Catalonia

The words ‘tapas’ and ‘Catalonia’ don’t always mix, but ‘tapas’ and ‘Barcelona’ certainly do. Although the Catalans have never embraced the tapa as single-mindedly as other inhabitants of Spain have, Barcelona is now transforming the habit in typically perfectionist style. This city, an enclave of Catalan culture entwined with Gallic influences, is a world apart from the rest of Spain. These influences are reflected in the Catalan language, a unique though not impenetrable blend of Provençal French and Castilian Spanish. Dynamic and forward-looking, with a strong mercantile streak, Barcelona has reinvented itself, since hosting the 1992 Olympics, into a cultural powerhouse and gastronomic capital, adding further layers to its already rich past. Designer bars dominate as nowhere else in Spain. Inside their customers imbibe the sparkling wine known as cava or still wines, both white and red, from the wine regions of Penedès or Priorato, while indulging in tapas and raciones that reach new heights of inventiveness.