The cuisine of Andorra has many similarities with its Spanish neighbor, Catalonia, and somewhat with France. In addition to traditional dishes, Andorra eats a lot of mountain game, such as wild boar or hare, as well as many types of forest mushrooms. Here are 10 of Andorra’s most traditional dishes
Escudella
Escudella is known as the national dish of Andorra. It is usually consumed during winter and holidays, including Christmas. This is a big, hearty stew that meat lovers like. It contains ingredients such as chicken, beef, meatballs, pork snout and feet, sausage. It also contains potatoes, cabbage and white or garbanzo beans. Large pastes are also usually added.
Trinxat
This dish is Andorra’s answer to British bubbles and squeaks, and is a mixture of mashed potatoes, cabbage and leeks. The ingredients are fried with cubes of bacon or pork fat. Trinksat is usually topped with chicory leaves and a poached egg.
Snails
Snails are eaten not only in France, but also in Catalonia and Andorra. There are several ways to prepare them, but one of the most typical of Andorra is cargol a la luna, where snails are baked in the oven and eaten with olive oil, salt and garlic mayonnaise.
Andorran trout
Andorra does not have a coast, so molluscs are not common here, but there are many rivers full of freshwater trout. .
Sausages
Sausages include different types of Andorran sausages, ham and black pudding. They can be found on almost all Andorran tables and are consumed throughout the year. Some of the more typical types to consider are sausage, donja, bisbe, and blood sausage.
Cunillo
Cunillo literally means “rabbit”. In Andorra, it is prepared in various ways, but the most common way is to stew it in a thick tomato sauce with onions and white wine.
Andorran cannelloni
You might think that cannelloni is a typical Italian dish, but it’s also common in Catalonia and Andorra. The Andorran version of cannelloni mixes minced lamb, pork and chicken with a white bechamel sauce.
Chicory salad
Andorrans eat a lot of stewed vegetables in the winter, such as potatoes, beans and cabbage, but come spring and summer, they look for something lighter and fresher. Wild chicory can be seen growing on many mountain slopes and is often harvested for salad dressing. Chicory salad also often contains bacon bits and walnuts.
Coca Massegada
Coca is a snack or dessert eaten in Catalonia and Andorra. They can be sweet or salty. One of the most traditional is the sweet, which is consumed on special occasions, such as the Nit de Sant Juan festival on June 23. It consists of a flat oval sweet bread covered with candied dried fruits and almonds. Some versions also contain streaks of buttercream.
Andorran cream
The French have crème brûlée, the Catalans have crème Catalana, and the Andorrans have Andorran cream. It is similar to the other two in that it is a kind of creamy dessert, similar to custard, but instead of burnt sugar, it is accompanied by freshly made whipped cream.
Features of the diet
Gourmets note the similarity of the recipes used in Andorra and Provence. However, Andorran cooks sometimes change the cooking technology, simplifying it for their own convenience. In addition, in the vast majority of establishments it is possible to order national dishes of other countries, sometimes quite exotic.
Andorra can boast quite rich in natural resources. Vegetables and fruits grow well on its territory. Animal husbandry is quite developed in the country. In addition, the forests of the country abound with a huge number of wild spices and mushrooms. But seafood is imported in small quantities, so it is quite expensive. Accordingly, this factor greatly affects the cost of dishes with such ingredients.
Meat dishes of Andorra
Andorrans eat a lot of meat, and sprinkle it with a lot of herbs and spices. Each region has up to a dozen special recipes for sausages, homemade sausages and stews. It is interesting that the recipes in different cities are not repeated. Therefore, dishes with the same name may differ in appearance and taste.
La Parillade is a must-try. A huge dish filled with several types of meat will be brought to the tourist. As a rule, it is turkey, beef, pork and rabbit meat, pre-marinated and grilled.
Of the dishes most famous outside the small state, butifarra deserves a mention. This is what the Andorrans call the delicious fried sausage, prepared according to the Catalan recipe. Most local restaurants call butifarra their calling card.
Soups in Andorra
Even today, Andorrans are not ashamed to eat simple soups prepared according to old peasant recipes. Often such dishes even make it to the menu of luxury restaurants. Thus, the main national dish of Andorra is the Christmas meat soup – escudella. It contains a lot of ingredients: from noodles of a special shape to several types of meat and sausages. Another quite popular first course is porusalda. It is onion soup cooked in broth.
