Discover the foodie secrets of a Catalonian region that leads the global avant-garde's gastronomic scene, while the area retains its ancient medieval charm.
Girona is known for the outstanding vitality of its cuisine, characterized by a combination of staunch traditionalism, and veering outside of the box with contemporary techniques inspired by Barcelona's Modernist period.
Gourmet travelers may well know the countryside as the location of El Celler de Can Roca, which snagged the top spot in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2015, a compilation that began in Britain's Restaurant magazine in 2002, but has since gone on to hold a coveted place in the food industry as an independently produced guide, with votes compiled from a collective of chefs, restaurateurs, journalists, and selected foodies. But there's so much more to Girona than the Roca brothers' restaurant.
Tasting spots on the tour of Girona bring out the flavor of local specialties.
Guests of Hotel Camiral at PGA Catalunya Resort are led on a private tour throughout the city by a local foodie, not only bringing the destination to life through its cuisine, but recalling the legends behind Catalan culture and its culinary traditions. The tour weaves through Girona's cobbled streets and narrow passageways, where visitors smell, feel, see, and taste local life while getting swept away in the city’s charm.
Tasting stops bring out the flavor of local specialties: sausage and Spanish ham, local cheeses, and truffles, plus Xuixo (pronounced "shoo-shoo"), delectable deep fried cylindrical pastries coated in sugar and filled with custard. For a smooth finish, enjoy Ratafia, the most Catalan of all liqueurs. Homemade across Girona, the recipe changes from distiller to distiller, but the most common has brandy or some other type of alcohol as its base, then adds lemon peel, carnations, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, unripe walnuts, and local herbs into the mix.
Wine lovers get their fill, too. The Emporda region, composed mostly of sand and clay, yields some of the best wines in the world, a 2,000-year-old tradition that started with the Romans. A specialty of the area is the Garnatxa de l'Emporda, naturally sweet, and produced from the grenache grape.
The secret foodie experience of Girona isn't merely a taste of Spain, but a flavor-packed journey worth traveling for.
To learn more about Hotel Camiral at PGA Catalunya Resort, or to book the Girona food tour experience, please contact the concierge upon making a reservation.
