Calçots and the calçotada
From roughly November to April, families and groups of friends head out to the countryside to grill green spring onions over open flame and eat them standing up.
The ritual
Calçots are charred over fire, wrapped in newspaper to steam, then dipped in romesco-style sauce and lowered into the mouth from above, bib on.
The full meal
The onions are only the first course; grilled meats and beans follow, and lunch comfortably occupies the whole afternoon.
In the city
Plenty of Barcelona restaurants run calçotades in season, so you do not need a bus into the countryside to take part.