Vegetable dishes of Andorra
Andorrans cannot be called vegetarians. Many local residents love meat in all its forms. However, they find a place for vegetables and fruits even in the winter menu. In the cold season, potatoes, winter cabbage, beets, carrots and beans are used. Side dishes, sauces, salads and independent dishes are prepared from them. But Andorran cooks and housewives try to avoid using greenhouse vegetables.
All guides to the country without fail mention trinchat – a potato dish that is not prepared anywhere else in the world. The ingredients are few: finely chopped potatoes, cabbage, onion cut into small pieces of bacon. All products are combined, salted, peppered, thoroughly mixed. The resulting minced meat is made into small meatballs, which are then fried in a very hot pan without vegetable oil for several minutes. Andorran cooks consider this dish to be self-sufficient, so it is rarely served as a side dish.
Summer salad made from wild chicory is especially popular and loved by Andorrans. A little bacon is added to the green leaves and generously seasoned with walnuts. Children are accustomed to such a salad from early childhood. Due to its useful components, it is part of many local diets.
Fish and seafood in Andorra
Mostly in Andorra they try to eat local products. For this reason, fish is mainly eaten in freshwater. Common recipes with eel, herring and trout. Fish is boiled, salted and baked.
Mediterranean delicacies such as mussels and prawns are found on Andorran tables, but are quite rare. At least they are not used when preparing traditional dishes.
Andorran taste can be called quite specific. Thus, snails are one of the most frequent guests on the Andorran holiday table. They are even more popular here than in France. They are served fried and with various vegetables in a creamy sauce.
Cheese in Andorra
Andorra is not inferior to neighboring countries in terms of dairy products. As a rule, cheese is made from sheep’s or goat’s milk of local sheep. Only the freshest and highest quality raw materials are used. Technologies are kept in strict secrecy.
Experienced travelers advise to taste tupa cheese in Andorra. You need to look for it not in restaurants and shops, but in small family cooking establishments of Serlan and Alt-Urzhel. The fact is that this type of cheese is not made at factories, but at home and on small family farms. The taste of the tuppa is very delicate, the texture is creamy. Those who follow a diet should not indulge in a large amount of such cheese – cheese is high in fat. The specifics of the production is that the cheese ball ripens in a special pot filled with liquor. A cheese slice from a tupa is served together with slices of fresh crusty bread with red house wine.
Bread and pastries in Andorra
Many loaves of special oval bread are specially baked for the Nit de San Joan festival. Coca Massegada – sweet breads to which candied fruit and roasted almonds are added. On weekdays, salty versions of this bread are baked. Pa amb tomaquet is one of the most popular Andorran snacks. She eats fried pieces of homemade bread, rubbed with garlic and tomatoes. Before use, they are sprinkled with olive oil and sprinkled with a pinch of salt.
Desserts and drinks in Andorra
Even small Andorrans cannot be called avid swallows. Healthy food is cultivated in the country. Sweets are eaten mostly only on holidays. For example, torrijas is prepared only before Easter. The dish is quite simple to prepare. Then the workpieces are dipped in beaten eggs and fried in a dry pan. Place the toast on a plate and sprinkle with brown sugar. Some families use jam, syrups, and creamy ice cream instead of sugar. At Christmas, it is customary to prepare turon – a sweet pastry made of almond flour and egg white with the addition of honey.
Andorrtsev can safely be called coffee lovers and coffee gourmets. Even in the smallest establishments, there is always a huge assortment of this drink. In the south of Andorra, Andorran cream is served with coffee. It tastes like crème brûlée, but is much lighter. Spread a layer of whipped cream on top of the milk-egg cream base. Then the dessert is generously poured with caramel.
It is also worth mentioning that among all the variety of alcoholic beverages, adult Andorrans prefer locally produced wine. There are several large vineyards on the territory of the state. And citizens are very proud that it is in their country, in addition to other varieties, that a unique black wine is produced. Andorra also produces 4 varieties of local beer, but it is almost never exported abroad.
Spices and condiments in Andorra
Andorrans are not used to heavily salting what they eat. But they use a lot of hot pepper, aromatic spices and herbs. It is rare that a housewife does not grow ordinary and lemon mint and hyssop on the balcony. Wild thyme is also used in the kitchen. From the unusual: salads are everywhere dressed with nectum – coniferous syrup made from young green cones.