Barcelona’s Holiday Sweets

Turrones

The single most famous sweet of the Spanish holidays is called turrón, or in Catalan, torró, a thick nougat tablet. It is something between a pastry and a dessert, usually made with honey, sugar, egg whites and almonds.

Despite not being a created in Catalonia, the turrón is very popular in this region, enjoyed by all during the Christmas season. The most popular types of turrón are the turrón de Jijona (soft) and the turrón de Alicante (hard), though Catalonia has also developed its own variety, the torró d’Agramunt.

If you go to any establishment that sells turróns, you will find a great selection of turróns with different tastes like the chocolate turrón, the coconut turrón, the truffle turrón, the marzipan turrón, the pistachio turrón, and many more.

During the holiday season, you can find turróns anywhere, but there are a couple of special places to buy quality turróns in Barcelona: Sirvent, at Carrer del Parlament 56, Torrons Vicens, at Las Ramblas 111, and Pastisseria Ideal, at Carrer Gran de Gracia 207.

Tortel de Reyes

On the 6th of January, the day the Spanish celebrate Dia de los Reyes (The Kings’ Days), when the majority of holiday gifts are exchanged, the Spanish people eat the tortel de reyes, meaning “the king’s cake”. This puff, round pastry is filled with Catalan custard or marzipan and covered in crystallized fruits and dried nuts.

If you decide to have some tortel de reyes this holiday, chew very carefully, because the tortell de reyes has something hard inside like a fava bean or a little ceramic figure. Whoever finds that, will be the one to pay for the tortel de reyes the following year.

You can find tortel de reyes in almost any bakery during the first week of January. If you are looking or the fanciest and possibly priciest tortel de reyes in the city, try Pasteleria Escriba at Rambla de les Flors, 83.

Related article: The Catalan cream, a sweet tradition

Polvorones

Traditionally from the south of Spain, the polvorones are now consumed in most of Spain during the holiday season. The polvoron is a type of cookie that crumbles easily in your mouth. The most famous polvorones are the ones that are made of almonds, but you can find them in a lot of different tastes like chocolate, vanilla and orange.

You can easily find polvorones during the Christmas season, because they are sold in every supermarket. But the most famous polvorones in the city are those produced by La Campana, a family company that has been in business for over 120 years.

Pay a visit to La Campana at Carrer de Flassaders, 15.