Fruit in Barcelona has a quality level somewhere in between Colombia (premium!) and the USA (big and bright but tasteless). Never hesitate to go for melons, grapes, oranges, tangerines (the tangerines!), apples (several kinds), strawberries, watermelons. Be careful with bananas, avocados, and prunes. Stay away from mangoes and kiwis, they look nice, tasty and fresh to the naked eye, but more often than not are acid and ripe rapidly.
Tomatoes deserve a special chapter. At first sight there are two kinds: The big ones and the small ones. However, the average Catalan can name at least eight different varieties, each with its corresponding culinary use, price, and origin. I suggest go ahead and try them all, but ask beforehand, God forbid that you’d use the “pa amb tomaquet” version in a mere side salad.
When I was visiting Barcelona, I purchased a bag of prunes and I considered them to have an exquisite taste, not to mention the fact that they kept me regular.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I will have you know that America is NOT the land of the tasteless, unless of course you are referring to California strawberries and Italian-Americans sporting an excess of gold necklaces. Signed, an American in Italy (am so DONE with those Italian wanna-be's)