All language subtitles for Eva.Longoria.Searching.for.Spain.S01E01.Barcelona.and.the.Catalonia.Region.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb_Track03

Here in Catalonia,

people believe they're fueled
by two opposing spirits--

seny i rauxa--

which means the balance
between practicality

and wild creativity,

which is why this region
has produced

some of
the most famous artists--

Gaudí, Miró, Dalí.

Oh, and of course,
world famous chefs.

Completed in 1912,
this extraordinary structure,

with its ornate curves
and sculpted chimneys,

was designed by legendary
Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.

But it's not a church
or a monument.

It's an apartment block.

Where else
would you find a building

that's not only
super functional,

but also a stunning
piece of art?

Just standing here,

you can really feel the soul
of Catalonia.

I'm Eva Longoria, and
I'm a proud Mexican American.

11 generations ago,
one of my ancestors

left Spain for the new world
and a new life.

400 years later, I'm back.

I'm so excited!
- Salud!

And I'm exploring Spain
and its 17 regions

to see how the land
and its people

have created one of the world's
most exciting cuisines.

I think you know
what you're doing.

The closest region
to both France and Italy,

in the rugged northeast corner
of Spain,

Catalonia sits close
enough to Europe

to soak up new ideas,

while never letting go of
its own free spirit.

I feel like we should have
an animal wrangler.

With Barcelona
as its capital city,

Catalonia was the first Spanish
region to industrialize,

and it's still known
as an early adopter.

Whether it's architecture,
art, or food.

This region's creative energy,
dramatic history,

and rich traditions
are an explosive mix.

Aah!

And mealtimes here are full of

the most mind-blowing
surprises.

Wait, wait a minute!
What is this?

Barcelona--

It's got to be one of the
world's most exciting cities,

the jewel in Catalonia's crown.

Looking out
over the Mediterranean,

This prime spot has made
it a hub for trade and culture.

It's attracted visitors
for thousands of years,

and today I'm meeting one who
just couldn't bear to leave.

Hello?
- Eva Longoria in Barcelona.

- An American in Barcelona.
- Encantado.

It's so awesome
to have you here.

Food writer Matt Goulding
arrived in Barcelona

over 20 years ago
and fell head over heels,

first with his Catalan wife
and then with Catalan flavors.

He's showing me one
of the city's

coolest neighborhoods--
Sant Antoni--

to take part in
a Barcelona rite of passage.

We're on Carrer del Parlament.

If you ask anyone here
in Barcelona

what is Parlament all about,

they'll tell you vermouth.

Oh, yeah?

But more than just the drink,

it's the culture around it, right?

Is kind of early afternoon
before lunch.

Family, friends, salty snacks,
a couple of beverages.

The whole thing starts
coming together.

This is like
my kind of living!

I always thought
vermouth went in a drink.

I didn't think you drink it
by itself.

In Italy,
it largely works that way.

But here it was
taken and adapted,

and it became
a little less bitter,

a little bit more herbaceous.

They kind of found
this sweet spot

that makes it
eminently drinkable.

With around 50 vermouth
producers in this region alone,

Catalans have clearly adopted

this Italian import
as their own.

I'm in heaven.
I'm in heaven. Okay.

Well, we should try this first, right?

- Salud.
- Salud!

Oh, it has
an olive inside!

So you'll get
like those Mediterranean herbs

like thyme or rosemary.

They used sagebrush in this one,

which is kind of part of one of
their little secret ingredients.

But you're right. It's not as
sweet as some I've tried.

It's not. And the thing is--

you could happily
drink a few of these

or you can--
- Happily.

And rule number one here,

if you drink, you eat.

And I'm not talking
about a bowl of peanuts.

We've got top quality
tinned fish,

Catalan charcuterie
called Fuet,

succulent olives, and
hearty, thick-cut potato chips.

Wow.

Catalan cuisine is really
about Mar i Muntanya,

the sea and the mountains.

And that's kind of the basis
of all food culture

here in the region.

I can't stop eating this!

I am so ready for lunch.

And Matt's taking me
to a place that nails

that Catalan combo
of sea and mountain--

a restaurant called Gresca,
run by local chef Rafael Peña.

Wow, this place is stunning.

This is Gresca.
This is where we want to be.

And this is Rafa, chef.
- Rafa!

Hi.
- Nice to meet you, Eva.

I've been telling Eva about the
importance of Mar i Muntanya.

A big amount of dishes,
we mix the sea and the earth.

So I invite you if you want,
to come to the kitchen.

