Day trips from Barcelona: The heart of rural Catalonia

As a tourist visiting Barcelona and its surroundings, you might have noticed that here they speak the Catalan language. And maybe you want to prepare yourself with some key phrases to communicate better.

The majority of Catalan people are bilingual in Catalan and Spanish. Besides, those working in the tourist industry speak English very well. So, language barriers (whether you speak Spanish or not) are not very high.

Catalans are immensely proud of their language and you will hear Catalan everywhere you go in Barcelona. This is due to the fact that this language was oppressed during the Franco dictatorship (1936 – 1975) and to the desire of Catalonia to be an independent state.

If you really want to impress the locals, you might want to have some of the key Catalan phrases that every foodie and traveler alike should have at hand. It is a way of showing respect to greet people, express gratitude and ask for some basic things.

Visitors are not expected to know Catalan, but if you know some phrases it would be of great help. Take a look at these ones:

We invite you to explore one of the most fascinating things in rural Catalonia: the Catalan Masia (Country home).

A masia is probably the most iconic building from the Catalan countryside. If you don´t know what we are talking about, let us clear that: It´s a big isolated stone family house associated with farming or livestock activities.

The owners of the masia lived on what they produced on their lands and the right of exploitation have been passing down from parents to children as it was customary from the Middle Ages.

So, in Catalonia you will discover that it is so thrilling to find very old masias! And some are dated as far back as the twelfth century!

Nowadays a lot of masias have been transformed into luxury holiday villas and event centres. But this can only increase their importance and value as a historic monument.

Catalan food is not easy to define and categorize, but an important feature is that the food is rustic, which helps to highlight the inherent flavor of ingredients.

Catalan food involves the mixing of things which you would presume do not go well together. An example is found in the famous Mar and Muntany dishes. However, the end product would be so delicious, you’d hanker for more.

One example and one of the most ubiquitous dishes is pa amp tomàquet (bread covered with puréed tomato and olive oil). Another regional specialty is sautéed borraja (borage), a wild plant with hairy leaves indigenous to Aragon.

Maybe you will notice that Catalan food has a lot of garlic and a lot of olive oil.

Crema catalana is a staple on dessert menus throughout Spain. But in its home region of Catalonia, the obsession for this tasty treat runs deep. It’s not just one of the must-try foods in Barcelona, it’s a delicious representation of Catalan history and culture.

Crema catalana is a desert that can best be likened to a lesser-known version of crème brûlée. The main differences are that the Catalan version uses milk instead of cream, often features the added flavors of lemon and cinnamon and does not require a hot water bath to make.

The dessert’s association with Catalonia is a point of pride among many Catalans, who cherish their families’ recipes and continually pass them on to subsequent generations.

Catalonia, in north-east Spain, is blessed with diverse and fertile soils and a warm climate which have proved to be perfect conditions for wine-making for centuries.

Today over 70,000 hectares in Catalonia are given over to wineries and vineyards, across 12 different classified denominacion de origen regions, and the province has a long history of production that can be dated back to the Phoenicians, an ancient civilization who arrived on the Iberian peninsula long before the Romans.

With our day trips from Barcelona you will immerse yourself in rural Catalonia, passing through small towns where local kids run gaily across township streets, demonstrating soccer skills that are out of the ordinary.

Your destination is a masia which origins can be traced back to the 12th century and has belonged to the same family for 24 generations! And the best thing is that a member of this family will discover you the local life and take you for a walk in the surrounding vineyards.

Prepare yourself to enjoy a lunch of locally sourced and home cooked food along with wine from the grape growing state.

Can you think of a better way of tasting the real local food?