The magic of Christmas has already invaded the city and, with it, the most traditional meals also arrive, one of the essential elements of these dates full of meetings and gatherings with family and friends.
The most important Christmas holidays in Catalonia are Christmas Day (25/12) and Saint Stephen's Day (26/12). Christmas Eve (24/12) is one of the most popular celebrations in Spain, but it is less celebrated in Catalonia. In the past, families would only get together for a few nougats and a glass of cava to make time for the Midnight Mass, to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus. Nowadays, influenced by the rest of the country, it is also a night full of gatherings and celebrations with family and friends.
When we all think of Christmas, we think of the table full of food, with menus that we never get tired of even though they are repeated year after year. In Catalonia, during this time of year, some of the most traditional dishes are prepared. You may not know some of them, but you will surely soon be eager to try them.
GALETS SOUP
It is a mythical dish at this time of year and can never be missing from the table of any Catalan family on Christmas Day , nor from the Christmas menus of any restaurant. It consists of a bowl of soup made from escudella broth (the typical Catalan stew) with galets, which is the type of pasta that is added to the broth. There are galets of many sizes and the choice depends on the taste of each family, but they are usually quite large in size. Furthermore, in the galets soup, you cannot miss the “piles”, delicious meatballs.
NADAL ROSTIT AND PEIX SUQUET
After the soup, you can't miss a good meat or fish dish. The most common thing is to prepare the “ Rostit de Nadal ” (Christmas Roast), which is nothing more than a traditional chicken or turkey stuffed with nuts and dehydrated fruits, usually plums and pine nuts. Some families also prepare a fish dish so that their guests have a choice. The most typical fish dish is “ Suquet de Peix ”, it is a traditional fish stew that is prepared with potatoes, red prawns, crayfish and crabs, which are mixed with a tomato sauce that gives it more intensity and flavor.
Source: Nacional.cat - Rostit de Nadal Recipe
CANNELLONI
For Saint Stephen 's Day , December 26, tradition states that cannelloni must be prepared filled with the leftover meat left over from Christmas meals. We know that cannelloni is not a recipe of Catalan origin, but its preparation has become one of the dishes that cannot be missed in this very Catalan festival.
THE 12 LUCKY GRAPES
If you want to start the year on the right foot, in Spain you have to start it by eating the 12 lucky grapes. At midnight, the chimes are broadcast on all television channels and tradition dictates that you have to eat a grape with each chime if you want to be lucky in the new year that begins.
![]()
THE ROSCON OF KINGS
In Catalonia known as “Tortell de Reis”, it is a ring-shaped cake that is eaten as a dessert on Three Kings Day , January 6. It is made of puff pastry or brioche and is filled with all kinds of creams such as marzipan, cream, cream, truffle or angel hair and is decorated with candied fruit on top.
Hidden in the cream are two surprise figurines that are usually made of plastic or ceramic. One of the figures represents one of the three Wise Men and the other the bean. Whoever finds the King is crowned with the golden cardboard crown that is delivered with the cake, while whoever finds the bean will have to pay the Roscón.
![]()
SWEETS
Of course, at Christmas sweets cannot be missing from the after-dinner meal, neither in Catalonia nor in the rest of Spain, and nougat is one of the most traditional sweets, the most common being almond, but nowadays there are all flavors. The most famous here is the Turró d'Agramunt de Vicens.
Nor can you miss the neulas , a kind of tube-shaped wafers that are very crunchy and sweet. There are also chocolate-coated ones and filled with delicious almond or chocolate creams.
In Catalan after-dinner meals you can also find “ catànies ”, delicacies made with almonds, hazelnuts, cocoa and chocolate. Most people believe that they originate from Italy, but they really come from Catalonia, specifically Vilafranca del Penedés.
![]()
On behalf of the entire Sensation Apartments team we wish you a Happy Holidays!
