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The 10th Xató Route season kicks off in Barcelona
The new Xató Route season, the tenth to date, was presented yesterday evening in the Sala Noble of the Edifici del Rellotge, which stands in the grounds of Barcelona’s Industrial School.
The public signing of the collaboration agreement between Barcelona Provincial Council and the Xató Route marked the start of an event attended by around three hundred people. Mayors and councillors from nine municipalities, and a representative of the Provincial Council, signed the first ever agreement whereby this institution will contribute 6,000 euros to the Route, a considerably larger sum than it had hitherto provided through subsidies.
Once the agreement had been signed, Dolors Pons, chairperson of the Alt Penedès Hotels and Restaurants Association and current chair of the Xató Route Associations Co-ordinating Committee, addressed the audience to thank all the public and private institutions that have supported the Xató Route over the past ten years for their collaboration. She described the Route as “a ground-breaking gastronomic and cultural initiative, the only one of its kind in Catalonia, which in the space of ten years has succeeded in growing and establishing itself”.
The Association’s chairperson highlighted the efforts of the town councils and the associations to get xató more widely known, and outlined the three promotional activities scheduled for this year to help spread knowledge of xató and how good it is. “There are three promotion offers this year: the special Xató Route Renfe suburban train tickets allowing those buying them to visit any of the 28 museums in the municipalities belonging to the Route free of charge; a draw for an all-expenses-paid trip to the Caribbean for two staying in a five-star hotel among those having eaten xató in three restaurants in three different towns on the Route; and the Friend of the Xató Route Card entitling the holder to major discounts in more than 200 establishments to do with tourism and gastronomy”.
This was the event where pop group Lax’n’Busto, with all its members present, made its debut as ambassadors for the Xató Route for the 2006-2007 season. And it did so with each member of the group making a small speech. First up was Cristian G. Montenegro, who read out a peculiar adaptation of the “Miami Beach” number that had brought the group such popularity: “From time to time people ask us, What are Lax’n’Busto doing on the Xató Rute? Well, everybody should know that rock’n’roll and xató go together really well. We’d serve it to Chuck Berry with black olives; with marinated anchovies for the Ramones; Elvis Presley wants it with garlic to keep his fans at bay….”
He was followed to the microphone by the other components of the group who all stressed how enthusiastic they were about being ambassadors for one of the most typical dishes of El Garraf and El Penedès. “When we started playing, many of the town councils on the Route were the first ones to put their trust in us and contract us”, recalled the bass guitarist from El Vendrell, Jesús Rovira. The last one to speak was Pemi Rovirosa, who said that the group would soon be flying out to California to record their new album, but that even there they would do everything they could to promote xató.
The person charged with giving the final speech was the mayor of El Vendrell, Helena Arribas, who addressed the audience on behalf of all the mayors of the nine municipalities on the Route. She highlighted one of the Route’s peculiarities, describing it as “an initiative combining public and private enterprise that has been operating for ten years”, and concluded by saying that “xató is a typical Penedès dish, one of the identifying features of the Baix Penedès, Alt Penedès and Garraf districts” and inviting everyone present to enjoy the five xató recipes that the different associations had prepared, as well as the typical desserts of the nine towns on the Route.
Once the speeches were over, the 350 portions of xató were served. These had been prepared by various hotel and restaurant associations -Gremi d’Hostaleria del Baix Penedès, Gremi d’Hostaleria de Sitges, Gremi d’Hostaleria de l’Alt Penedès, Gremi d’Hoteleria i Restauració de Vilanova i la Geltrú, and Associació Ribes Bon Menjar- each according to its own xató recipe. The main dish was accompanied by white and red wine courtesy of the Penedès Designation of Origin and followed by a choice of nine desserts typical of the towns on the Route: escumes from Sitges, bufats from El Vendrell, catànies from Vilafranca, llunes from Vilanova, sabres de Sant Pau from Sant Pere de Ribes, petons from Cubelles, garrofins from Cunit, cossetans from Calafell and carquinyolis from Canyelles.
