«Tenim fe en Catalunya», proclama «Esquire»

La prestigiosa revista de moda nord-americana per a homes Esquire té clar que Catalunya "no tindrà cap problema" en el seu procés independentista iniciat amb la Declaració de Sobirania. En un divertimento periodístico-culinari, recomana als seus lectors nou delícies gastronòmiques del país, explicant-los que la cuina catalana es diferencia notablement "dels seus competidors espanyols i francesos". "Tenim fe en Catalunya", apunta la publicació: "Sobre una base estrictament culinària -tant si guanyen com si perden- aquí hi ha els motius pels quals els catalans no tindran cap problema".

L'article no dubta en comparar la situació política catalana actual amb el 1776 nord-americà, any de la Declaració d'Independència nord-americana, i cita com a joies gastronòmiques del país la paella, el Bar Marsella, el mercat de la Boqueria, el pa amb tomàquet, les anxoves...

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9 Unabashedly Delicious Reasons We Have Faith in Catalonia

By Eric Vilas-Boas

at 6:00PM

Cesar Rangel/AFP/Getty

First up: this paella. Chef David Rodena of Barcelona's 7 Puertas holds up a house specialty, containing seafood, peppers, and butifarra (a Catalan sausage).

Catalonia, the small, easternmost province of Spain with a population comparable to New York City and a landmass comparable to Maryland, declared its sovereignty yesterday with a vote of 85 to 41 by the Catalonian parliament. "Its only value is it allows (Catalan President) Artur Mas to go and meet Rajoy with broad parliamentary backing in favour of a referendum," political analyst Josep Ramoneda told EurActiv. So, basically, this is a 1776 moment for Catalonia, which we can get behind, even if it is largely a symbolic move. Ernest Hemingway's stay there was similarly symbolic, and it yielded some of the best literature of the English language. Catalonia, meanwhile, has a Mediterranean cuisine that's managed to set itself apart from its Spanish and French peers. On a strictly culinary basis — whether they win or lose — here's why Catalonia will do just fine:

Michael Delaney/Flickr
They have Bar Marsella, Hemingway's spot, and what some say was the first establishment to introduce absinthe to Spain.

Klearchos Kapoutsis/Flickr
They have the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, a landmark in Barcelona since the 1200s, and an award-winning international market in the present day, and still where Barcelona's citizens get their food.

Lablascovegmenu/Flickr
They eat things like this spinach, Catalan-style, made with pine kernels, rasins, and buckwheat.

Tim Pierce/Flickr
Did we mention the bell peppers? "Sauteed on very low heat with garlic, sherry, salt and pepper, and paprika. Served with a nice 12-year Scotch," according to the photo's caption.

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo/Flickr
Pa amb tomàquet, or tomato bread, a regional classic, and delicious.

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo/Flickr
Because anchovies like these ones from L'Escala (a small town of 10,000 people and world-renowned for the fish), will never be as bad as Americans think they are.