Diversity of foods and cultures

Catalonia is known for the its diversity of cultures and also because  it offers  a great variaty of  culinary dishes.

Migratory movements have set eating patterns throughout history. In Spain, where the weight of the foreign population is increasing, there has been a phenomenon of progressive integration of various food cultures and the introduction of new foods by newcomers.

The food they consume immigrants in their countries of origin, presents a high intake of foods rich carbohydrates (rice, tubers like potato or cassava and corn cakes in Central and South America, couscous, rice and millet in Africa, rice and soybeans in Southeast Asian countries).

However, these new citizens are also influenced by the behavior and feeding habits of the host country. His ignorance on how to prepare dishes of their new place of residence, lack of practice for combining the different ingredients and mitigate it’s price, however, this influence, which drives them to make greater or lesser frequency to cooked food, that may prove even more affordable to their tight economy. On the other hand, have the ability to access candy, soda and other sugary products, something that is more difficult in their countries of origin. All these aspects might affect the medium and long term nutritional status of the immigrant, as is already happening with the Spanish population.

Catalan food

The Catalan diet is Mediterranean in nature, being used olive oil for frying, and a lot of milk and vegetables used, such as eggplant (aubergine), tomatoes, garlic and red pepper. It also uses bread and pasta, a wide variety of fish such as cod, anchovy and sardines, beans and chickpeas, and also a variety of meats, particularly pork, poultry and veal.

Foods from other cultures

Foods that seem exotic today are being gradually introduced in the domestic market and in a few years, given the abundance of recipes and experience in their development, everyday ingredients are Spanish diet, as has happened with many other "products of other cultures, such as potato and tomato, grown for hundreds of years, or pineapple and kiwi, the cultivation and consumption is more recent.

From Central and South America

It is becoming easier to find essential food market in the cuisine of Central and South America such as cassava or manioc, plantains and tropical fruits such as avocado, mango, papaya, coconut and bananitos, among others.

From Asia

Common in the Asian market and being introduced in the Spanish diet are variety of fruits (rambutan, litchi, cactus flower, mangosteen, orange kumquat or Chinese ...), also cultivated in many tropical countries of America and Africa, spices like curry , soybean and its derivatives (tamari, miso, tofu ...).

North Africa

Couscous is semolina wheat and names a dish representative of Muslim culture. A typical dish of couscous includes cooked meal, a stew of chickpeas, cooked vegetables and broth, and lamb or chicken, mainly. The ingredients are served separately. You could say that is equivalent (in terms of ingredients and presentation) to the traditional cooked, the couscous is like soup pasta and other ingredients are very similar to the ones in the stew.

Eastern Europe

The strips of meat kebabs, roast lamb or chicken served in a special bread (pita bread) and vegetables and sauces accompanied by typical, originating in Turkey are very consumed dishes in eastern Europe and in Arab countries, and Spain constitute a new form of fast food.