New features this season
The most important new feature of the Xató Route for the 2006-2007 season, in which 101 restaurants in 22 different towns and villages will be taking part, is the effort being made, through three promotion offers, to make the Route better known and beat last season’s record when more than the 330,000 portions of xató were served.
[04/12/2006]
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Over 3,000 people enjoy Xató in one of Barcelona’s municipal markets
More than 3,000 people ate their fill of Xató and the typical images of the towns and villages of the Xató Route. This happened on Saturday, 26 November 2005, in Barcelona’s Sant Antoni market during the presentation of the Xató Route in the “Cuisines of Catalonia” programme organised by Mercats de Barcelona as part of Gastronomy Year.
The event began at 10.30 a.m. with the opening of the stands that the nine tourist boards involved in the Route (El Vendrell, Sitges, Vilafranca del Penedès, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Sant Pere de Ribes, Cubelles, Cunit, Calafell and Canyelles) set up in one of the four courtyards outside Sant Antoni market to promote tourism in these nine towns in Alt Penedès, Baix Penedès and Garraf.
The first event of the morning was a performance by the Sitges group Murkutú Batukada which led a small musical parade through the streets from the old Moritz brewery in Ronda Sant Antoni to the market in order to attract local people.
From a stage specially set up for the occasion, Virtu Morón, a journalist working for TVE in Catalonia, presented the festivities throughout the morning, interviewing people to do with the activity: Josep Amigó, a member of the Sitges Food Services Guild; Adolf Montoliu, a town councillor with special responsibility for Economic Promotion in Vilanova i la Geltrú; Lluís Martín, a town councillor with special responsibility for Economic Promotion in El Vendrell; Gabriel Serrano, a town councillor with special responsibility for Tourism in Sitges; Àgueda Valenzuela, chairwoman of the Sant Antoni Market Traders Association; Pere Tàpias, Xató Route ambassador for the 2005-2006 season; Miquel Fraire, a member of the Sant Pere de Ribes Popular Dances Committee; Antoni Hill “Tonet”, conductor of the Canyelles Choir; Joan Escardó, on behalf of the Cunit Choir; and Oriol Balaguer, the internationally acclaimed master chocolatier from Calafell.
In between these interviews, there were performances by various groups dedicated to popular and traditional culture from the nine towns on the Xató Route.
These included La Colla de Bastoneres from Cubelles; El Gall Tomasot i La Gallina Ballarica, cock and hen characters from Vilafranca del Penedès; Els Falcons from Vilanova; the cellist Eulàlia Guasch, from El Vendrell, who played “El Cant dels Ocells” a piece associated with master cellist Pau Casals; Murkutú Batukada, a carnival band from Sitges; Tabals dels Diables from Cunit; Els Gegants from Canyelles, El Ball de Pastorets from Sant Pere de Ribes; and Esbart Dansaire from Calafell. They all drew warm applause from the large number of people who passed through during the morning.
At around 12.30, the Xató Route was officially presented by Ignasi Fina Sanglas, the Barcelona City councillor with special responsibility for Public Health and a member of the Barcelona Markets Municipal Institute (IMMB); Jordi Torradas, manager of the IMMB; and Joan Olivella, mayor of Calafell; Josep Marcillas, mayor of Cubelles; and Dolors Carreras, mayor of Cunit, who spoke on behalf of all the towns on the Route.
Immediately after this Xató was served up for all those present to taste. Over 700 portions were eaten and washed down with a glass of Penedès DO wine and followed by typical desserts from the towns on the Route: Bufats from El Vendrell, Escumes from Sitges, Catànies from Vilafranca del Penedès, Llunes from Vilanova, Petons from Cubelles, Garrofins from Cunit, Cossetans from Calafell and Coca from Canyelles.
