Treats from Barcelona, Spain
We brought sweets from Barcelona, Spain to keep our vacation mood longer. Some of them were from Planelles Donat, a traditional Spanish Almond Nougat, or Turrón maker who have been selling Turrón in Barcelona since 1850. Now the family's fifth and sixth generation are in charge of their business. Probably the most famous Turrón brand is Vicens. They are older (since 1775!) than Planelles Donat, and apparently the scale of their business is much larger than the later's. However, somehow I felt that Planelles Donat was a little bit more attractive because they seemed to be strongly connected to the locals.
At Planelle Donat, we bought a little block of Crême brûlée Turrón (soft turron with toasted egg yolk), which was pretty sweet and kinda eggy. I picked the flavor because I didn't have a chance to taste crema catalana or crema cremada, a dish that is similar to a crème brûlée during our stay there. Well, I am glad to have it in a Turrón shape, but I would pick a different flavor if I buy Turrón next time. The shop offered more than Turrón. We bought Polvorones, Spanish almond cookies with cinnamon. They were so delicate and delightful. Definitely my taste. Also we bought Stuffed almonds - crispy almond-shaped wafers filled with a smooth and creamy turrón a la piedra (“stone” turron). These cute "almonds" are unique and tasty. What a great discovery!
Another treat was a box of Collection Nº 6 "Fruit and Fruit Jams" from Cacao Sampaka, one of the high-end Spanish chocolate brands. There were some other collections but I chose the fruity one without any specific reason. Flavors in the box included lime, bergamot, cassis, vanilla, mandarine, passion fruit, raspberry and coconut. They were nice but honestly weren't the best for me.
Another treat was Chocolate Amatller's Amatllons - crunchy caramelised marcona almonds coated with a thin layer of white chocolate and finished with contrastingly bitter pure cocoa powder. Chocolate Amatller is the oldest chocolate maker in Spain. According to the company, "At the beginning of 1797 Gabriel Amatller established his chocolate workshop at the heart of old Barcelona, not far from the towers of the gothic cathedral Santa Maria del Mar." I also heard it from a lady at the shop that they are one of the oldest in Europe. The lady recommended me Amatllons and gave me a sample. It was lovely and crunchy indeed. So I bought a box. It was quick and simple. I didn't need to go through all of many items at the shop while J was waiting for me at the hotel.
Which one was my favorite? Polvorones! How about J?