Oh, I can--
I can cook it?

- Yeah, we do it together.
- Okay.

It's good, no?

What are we making?

This is "Mandonguilles amb
sèpia" in Catalan,

It means meatballs with squid.

You make a stew, it's
very traditional in Catalonia.

And you help me with one very
important part,

which is the picada.
- The picada.

It's something you add
at the end of your stew,

and it makes it thicker,
and it's perfume.

- Oh!
- I think it's interesting.

Oh, I love that idea.

Picada is a dense,
pounded paste

that's added to
Catalan stews and sauces

at the end to give complexity.

You got the messy part, but
I got the labor intensive part.

Yeah, but I think you are
stronger than me.

That's why.

For this one, I'm mixing
saffron, almonds,

onion, and chocolate.

Now, I'm used to Mexican mole
with chocolate,

but I had no idea it
was used here.

What's in the meatball?

The meatball is a mix
between veal and pork.

How do we cook these?

- We fry them.
- We fry them.

We're going to add the squid.

You're gonna fry
that in there?

- Yeah.
- Nice.

And then we add
some hen broth.

Finally, everything goes back
into the pan,

along with my picada.

And as you see,
change the color.

- Here we come.
- Wow!

Look at that.
- Wow!

- Unbelievable.
- Mhm.

- Mhm.
- Mhm!

This feels to me
like a comfort food.

It feels like I could have this
on a Sunday when it's raining.

- Yeah.
- Mhm.

But the texture
of the meatball,

which is super soft.
- Super tender.

Yeah. And then the texture of
the squid-- divine.

That to me feels
like those two words

that really define
Catalan culture--

seny i rauxa, right?
- Yes, I heard this.

Seny i rauxa.
What does it mean to you?

Seny-- They say Catalans,
they have a lot of seny.

Seny is like they are rational.
- Practical?

Practical, rational.
- Yeah, exactly.

And then rauxa, we can take it
in a creative way--

crazy to a point, you know.
- Mm-hm.

And that is the Catalan style.

How is this dish
representative of seny i rauxa?

- Ah?
- This mix, right--

I mean, you have
this incredible piece of squid.

- Mhm.
- And you think what--

What goes with squid?
Well, pork fat.

Mix those two things together.
- Exactly.

- You are seny i rauxa.
- Thank you.

- Salud.
- Salud.

So, today I'm in the
Born district, El Borne.

It's one of the oldest
neighborhoods in Barcelona.

It was built during
the medieval times.

So the streets are
really narrow.

It almost feels like you're
going through a labyrinth.

There's no shortage
of high end places to eat here.

Catalonia has
around 250 restaurants

in the Michelin Guide.

And when it comes
to top tier seafood,

Estimar, by chef Rafa Zafra
is one of the best.

Wow!

Rafa's inspiration is
his passion

for the Mediterranean Sea.

His seafood creations are
deceptively simple,

aimed at extracting
maximum flavor.

This is a
surprisingly simple dish.

But that Catalan twist comes
by breaking with tradition

to serve three prawns
cooked three different ways,

all in one dish.
Uh-huh.

A-ha!

It's an entree
that's also a question--

Which prawn is best?
Steamed, boiled or grilled?

And for me,
there's a clear winner.

Wow!
This one has so much flavor!

My favorite was the--

I know. Well, I'm pretty
sophisticated so--

Oh my God, I loved it.

And for our next course,
Rafa is taking me on a journey

a hundred miles north of
Barcelona,

on the Costa Brava
to the port city of Roses.

And we're passing close
to the site of a restaurant

that changed fine dining
forever.

Rafa worked at El Bulli from
2008 until its closure in 2011.

Voted the world's
best restaurant

a record five times over,

El Bulli revolutionized
Catalan cuisine,

using scientific techniques

to create astonishing
new textures and flavors

that pushed the boundaries
of what food could be.

The visionary behind this place
is a man regarded as

the world's most influential
chef, Ferran Adrià.

He's also Rafa's
longtime friend and mentor,

and I'm so excited because
Rafa is taking me to see him.

I met Ferran
when I went to El Bulli,

but I didn't speak Spanish then,

and I feel
like we didn't connect.

So I think today is going
to be really special.

And we're picking up Rafa's
favorite ingredient--

Fresh off the boat.

Suquet is a traditional
fisherman's stew,

made with whatever
they caught that day.

And it's a landmark dish
for Ferran.

Ferran reimagined
this humble stew at El Bulli

using red prawns, potato balls,
and a Catalan flourish.

