I learned something new today as my weekly organic veg delivery got dropped off. A lady who owns this organic shop provides boxes each week, we always catch up and have a conversion when she drops of my order. Its a great opportunity to practice my language skills. This week I learned something new about Catalan cuisine.
I had ordered a special type of tomato, that is somewhere in between a big cooking tomato and a smaller cherry tomato, it has a brushed finish to the exterior (as seen in the pic below)
This special kind of tomato, i was told is used for 'Pa amb tomàquet' a staple catalan dish which translates to:(bread with tomato) The tomato is cut in half and rubbed onto the toast, you then drizzle with good quality olive oil and a little salt, ive also added oregano.
This dish is eaten almost with anything, as a starter, a side, a tapas dish I was told, its the heart and soul of Catalan cuisine.
I find that very interesting since tomatoes originate from mesoamerica so it goes to show how much europeans have relied on the fruits of other cultures to create their own.
As i look at the food all neatly placed in the fridge, I give thanks to the lineage of what has been specially selected and breeded to be tasty and convenient. That even though these foods are grown locally that some of them have come from far away, that there is a complex and at most times a brutal story about how these seeds have traveled and transformed over time.
