Key products and eating habits
Pork has always been the meat of choice for Andorrans, especially because it is easy to preserve in confit or salted. Other meats (beef, game, rabbit, poultry) are also widely present in Andorran cuisine, whether braised, stewed or roasted. The locals also appreciate mountain mushrooms. Porcini mushrooms and rovellones (milk caps) can be found in abundance in the Andorran undergrowth. Among other products found in nature, the delicate river trout holds a good place on the table.
The sausages are very similar to those found in Catalonia under the name of "embotits", a term that generally refers to both cured meats and butcher's products made from pork, especially sausages for cooking. The botifarra is a sausage that can be white or black - thus blood-based - that is cooked. The larger bringuera is a typical Andorran sausage that contains rind and a little blood, which gives it a darker color. On the other hand, the llonganissa is a kind of sausage, quite long and thin, very similar to the Catalan fuet. The typical Andorran cheese is the tupí. Made from raw sheep's milk, this cheese is fermented in an earthenware jar with garlic and brandy. Strong in the mouth, it is no less delicious.
Andorrans live the Spanish way and restaurants are rarely visited before 1pm for lunch and 8pm or 9pm for dinner. One of the most popular gastronomic events is the Lo Mandongo Winter Cooking Days in February, which focuses on the slaughtering of pigs and the production of cold cuts. In September, the Andorra Gastronomic Fair, held at the Andorra Congress Center in Ordino, is an opportunity to taste the best of the Principality's dishes, and many of the country's restaurateurs come to present their specialties. In October the Gastronomic Days of La Massana focus on seasonal products such as autumn fruits and wild mushrooms.
The classics of Andorran cuisine
True to its neighbor, Andorra is adept at tapas, based on cold meats, candied vegetables, cheese or seafood that are eaten with a glass of wine. Theallioli de codony is an amazing sauce similar to the aïoli, but where the egg yolk is replaced by boiled quince pulp. Delicious with meat, fish and even snails. Popular in Catalonia as well as in Andorra, the latter are cooked here in the form of cargols a la llauna. The snails are cooked over the embers and sprinkled with a mixture of olive oil, garlic and parsley. Another appetizer, the wild chicory salad, amanida de xicoires, is very popular.
Often considered the national dish of Andorra,escudella is a hearty dish enjoyed in winter. This hearty stew contains beef, bacon, pork snout and trotters and various sausages such as botifarra. Potatoes, cabbage and white beans or chickpeas are added. Sometimes even large flat pasta is used. Another emblem of Andorran peasant cuisine, the trinxat or trinxat de la Cerdanya, is prepared with cabbage, potatoes and ventrèche (bacon). More festive is thearròs de muntanya, a kind of mountain paella, with sausages, pork ribs, leeks and wild mushrooms, including porcini mushrooms. The Italian-inspired cannelloni Andorrana are very common on the menus of the principality's restaurants: filled with minced lamb, pork and chicken and topped with béchamel sauce, they are then baked au gratin.
The conill, or "rabbit", is also common on local tables. It is cooked in different ways in Andorra, but most often it is cooked in a rich tomato, onion and white wine sauce. The cabrit al forn amb picada de fruites seques is another classic, made with a leg of kid covered with a crust made of almond powder, pine nuts and garlic, roasted in the oven. Otherwise the stew of senglar - understand wild boar - simmers for a long time in red wine. While fish and seafood are mainly imported, trout is caught in the many mountain streams that crisscross the principality. To prepare the famous truita a l'andorrana, the trout is barded with mountain ham - pernil serrà - before being grilled. Simple and delicious.
Desserts and drinks
Andorra has many of the classic Spanish pastries. The crema andorrana takes the basics of the Catalan cream, flavored with cinnamon and lemon, but it is then topped with snow white and caramel. Otherwise, you can enjoy a coca masegada on the go. This rather flat brioche is often filled with apricots and generously sprinkled with sugar. It is eaten during certain events such as the Nit de Sant Joan festival on June 23.
With a minimum altitude of 840 m, Andorra does not necessarily seem to be a suitable land for wine growing. A few vineyards are nevertheless thriving in Andorra. The main houses ? Casa Beal, Casa Auvynia, Borda Sabaté and Celler Mas Berenguer. Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Albariño grapes give some very good Andorran wines. The most popular reds are the wines of Tarragona and Priorat.
More recently, local beer breweries have emerged: Alpha beer and Boris beer are among the stars of the moment, which can be tasted at Cervesera Alpha or Era Bauró. Other beers include Eagle, Sant Corneli, Font del Bisbe and Alpha Crepuscule. To conclude a good meal, nothing beats a glass of Ratassia de la Carmeta, an artisanal liqueur made from green walnuts and wild herbs such as thyme and oregano. The method of production is an ancestral secret handed down from generation to generation. Otherwise, the most curious will try the Nectum. This syrup - produced only in Andorra - is made with fir cones macerated in sugar for 40 days, or even much longer so that the aroma of the fir is more powerful. In addition to its unique flavor, Nectum is said to have therapeutic properties, especially against coughs.
Craft production and Km 0
The natural richness of the principality as well as its isolation, in the heart of the Pyrenees, have led its inhabitants to produce quality local products since time immemorial!
The pastures have thus allowed the breeding of animals and the production of a very good meat. Thus, about fifty breeders raise, at an altitude of 2,000 meters and according to traditional methods, oxen, lambs, kids and horses. These meats are stamped with the "Protected Geographical Indication" (PGI) and can be found on the grills of the country's restaurants, as well as in delicatessens in Andorran shops.
Market gardening is also one of the principality's treasures: locally grown fruit and vegetables are used to garnish dishes in the most tasty and environmentally responsible way possible! Many producers also offer products derived from this culture, such as excellent jams. Honey is also a well-known local product in Andorra.
Finally, it is worth noting that wines, but especially local beers, are becoming more and more numerous and diversified in the Andorran gastronomic landscape!
