When: 23 - 24 Jun 2008 (annual)
Where: Barcelona

Every year St John’s Day (Sant Joan) is celebrated throughout Spain with an explosion of bonfires and fireworks and a colourful array of concerts and dances. Catalonians celebrate in their idiosyncratic way and Barcelona is one of the most spectacular places to join in the fun.
The fiesta takes place the night before Saint John’s Day, and during the short nights of the summer solstice. It is a long-standing tradition that combines fun with aspects of Catalonian identity. Old furniture is bundled onto bonfires in the villages and towns throughout the region, the fire acting as a purifier and curative element. At first, this was a rite celebrated in the main village square that brought everyone together round the fire. Nowadays fireworks are also an integral part.

For the past 50 years or so in Catalonia, the flama del Canigó (Canigó flame - an emblematic mountain in the Pyrenees) has been part of the celebration. From the top of this mountain, the flames spread throughout the region as fires are lit in each community. The flame has contributed to a new vision of the celebration and signifies Catalan unity and identity.

The most enjoyable part of the Noche de Sant Joan are the verbenas (open-air celebrations) that last from sunset on 23 June to sunrise on 24 June. As well as in each village, there are various places in Barcelona where they take place. The main ones are in Eixample, Ciutat Velha, Sants-Montjuic, Les Corts, Sarná Gervasi, Horta Guinardó, Nou Barris, Sant Andrea and Sant Martí. Alongside the bonfire and fireworks there are stages, concerts, dances and, of course, the eating of the traditional sweet cocas.

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Barcelona is NOT at all the best place to see authentic flamenco, as it’s not remotely an art form in Catalunya, but if you won’t be traveling to Madrid or Seville, there is a brand new venue created by the Cacheiro restaurant group that is destined to change the city’s poor flamenco scene.

Palacio del Flamenco - in a renovated theater on tony Balmes, 139, in the Eixample, handy to hotels and recommended by the top desk staffs. It has a regular cast of 15 artists who perform true flamenco and flamenco fusion on the original theater stage while the orchestra seats have been turned into an upscale restaurant. It just opened in January ’07 (palaciodelflamenco.com)

Soniquete - There’s also a lively new flamenco bar that attracts the young and hip on Carrer Milans, 5, near the Placa Reial in the Gothic quarter and only open from Thursday - Sunday.

Try to avoid the touristy and unauthentic Los Tarantos on Placa Reial.

Crema catalana (Catalan for “Catalan cream”), also known as Crema de Sant Josep, is a typical dessert of Catalonia, consisting of a custard base crème caramel and a caramelized, crisp sugar topping. It is usually served on Saint Joseph’s Day, March 19.

Catalans claim that their Crema catalana is the predecessor of France’s crème brûlée, though many regions lay claim to the origin of the dessert. The main difference between the two is that crema catalana is not baked in bain-marie as crème brûlée is. Another chief difference is that crème brûlée is made dominantly with heavy cream, while crema catalana is made with both milk and heavy cream.

Crema catalana is made with egg yolks, sugar, lemon and orange zest, cinnamon, milk and flour, forming a custard-like base. Just before serving, sugar is sprinkled over the top and caramelized with a red-hot specially-made iron or blow torch, creating a hot, crunchy contrast to the cool custard underneath.

Pa amb tomàquet (literally bread with tomato in Catalan) is a typical preparation of Catalan cuisine, that consists of bread - optionally toasted - with tomato rubbed over and seasoned with olive oil and salt. Sometimes garlic is rubbed on the bread before rubbing in the tomato. In many Catalan restaurants, the tomato mixture is pre-made and is brushed on the bread. This is to meld the ingredients better, so you taste the mixture, not the individual tastes one after another.

Samfaina is an exuberant vegetable mixture widely used in Catalan cuisine as a sauce or base for meat, fish and fowl dishes. It’s a succulent vegetarian dish that you can eat as a first course or side dish too.

I eat it often as it is delicious, healthy, and in fact easy to cook. It adds a bright touch of color to meals too.

Traditionally, the Catalan ratatouille recipe includes onion, peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes. And as usual, there seems to be as many variations as households.

Fideuà or Fideuada, from fideu, catalan for “noodle” is a typical dish of Northern region of Spain. It originated in the 1960s in the city of Gandia when noodles were used instead of rice in the popular dish paella.

There are many variations of it with different ingredients, but it is usually made with seafood and fish, and optionally served with allioli sauce.