JUDERIA/BOQUERIA: JUDEO SPANISH HISTORY, ONE BITE AT A TIME A Barcelona history tour with a Sephardic food historian guide. OVERVIEW Today Sephardic Jews enjoy a well-deserved reputation as great home cooks and lovers of good food. But their ancestors gave Spain some of its oldest and most enduring gastronomic traditions, many of them jealously guarded and worth fortunes. On our walk through the Gothic Quarter and the Boqueria – Barcelona’s oldest and most emblematic food market, we consider this largely unknown aspect of history to bring to life the political, cultural,
economic and of course gastronomic experience of the Jews of Medieval Spain and successive generations. And here and there we eat. This is not strictly a gastronomic tour. We will consider history through the context of traditional foods of Spain.
THE ITINERARY We begin in the heart of Barcelona with a walk through El Call, the medieval Jewish quarter, visiting key sites of historical significance. I will place the quarter in the context of the world that existed around it, providing commentary about the life experience of Barcelona Jews in the middle ages, the critical events that shaped their fate, and the various efforts being made today to build awareness of Spain's Jewish heritage. With our sense of time and place established, we’ll introduce you to Jewish delicacies of the Spanish kingdoms, describing their origins and the many paths they followed toward a lasting place in the gastronomic cultures of Spain, the Jewish people, and the world at large. These are fascinating stories!
They will change the way you think about many of the foods you commonly eat or have heard of. We’ll taste a few treats, and if you like we can sit for coffee as we consider them. Our exploration will continue in the Boqueria, Barcelona's glorious food market, where you’ll sample from its dazzling array of raw foods and artisan products. As we visit the colorful stalls, you will learn about the market’s history, the elements of Catalan and Spanish gastronomic culture that are represented there, and little known details of their Judeo Spanish heritage. Following our introduction to the superb raw materials in this gastronomic crossroads, we’ll guide you through a delicious luncheon of gourmet tapas in a restaurant selected for its authenticity and excellence. We’ll enjoy new and traditional dishes and cooking styles representative of the cultures of Spain, Catalonia and al-Andalus.
CONDITIONS This is a walking tour, available Tuesday through Friday mornings by prior arrangement. It is not a kosher tour. Duration: approximately 4-1/2 to 5 hours, including lunch. Maximum number of participants: 5
Private Tours: €290 per group, which includes guided commentary and selected tastings. Extras: Additional food (including lunch), incidental purchases and entry fees are at your own discretion and payable at the time services are rendered. As of this writing, entry fees total less than 5 euros per person. Expect lunch to average around 35 euros per person for a generous meal. You will pay for your own lunch at the restaurant. RESERVATIONS: adz@meetsefarad.com / rosalara@meetsefarad.com or through
www.vipsinspain.com