[10/01/2006]
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The ninth Xató Route presented at Masia Campau
Over 300 people gathered on Monday at Masia Campau in Sant Jaume dels Domenys, for the presentation of the ninth season of the Xató Route, a well-established tourist and gastronomic product of which 320,000 portions were eaten last season. Guests were given the chance to taste five different varieties of Xató linked to the Route accompanied by Penedès DO white and red wine. They also had the opportunity to taste some of the typical desserts from the towns forming the Xató Route (Bufats from El Vendrell, Escumes from Sitges, Catànies from Vilafranca del Penedès, Llunes from Vilanova, Pastís Ribetà i Pedres del Garraf from Sant Pere de Ribes, Petons from Cubelles, Garrofins from Cunit and Cossetans from Calafell).
Francesc Sanuy, a former minister of Trade and Tourism in the Catalan Autonomous Government, the Generalitat de Catalunya, gave the opening address on behalf of the Matas family, owners of Masia Campau. He said he was especially grateful for the invitation to attend the presentation of the Xató Route and highlighted the fact that it is an effective, and at the same time pleasant, way of helping to develop the country.
The chairman of the Xató Route Co-ordinating Committee, Elías Chacon, stressed Xató’s unifying character. Contrary to what some people think, it does not separate us, but rather binds us together. It is true that some of the towns that were founder members of the Xató Route still argue with each other over which won of them was the originator of the dish. Congratulations! That only goes to confirm the thesis, which everyone now accepts, that Xató is one of the most important foods in Catalonia and the entire Mediterranean.
Helena Arribas, mayor of El Vendrell, pointed out that tourism was focusing more and more on the gastronomy of the different areas of the country as an attraction and the towns on the Route can offer this magnificent seasonal dish which helps them to keep up a large flow of visitors throughout the year.
The last speaker was the Route’s ambassador for the coming season, Pere Tàpias, who read out a festive proclamation in praise of Xató while getting the audience to join in by shouting the word “xató” every time he ended a line rhyming with it. Tàpias said that he was especially grateful for having been chosen as the Xató Route’s ambassador and was at the disposal of the Route’s members to promote this dish anywhere and everywhere during the winter months.
The 32-page catalogue promoting the Xató Route for the new season includes the five official Xató recipes, the calendar of festivities of the towns and a list of the 108 restaurants belonging to the Route. Eating Xató can be combined with visits to places of cultural and artistic interest thanks to the diversity and quality of the attractions offered by the nine towns forming the Xató Route. The three “comarques” through which the Route runs offer a range of attractive choices including museums, castles, walks, climbs and visits to wine and “cava” (sparkling wine) cellars.
From 1 January to the end of April, Renfe Rodalies, which runs trains in the area, will issue a special Xató Route ticket from any suburban (“Rodalies”) station. Everyone buying one of these tickets will be given free admission to any of the more than twenty museums in the area.
[10/01/2006]
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AMBASSADRESS 2007-2008
Anna Barrachina
My roots in Sitges have meant that I have enjoyed xató many times in my life. I can say that xató saw me grow up in a small seafaring village where, year after year, I used to see the adults going to eat xató together at Carnival time. So, for me, xató is essentially a party dish, happy, a mixture. A mixture of tastes and colours.
What I like most is actually making it. Whenever I have made it, it has been great fun, because I did it as part of a team and made it for a lot of people to celebrate my birthdays, which are in February, which is the best time of the year for escarole. Xató is a generous dish that gathers lots of people around it with a nice little wine.
I think xató has side-effects, as after eating it people become more fun. Try it and let yourself go…
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2007-2008
XATONADES CALENDAR
VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDÈS
(20th January)
VILANOVA I LA GELTRÚ
(20th January)
EL VENDRELL
(3rd February)
CUBELLES
(10th February)
SITGES
(13th February - Xató International Day)
CALAFELL
(17th February)
CANYELLES
(9th March)
CUNIT
(29th March)
SANT PERE DE RIBES
(30th March - Fifth Popular children's xatonada)
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