Oh, you're literally
squeezing out the essence.

Yeah.

Wow.

Sofrito, a sauce base of
onion, tomato, and garlic

is added to the potatoes,

along with a Spanish paprika
and a seafood broth.

Pinch me!

I'm about to taste the work
of a true culinary icon.

Oh my gosh.

Oh my God.

This dish is steeped
in local history,

but in typical Catalan style,

it's also had
a radical makeover.

He remembers me at El Bulli!

Catalonia was one of
the last strongholds

against the Franco dictatorship.

So today I'm meeting with a
food writer, Daniel Vázquez,

who comes from a long line
of anti-Franco activists.

And he's booked us a table at
an iconic Barcelona restaurant

that means a lot to his family.

Hola!

Where are we? What is this?

Daniel's late father
was the legendary

Spanish crime writer
Manuel Vázquez Montalbán.

He revolutionized
the detective novel

through his iconic food loving
private eye Pepe Carvalho.

But Montalbán was also
a champion of Catalan cuisine,

and for good reason.

He grew up in Barcelona
during the 1940s,

a time of poverty and famine.

And when General Franco won
the Spanish Civil War in 1939,

he was determined
to crush regional identities

and unify Spain
under his control,

especially rebellious
Catalonia.

Like Anti-Franco?

Mm-hm.

And that inventiveness shines
in this Catalan classic

that started as a way
to revive stale bread.

So you guys claim
pan tomate? Catalan?

Oh, so strong.

Oh, you're really going in.
Okay. Let me-- wow.

Always. You always have to
be generous.

Salud!

Wow. Wow.

From black rice and cuttlefish
to oxtail croquettes,

dishes here are all about
thrift and flavor.

To get to the heart of
this Catalan resourcefulness,

Daniel's invited me
for a home-cooked lunch

with someone very special--

His mom, Anna.
- Ah!

In the kitchen, celebrated
chef and family friend,

Carles Gaig,
is cooking up a dish

that's a perfect blend
of Catalan ingenuity

and Italian inspiration.

Daniel's father believed
Catalan cuisine was central

to Catalan identity,
and he wrote two cookbooks

to preserve the traditional
recipes from the region.

See in page 73--
the cannelloni.

- There it is. Oh, yes.
- Yeah.

It's so beautiful.

But we're certainly not using
Christmas leftovers today.

For our filling, we're sautéing
pork and veal

with a local fortified wine.

Okay, I'll push it down.

Oh, look at that!

Oh, my God, it's fast.

Oh my God, I'm so excited.

Mhm. Wow.

Franco's isolationism

and push for economic
self-sufficiency backfired,

sparking widespread
shortages and famine.

But rather than
prioritize feeding the people,

the regime focused
on silencing opposition,

including students like Daniel's
father and mother, Anna.

I'm realizing
that when it comes to food,

Catalan inventiveness is much
more than just personal flair.

It's keeping Catalan identity
alive with each and every bite.

So I love cava,
but I don't know much about it.

I don't know how it's made.

So I had to come to
Sant Sadurní d'Anoia,

the place that produces
over 90% of Spain's cava.

It's the birthplace
of my favorite bubbly.

And tonight's the night of
a weird and wonderful festival.

Thank goodness local wine
expert Meritxell Falgueras

is here to show me
the ropes.

How wonderful day
to come to the capital of cava.

I know! I'm very excited.

There's a lot of
excitement happening.

Today is the phylloxera party

and I have here,
because we dress in yellow.

This region was
originally famous for red wine,

but in the late 1800s, the
vineyards here were devastated

by a yellow parasite
called phylloxera.

Phylloxera was a nightmare
for every winemaker

because it attacks the roots
and it was a real disaster.

The diseased vines
were grafted

with hardier ones from
America,

and winemakers
crafted a sparkling white

that was the start
of a whole new industry.

That's the bug that just
did it all!

Aah!

Aah!

Aah! Oh, God!

Now there's more.
There's more!

More and more!

Now I understand it,

it's like a celebratory
festival

that they beat it

and they've come together
and survived it.

- Yeah.
- That's beautiful.

I had so much fun
at the festival last night,

and I didn't know
how much cava was woven

into the culture
of Sant Sadurní,

and today, I'm going to get
a behind-the-scenes look

of how this delicious
sparkling wine is made.

Hello!
- Hi, Eva.

Good to see you.

Meritxell Juvé is a
fourth generation winemaker

and her family
is one of the biggest producers

of premium cava in the region.

So everything
that you can see

are our vineyards,
more than 270 hectares.

