Review: The 11 Tastings of Girona – A Food Lover’s Guide

Girona, this very charming city in Catalonia, happens to be absolutely more than just colorful houses along the Onyar River, you know? Girona presents itself as this delightful place, and there’s this amazing, almost incredible food scene that begs checking out, basically. And what’s a very fun, remarkably digestible way to do just that, honestly? “The 11 Tastings of Girona” food tour is that exact way, definitely. It’s actually like this carefully put-together experience designed, really, to give people just like your very self this flavorful introduction to Catalan flavors and the absolute coolest spots in town, alright?

First Impressions: Setting the Stage for a Culinary Adventure

The tour started, it just so happens, smack dab in the historic heart of Girona, literally. I met our guide, the absolutely delightful Anna, right near the tourist information office; that made things rather simple, frankly. Anna just had this unbelievable warmth and was actually super knowledgeable, basically setting things up so very nicely for an experience that really felt a bit more personal, arguably. There’s such a very clear passion for Catalan food and local history that just kinda spilled out as she was talking, sort of. It really felt a lot like we were actually hanging out with a friend that was super enthusiastic about showing us her favorite hidden spots, you know? The group that I hung around was just the right size – about eight people – which made it relatively easy to move from place to place and actually have pretty decent conversations with both Anna and the rest of my tour pals, that I will mention. The tour promised to take us a lot through the streets of Girona, very far off from your usual tourist trails, showing us authentic flavors that very many visitors, rather sadly, end up missing. Did it actually live up to the hype, that’s my question.

A Symphony of Flavors: Dissecting the Tastings

The 11 Tastings isn’t really only about scarfing down food, no way. Rather, what the tour does is tell this unbelievably neat story, through this incredible food, of Girona’s history and its very vibrant culture, more or less. Each tasting location actually felt rather carefully selected to highlight some super key element of Catalan cuisine and/or showcase the individual charm that you can find only in Girona, very much a good touch. Here’s a look at some of my absolute favorite stops:

Can Solé: The art of Pa amb Tomàquet (Tomato Bread)

Our first stop had us at Can Solé, that is almost like an institution for traditional Catalan cuisine in the middle of the historic center, sort of. The experience started in an unexpectedly humble way with the very straightforward, yet undeniably fantastic pa amb tomàquet, or tomato bread, literally. But I didn’t honestly think about the art that really comes into play in making this so very delightful. Ripe tomatoes are very gently rubbed onto crispy toasted bread, which is then sprinkled with olive oil and salt; I’m going to put this plainly, really: It’s all a perfect symphony of flavors and textures, as basic as that truly is, but still so awesome, so extremely amazing. Anna explained just how that dish, so super simple, is really like a very fundamental part of pretty much every Catalan meal, alright?

Mercat del Lleó: A party for the senses

The next stop had us at the Mercat del Lleó, a proper feast for anyone’s peepers. I felt kind of dazed looking at stall after stall absolutely bursting with local cheeses, fresh produce, and, that you can’t pass up, various cured meats, yeah? I felt very overstimulated just by taking it all in, actually. We tried a selection of local cheeses and fuet (a cured sausage) that were quite amazing. It’s like that kind of thing makes you think how that freshness and quality are actually the bedrock of the local diet; very fascinating to really think about it.

Divinum: Catalan sausage heaven

Divinum just turned out to be this cool little tapas place that seems unassuming; once I popped inside it had this rustic sort of charm that seemed so incredibly homey. They’re specialists in local sausages and offered an incredible array of these; there were these smoky botifarra to spicy xoriço types of wonders. Every little bite went absolutely brilliantly with the glass of local craft beer they also had; that was really rather pleasant. I also got a pretty nice peek at this way of life when eating amongst all the people there, I thought.

L’Argadà: “Sweet”en the deal!

And there’s one thing I actually always have space for and, yeah, that has to be dessert, completely. So it was actually rather pleasant to pop into L’Argadà. This patisserie is like a Girona institution. L’Argadà is famous, you know, because of its xuixo. This pastry is deep-fried and cream-filled and it also just happens to be coated in sugar. The sugary goodness was absolutely crisp and creamy, but very fortunately for me, that combination was like melt-in-your-mouth material, absolutely perfect. It wasn’t so very sickly sweet like some pastries can actually be, to my relief too it’s almost.

Beyond the Plate: Additional Aspects

The 11 Tastings adventure happens to stretch way out further beyond the actual eating. As we hopped from stop to stop, Anna gave us really fantastic tidbits that included history; stories behind the buildings, little snippets of the local culture and the lowdown on Girona’s important historical figures, actually. Wandering about through the Call Jueu (that’s Girona’s Jewish Quarter) really gave this extra-cool level to our food adventure, that I thought was quite remarkable.

Value and Logistics

Clocking in at somewhere near €60, the 11 Tastings tour is a quite amazing way to actually indulge, you know? Even though that might come across like it’s somewhat steep for some travelers that you’d know of, when considering it gives you that awesome mix of history and super awesome eats, along with a nice guide the package is a superb bargain. It lasts around 3 hours, is pretty easygoing for your walking and gives a quite perfect summary on Catalan dishes as the area is, and what makes Girona truly special.

What Makes This Tour Stand Out?

Several food tours you’ll see just rush you along, hitting the same locations. The 11 Tastings adventure, in comparison, really excels when focusing so strongly on that local atmosphere with these awesome eats, is what makes it rather special, as I am saying. Each tour company chooses the locations with attention. You don’t get thrown through the same tourist traps. That really intimate party in Catalan cooking alongside some lesser-seen areas in the region provide people a special experience that I feel some of the generic tasting adventures often really can’t actually achieve, clearly. That is very important.

Final Thoughts: Would I Recommend “The 11 Tastings of Girona”?

Quite frankly, yep. I cannot suggest doing the “11 Tastings of Girona” strongly enough to really all of those of you who are food lovers looking for some authentic, almost memorable adventure in gastronomy, basically. You get amazing food, local tips and the city background info when your superb guide accompanies. The amount you take home are just awesome food images with a heart truly inspired as it just so happens, basically.

Fantastic foods. Some real local favorites that’ll tantalize anyone’s tongue.
Cultural awareness. Going off to learn more concerning what defines Catalonia from the stories you’re told around the bites.
Local guides. It provides personalized insight, a little more.
Super value. All things considered like, with 11 tasting choices plus a walk to boot this tour happens to be an overall great price, yeah?

Is “The 11 Tastings of Girona” not worth trying, that I was wondering about? You’d ask this when you hunger those Catalan-flavored eats. To those seeking memories instead. Prepare taste buds. Prepare heart. It is worth this adventure.

Happy food-tripping!

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