Calçot

Calçot (Catalan pronunciation: [kəɫˈsɔt]) is a type of scallion or green onion known as calçot in the Catalan language from Girona, Catalonia. The calçot from Valls (Tarragona, Catalonia) is a registered EU Protected Geographical Indication.

Calçots are milder and less bulbous than onions and have a length of between 15 and 25 cm (white part) and a diameter of 1.7 to 2.5 cm at the root. Planted in trenches, like an onion, as a single bulb, and successively increasing the depth of the soil around the stems throughout autumn and winter, they sprout into 4-10 shoots, roughly the shape of small leeks.

Calçotada is an annual event in Tarragona, Catalonia celebrating the harvest of Calçots. They are grilled over a hot fire, wrapped up in newspaper, served on terra cotta tiles and eaten after peeling with bare hands by dipping them one by one in romesco sauce, accompanied by red wine and bread. Then follows a course of roasted lamb and sausage and white beans. For dessert, oranges and white cava are served.