Life & Style

The Caga Tió (literally “poop log”) and Saint Nicholas combined. The Massard Sans family of Brussels celebrates Christmas with a mix of Catalan and Belgian traditions.

The G! Tourism Awards of Girona aim to promote the attractiveness of the Costa Brava and the Pyrenees. They honour audiovisual and print media reports related with the region. The awards ceremony took place at the La Sitja de Fornells de la Selva Civic and Cultural Centre.

According to the President of the Associació Territori del Sénia, the olive oil has a smooth and balanced flavour. 12,000 bottles of olive oil were produced this harvest. They will be sold in speciality stores.

The World Cheese Awards, one of the most important awards in the world, recognised 9 Catalan cheeses, almost double the amount from last year. These are the most important awards in the cheese-making sector. They confirm the growth of Catalan cheese’s international projection.

Thanks to a new generation of creative professionals, the confectionery sector in Catalonia has experienced a boom despite the economic crisis. Chocolate makers are particularly recognised internationally, with upfront names such as Oriol Balaguer and Enric Rovira.

The prestigious red guide will add three Barcelona restaurant hotels to its 2011 edition. Paco Pérez’s Miramar Restaurant was awarded its 2nd Michelin star. The 4 3-star restaurants keep all their stars.

Every kilo of truffles will cost the consumer around 400 euros. There are 350 hectares in Catalonia where one can find this delicacy

People who love this particular nutty liqueur had an opportunity to go to one of the main tasting fairs in Santa Coloma de Farners (La Selva County). In December, Ratafia fans will have another chance at the Besalú (Garrotxa County) fair.

The new centre was inaugurated this morning in Montblanc, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the DO’s Regulatory Board. The centre will be used for the promotion of DO Conca de Barberà wines.

At the start of the new season, the wine sector hopes to win over restaurateurs and advisers in order to attract consumers and promote growth in domestic consumption.

The ‘caganer’ is a figure in Catalan nativity scenes that is depicted in the act of defecation. The literal translation for ‘caganer’ means ‘shitter’. The tradition has existed in Catalonia and surrounding areas since the 17th century.

130 million kilos of citrus fruit, 10% more than last year, are expected to be produced this season. The majority of the citrus will be clementines harvested for export to countries such as Germany.

The famous biscuit company, Birba, expects to have a turnover of 6 million euros in 2010. Birba will have sold more than 1,200,000 kilos of biscuits.

An innovative new guide book supported by the world-renowned chef Ferran Adrià was presented in El Prat, in the Agrarian Park of the Baix Llobregat county, next to Barcelona, the largest urban agricultural area in Europe. The guide includes a list of over 500 producers that sell directly to consumers.

Gastronomy will be one of the main aspects of the new Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees tourist offer, which also combines Romanesque art, breathtaking lanscapes, trekking paths, ski slopes, etc. The initiative aims to bring together the varied offers from 11 counties with gastronomy in order to generate tourism.