Original subtitles

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.