saint George), a day of participation in which the written and spoken word takes the leading role.
But the Festival of the Book has not always been linked to the patron saint of Catalonia. Driven by the publisher, Vicent Clavel, to promote the book in Catalonia, the first Book Day was on 7th October 1927. Two years later, the booksellers held it on 23rd April, and the success led to the change of date, which coincided with the death of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare.
Declared a Festa Nacional de Catalunya (National Festival of Catalonia), the Day of Sant Jordi has contributed since its inception to promote the production and marketing of books in Catalan. In addition, readers can interact with their favourite writers. Strolling amongst the book stalls and the tradition of giving roses just adds to the day.
The consolidation of Sant Jordi as the Festa del Llibre, internationally as well, comes with the proclamation by Unesco of 23rd April as World Book and the Rights of the Author Day.
As a social and popular phenomenon, the "festa sardanista" stands out for its ability to capture audiences and dancers. Just a floorboard in a square and a dozen chairs for the "Cobla" musicians.
In the popular Catalan folk dance, characterised by a circle formed by dancers holding hands, the music and melody are as important as the choreography, and have reachd a symphonic value all their own.
Most theories agree that the Sardana has its origin in pre-Roman or Greek dances and that the current dance is an interpretation of the "contrapàs", a liturgical dance from the nineteenth century.
The person responsible for its modernisation and popularisation was the musician Pep Ventura, who during the nineteenth century, changed the structure of the Sardana and introduced the tenor ensemble. Its character identity can be attributed to the leader of the Regionalist League, Francesc Cambo, who, at the beginning of the twentieth century, made the Sardana the "national dance of Catalonia".
Currently, there are 5,000 "sardanista" activities across the territory, including gatherings, dances, performances, concerts, composition contests and membership competitions.
The Christian tradition of the Passion becomes street theatre in this town in Baix Empordà. The Processó de Verges (the Procession of Verges) has more than 300 years of history and is held every Maundy Thursday.
The mystery that it represents is based on a book of verses by Friar Antoni de Sant Jeroni from 1773 that deal with the drama of the last hours of Jesus Christ. The dramatisation of the procession allowed for the ecclesiastical Latin language barrier to be broken and facilitated indoctrination through a common language.
The procession starts from the church at 12 noon. During the tour, the streets of the village, with just the light of the torches, bring to life the scenes of the Passion. Everyone awaits the moment when the "Dansa de la Mort" (Dance of Death) is performed. In this macabre representation with medieval origins, five skeletons organised in the shape of a cross prance and dance to the sound of drums.
Verges is the only town in Catalonia that continues this staging, and for this reason the Processó de Verges was declared a Traditional Festival of National Interest in 1983.
The Passió d'Olesa de Montserrat (the Passion of Olesa de Montserrat), one of the most popular and biggest in Catalonia along with that in Esparraguera, has a predominantly religious origin: the Parish Archive of Olesa preserves the oldest document that mentions the event in an inventory from 1530.
However, since its inception the theatrical performance has always had an urban, civic and popular character. That is why the Church tried to control it during various periods, first moving the presentation inside the temple, and later prohibiting it.
Finally, from 1847 onwards, the show was performed in different locations (the Teatre Principal, the Teatre del Círcol, the Teatre Olesa and the Gran Teatre de la Passió), with the only break brought about by the Civil War. Currently, and since 1987, the modern Teatre de la Passió d’Olesa, a large building, has been the venue for these performances.
Hundreds of Olesans, including nearly 500 extras, selflessly participate every year in the theatrical representation of the Passion, which usually takes place at the weekend in March and April. In 1996 it achieved the world record by simultaneously gathering 729 actors on stage.