- Everything I see?
- Everything you see.

These vineyards,
they have been in the family

for more than 60 years,
since my grandfather.

-Sheltered by the
Montserrat Mountains,

the region around
Sant Sadurní d'Anoia

has limestone-rich soil--

ideal conditions for the grapes

that make this
sparkling white wine.

Wow, this is so beautiful.

Yeah, and it is in here where we
transform the still wine

into sparkling wine.

Why is it called cava?

It's called cava
because we are in the cavas.

Well, I thought that
was obvious.

But I was like,
there must be more to it.

That's it?
Because we're in a cave.

As simple as this.

What is the difference between

cava and Prosecco
and champagne?

The difference between cava
and Prosecco is the method.

In here, we have the second
fermentation on the bottle,

as you can see.

And in Prosecco,
they have it in big tanks.

The difference between cava and
champagne is just the region.

I didn't realize
that cava and champagne

are made exactly the same way,

even down
to the special details.

What we do is
the hand riddling.

- Hand riddling.
- Yeah.

We have one person that
every day, during four weeks,

does this in order just to move
the yeast to the end of this--

They rotate the bottle
every day?

Every day, 40,000 per day.

We have to do at the end,
24 total turns.

- 24 total, okay.
- Yes.

With 12 million
bottles stacked on six floors,

that's some serious
wine aerobics.

Yes, and in here, we keep
the nicest wines that we have.

This year is 2010, so it's--
- 14 years old.

14 years aging.

Look at the color!

- Quite gold.
- Golden. Yeah.

Because it's
an old vintage.

- Oh my God.
- Yeah.

So what do you think?

Oh it's dry.
Not sweet.

You can feel
the fennel notes.

- Yeah.
- The butter.

Oh, my God,
that is really special.

- That's beautiful, huh?
- Beautiful.

Hola!

Let me introduce my father.

Muy encantada.

Around here,
cava is not just an aperitif.

It's the perfect complement to
this traditional harvest meal.

Oh, my God,
is this Butifarra?

Yes, this is a classical
Butifarra.

Oh, my God, I love Butifarra.

I come to
Catalonia just for this.

Butifarra is a typical
Catalan pork sausage,

traditionally served
with mongetes,

tender white beans sauteed
with garlic and parsley.

It's a classic combination.

But sausage and beans
with sparkling wine?

Who knew?

I feel like this plate has such
a mix of, like,

smokiness from the vegetables,

and then the sausage
is just exploding

with different flavors and
everything goes with the wine.

Yeah.

This is my favorite cava.

This one was released in 1976,

and at that time,

usually the sparklings in Spain
used to have a lot of sugar,

but this was the wine,
the Reserva de la Familia,

that the family used to drink.

But it was not
for public consumption.

And he said if everyone
is asking for the wine,

- We should sell it.
- Maybe we should sell it.

It was a turning point.

And Reserva de la Familia
became

this vineyard's
most popular wine.

Do you know what we say here?

We make liquid gastronomy.
- Mhm.

Salud to that.
That's beautiful.

I love that.

- Salud.
- I'll take it.

There's a lot
to celebrate here.

This region turned catastrophe

into delicious opportunity.

And thanks to that
Catalan innovation,

they're still leading
the way.

So I'm driving
through an incredible landscape.

It feels like a land
forgotten by time.

Because everything's overgrown
and really lush.

La Garrotxa is Catalonia's
biggest volcanic region.

It's home to the
Santa Margarida volcano

and a Two Michelin
Star restaurant

that's the epicenter
of an adventurous new cuisine.

I'm here to meet this incredible
chef and her three daughters,

who are pioneers of
this volcanic cuisine movement.

So I can't wait to learn more.

Their restaurant, Les Cols,

is based
in a classic Catalan farmhouse.

Their specialty is creating
unique dishes

inspired by the rich volcanic
soil that surrounds them.

Oh, nice to meet you.
- You, too. Thank you for coming.

Welcome to our garden.

Middle daughter Martina

was awarded Michelin Young Chef
of the year in 2024

and runs the kitchen
alongside her mother.

A white eggplant.
This is so beautiful!

It's more creamy than the
purple one.

Is this the one we're grabbing?

I like to come here.

It helps me to be
a little bit more creative.

I get inspiration
for new dishes, for example,

the dish that we are going to
cook later, lamb.

Oh my God! They're so cute!

The Rippolesa breed
is from our region,

from La Garrotxa.

Martina's mom grew up here.

