Calçot () is a type of green onion. The name ''calçot'' comes from the

Catalan language Catalan () is a Western Romance languages, Western Romance language and is the official language of Andorra, and the official language of three autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous communities in eastern Spain: Catalonia, the Balearic I ...

. The calçot from

Valls Valls () is a city and municipality in the Camp de Tarragona region in Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital of the comarca of Alt Camp. In 2014, it had a population of 24,570. Valls is known for its calçots – a type of scallion or green onio ...

(

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

) is a registered EU

Protected Geographical Indication Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and Traditional food, traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote ...

. Calçots are milder and less bulbous than

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

s and have a length of between 15 and 25 cm (white part) and a

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the centre of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest Chord (geometry), chord of the circle. Both definitions a ...

of 1.7 to 2.5 cm at the root. Planted in trenches, like an onion, as a single bulb, and successively increasing the depth of the soil around the stems throughout autumn and winter (see earthing up), they sprout into 4–10 shoots, roughly the shape of small

leek A leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of Leaf sheath, leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a "s ...

s or

scallion Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...

s. The origin of the ''calçot'' and its cooking method is in the town of

, where an annual event celebrates the harvest of calçots. Nowadays, thousands of eating gatherings centered around the ''calçots'', called ''calçotades'' (singular: '' calçotada''), are celebrated around Catalonia. In these events, they are grilled over a hot fire, wrapped up in newspaper, served on

terra cotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based Vitrification#Ceramics, non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used ...

tiles and eaten, after peeling with bare hands, by dipping them one by one in special sauce (made with almonds).

Etymology

The origin of the word calçot comes from the Catalan term '' calçar'', which corresponds to hilling. Hence the word "calçot" roughly mean "that which has been hilled". This is because calçots get their characteristic shape and texture from this process. The word "calçar" itself literally means "to shoe", and ultimately derives from the Latin '' calceus'', a type of footwear that covered the ankle and lower shin - hence its use by analogy in this context.

Origin

The origin of the variety is disputed, but one of the most commonly accepted versions nsubstantiatedof its history is that they were developed by Xat de Benaiges, a peasant farmer from Valls around the turn of the 20th century. He is said to have been the first to have planted the sprouts of garden onions, covering them with earth so a longer portion of the stems remained white and edible.

Calçotada

The most traditional way of eating calçots is at a ''calçotada'' (plural: ''calçotades''), a gastronomical celebration held between November and April, where barbecued calçots are consumed in massive quantities."The Calçotada: From Spain to Your Backyard" (February 25, 2013) Catavino
/ref> In a typical event, calçots are grilled until the outer layers are charred, then wrapped in newspaper to steam, served on

tiles and eaten after peeling off the charred skin with bare hands and dipping the white portion in a special sauce (similar to romesco and to '' salvitxada''). The green tops are discarded. It's customary to wear a large bib for the sauce stains. The calçots can be accompanied by

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties - (red grapes.) The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice fro ...

or cava sparkling wine. Pieces of meat and bread slices are often roasted in the charcoal after cooking the calçots. For dessert, a typical choice is oranges and white cava.A Catalan Barbecue March/ April 2014 page 112 AFAR

Gallery

File:Calçots arrancats.jpg, Pulling up calçots Image:calcotada.JPG, Calçots roasting during a calçotada Image:Calçotada in 2007 01.JPG, Handling Calçots Image:Calçots i romesco.jpg, Roasted calçots with sauce for dipping Image:Calcotz, Catalonia.jpg, Calçots in Catalonia Image:Calcotz, grilled.jpg, Calçots, grilled

Etymology

Origin

Calçotada

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading