VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDÉS

Vilafranca del Penedès

Ingredients for the dish:
(for six people) Ingredients for the sauce:
(for six people)

LETTUCE OR CURLY ENDIVE 2/3 PIECES

SOAKED AND RIPPED COD 600 GRAMS

SALTY TUNA
250 GRAMS

ANCHOVIES 12 FILLETS

ARBEQUINE OLIVES 200 GRAMS

GRILLED GARLIC
4 CLOVES

RAW GARLIC
4 CLOVES

SMALL CHILLI
1 PIECE

PAPRIKA
2 SPOONS

PURE OLIVE OIL
1/2 LITRE

WINE VINEGAR
1 DL

BISCUITS
3 UNITS

TOASTED BREAD
4 PIECES

SALT

Preparation

Leave the cod and tuna to soak in water. Wash all the other ingredients carefully. Carve the garlic, the chilli, the toasted bread and the biscuits in a mortar, add paprika, oil, vinegar and salt. Mix it up and toss carefully.

Note: we recommend to prepare it one day in advanced and keep in the fridge to cool it up. Add the sauce just before serving the Xató.

This recipe is the one the farmers in the Penedès area used and the dish was usually eaten in the country or up the mountains.

See list of restaurants

Gastronomy

The leading players, the real stars of Vilafranca cuisine and, by extension, of Penedès cuisine, are the birds. Ducks, cocks, hens and turkeys bred according to tradition in the poultry yards of El Penedès are the basis of local cooking and are prepared with prunes, pine kernels and pears to enhance their flavour. Feathered animals are emblematic in the cuisine of El Penedès, but the rich variety of products characteristic of the Mediterranean region that go into it also includes meat, vegetables and fish.

The cakes known as coques de Vilafranca and the catànies, sweets made with almonds covered in chocolate, are the town’s contribution to Catalan gastronomy as far as confectionery is concerned. The traditional values and creativity of the Penedès chefs are complemented by the region’s wines and caves, which is the name given to the local sparkling wines. Visitors have an extensive list of excellent wines and caves from which to choose those that best suit the palate for each meal..

Festa del Xató

In Vilafranca, as soon as the Christmas holidays are over, we start getting ready to celebrate the Festa del Xató, the festival that marks the beginning of the Xatonades populars, or xató festivals, held in L’Alt Penedès, El Baix Penedès and El Garraf as part of the Xató Route. It is a relatively new festival, but is already regarded as indispensable in the Vilafranca festival calendar due to its singular character, as it gives visitors the chance to taste all five types of xató included in the Route in a covered pavilion while listening to traditional music and enjoying the festive atmosphere.

As the Festa del Xató is held during the Festes de Sant Raimon, on that day Vilafranca becomes a major focus of cultural and folklore interest with a wide range of festive attractions: the craft market, a meeting of collectors of champagne bottle tops and the first human castles exhibition of the year.

The Festa del Xató in Vilafranca is organised by the Municipal Board of Trade and Tourism together with the Alt Penedès Hotels and Tourism Guild. Last year over 4,500 portions of xató and samples of red Penedès wine were served.

Festa del Xató

Celebrations and activities
NOVEMBER 2006	• 1st. Human Tower-building Festival
DESEMBER 2006	• From 2nd to 17th. Santa Llúcia’s Fair • 16th and 17th. Gall’s Fair
JANUARY 2007	• From 7th to 23rd. Sant Raimon’s Festival • 21st. Xató Festival
FEBRUARY 2007	• 19th. Carnival Parade
MARCH 2007	• 23rd, 24th and 25th. Used car fair
APRIL 2007	• Gralla Players Festival (the gralla is a Catalan traditional instrument).

Patronat Municipal de Comerç i Turisme de Vilafranca del Penedés/Oficina de Turisme
C/ Cort, 14 - 08720 Vilafranca del Penedès - Tel. 93 818 12 54 - Fax. 93 818 14 79
e-mail: turisme@vilafranca.org - web: www.turismevilafranca.com

How to get there by train: Line 4 • On the motorway: AP-7, exits 28 and 29 / C-32, exit 21

Museums and guided tours

Vilafranca’s Museum - Wine Museum

It can be defined as a museum’s museum with several sections, from which the Wine Museum is the better known.
Information and reservations:
Plaça Jaume I, 1 i 3. Tel. 93 890 05 82 | Fax 93 817 00 36. E-mail: m.vilafranca@diba.es

OPENING HOURS

From 1rst September to 31th May
Tuesday to Saturday: from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday: to 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

From 1rst June to 31th August
Tuesday to Saturday: from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday: from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Visitas guiadas

Town’s Festival House

The Town’s Festival House is a place that bears all the folklore from the most important festivities in Vilafranca del Penedès. Audio-visual displays every half hour.

OPENING HOURS

From 1rst September to 30th June
Saturday:
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday:
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Holy Mary Belltower

Holy Mary Belltower turns out to be testimony for more than eight centuries of history. Sunset visits every Saturday evening during the months of June, July and August.
Arranged group visits all the year long.

Modernist Vilafranca

Route which lets you know about the effect of Modernism as a new progress symbol in Vilafranca. At the end of the tour, visitors will be able to enjoy a concert based on the modernist music production of Apel·les Mestres.

Medieval Vilafranca Route

Discovering the medieval city through its
architecture.

OPENING HOURS
April, May and June 2007.

Vilafranca Cemetery

This tour shows and comments on the principal funeral constructions.

Church and Cloister of Sant Francesc

Architectural visit.

Information and guided tours:
Oficina Municipal de Turisme - C/ Cort, 14
Tel: 93 818 12 54 - Fax: 93 818 14 79
e-mail: turisme@vilafranca.org

OPENING HOURS

(Arranged tours from the Patronat de Turisme)
June, July and August
Saturday afteroon
19th April, 14th May, 11th June, 22th and 29th October
and 5th and 12th November from 12 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Guided tours for groups of visitors.