It's hard to believe
their livestock used to live

on the ground floor.

So your grandma let your mother
open a restaurant in the house?

Yes.

This really is
a family affair.

Martina's two sisters
also work here.

Wow! What is this?

Yes, this is a
blackberry liqueur.

This cocktail is our version of
the Kir Royale cocktail.

I was just going to say
this feels like a Kir Royale!

- Yes!
- But Catalan.

But Catalan.

And with the berries
from our garden.

Muchas gracias. Salud.

Next stop is
the restaurant kitchen

to meet the true mother
of invention here--

Fina Puigdevall.

Everything smells amazing.

This tight knit family
business is the perfect example

of that Catalan blend
of seny i rauxa.

They have a
zero kilometer policy,

which is pure seny,
using produce grown

or reared right outside
their front door.

But the twist is the rauxa,

which is the creative spark

that makes every dish
unforgettable.

Made with eels
from the local river,

this broth is heated
with a hot volcanic stone,

giving it a smoky flavor.

Wow!

Oh that's beautiful.

Wow.

Mhm. Wow.
Everything's so smoky.

- Yeah.
- And it like goes together.

- And it is--
- Like a volcano.

Like a volcano!
Oh my God, this is amazing!

I'm going to just--
like, I shouldn't slurp huh?

Mm.

That is really good.

With a volcano
for the appetizer,

I can't imagine what
the entree will be.

All I know is that it includes
the ingredients we saw earlier,

the white eggplant
and the rare breed lamb.

And how long
do you cook this?

It's like five minutes,
more or less.

Okay.

These are cooked and
then perfectly seared,

along with some lettuce.

And now for the main act--
and this isn't just food,

it's a story told
one ingredient at a time.

The idea behind this dish
is the life cycle of the lamb.

Everything on the plate
represents an element

of their life,

from the green
hollandaise meadow

and the lettuce that they
feed on,

to the perfectly fried
sweet bread or gland

that represents the lamb's
digestive process.

And the story's not over.

What is this?!

- It's the wool.
- It's like the wool of the--

But what is it really?

- It's candy.
- Cotton candy?

- Yes.
- Oh my God!

This is so beautiful.

This stunning dining
room feels as much

a place of worship as a
restaurant.

Oh, my God!

This is one of the
most enchanting plates of food

I've ever been served.
Mhm.

Wow.

Wow.

I want to try this.

Oh my gosh.

Oh my God.

I did the circle of life.

On my plate.

Many of us don't want to
dig too deep

into where our food comes from,

and creating a dish that tells
a lamb's life story

from its birth to my dinner
plate is bold.

But here, using the finest
ingredients

from this volcanic region,
they pull it off beautifully.

I'm here in Priorat
to meet three sisters

who are determined to make the
best goat cheese of the region,

come rain or shine.

And that's a big ambition,

because this region is
cheese heaven.

Over 150 different varieties of
cheese are made in Catalonia.

And recent years have seen
an explosion

of small scale producers.

Back in 2015,

Elena and her two sisters

were students in Barcelona

with zero experience
of cheese-making--

or goats.

I love you,
don't bite me.

Oh, I love you so much.

Until a hike in the countryside
changed everything.

It was the start
of a whole new chapter.

After taking courses in
goat herding and cheese-making,

Elena and her sisters packed up
and moved

90 miles southwest of Barcelona

to the tiny village of
Bellmunt del Priorat.

It's an area better known
for wine than cheese,

but they went ahead and started
a goat cheese business anyway.

She's going to give
us good milk.

I almost lost the goat!

Who wants to handle the goats?

I feel like we should have
an animal wrangler.

Shh, shh, shh.

Oh, yay! We got it!

We got milk.

There you go.

Here in their
grandparents old village home,

Elena and her sisters
make Mató,

one of Catalonia's
oldest cheeses,

dating back to the
14th century.

A salt compound is also added
to help the curdling process.

This is like a
chemistry experiment.

I wish you guys--

could smell this.
It smells like goat cheese.

We made goat cheese.
This is so crazy.

Mató has a short shelf life,

so the shepherds used to eat
it quickly.

Sounds good to me.

The third sister!

True to Catalan style,

they're reinventing
a classic dish here.

Mhm. Oh my God.

That is so good.

Catalans look
to their traditions,

landscape, and history
for inspiration.

And let their imaginations
run wild.

Whether it's adapting
outside influences

to create something
uniquely their own,

or experimenting
with unexpected combinations,

it's no wonder that
Catalonia's bold creativity

has influenced the world.