Pescatarianism  (vegetarianism plus fish), traditional bread baking with an innovative edge, strictly organic country produce… these are some of the options expanding gastronomic horizons in Barcelona and its area.

Through his restaurant Flax&Kale, Jordi Barri (Lleida, 1979) is paving the way for pescatarianism in Catalonia –a gastronomic trend that first took flight in New York and combines vegetarianism with small doses of oily fish. Xavier Barriga (Barcelona, 1969), founder of the bakery Can Turris, brings together cutting-edge methodology while preserving traditional techniques to recover the rich taste of bread from his childhood. Can Perol is a collective  of six families of farmers, aged between 35 and 60, who are looking after people’s health and the environment with their organically-grown produce.

Photo: Albert Armengol
Jordi Barri, the pioneer of flexitarianism in Catalonia and founder of Flax&Kale restaurant.

Haute cuisine on pescatarian terms

Jordi Barri (1979, Lleida) was born the same year as the Paradís restaurant run by his parents, vegetarian chef Teresa Carles and entrepreneur Ramon Barri. “It was a small vegetarian restaurant, but it made a big impact in the Lleida area. There were always a lot of people, and they were mostly people from intellectual circles, university lecturers and writers”, he explains.

Having been a vegetarian since birth and surrounded by cookery books and sumptuous dishes, Jordi’s curiosity and interest were aroused. “There are some who rebel against their parents and do the opposite of them, but I grabbed the opportunity to devote myself to something I liked and that I could also combine with my true profession, finances and communication.” Having completed his studies in these two subjects, in 2011 Jordi Barri went on to open a restaurant in Barcelona – the hip and modern Teresa Carles – together with his sister Mar and his parents, with vegetarian food and an artistic flourish. It was then that he began his voyages around the world looking to gather up culinary ideas to bring innovation and novelty to his menu.

In 2014 he introduced the New York concept of pescatarianism to Catalonia and founded the restaurant Flax&Kale, “which is based on a vegetarian diet, but doesn’t rule out small portions of oily fish, rich in omega-3. It’s healthy and flexible eating”. The restaurant’s philosophy is to prioritise health, the reason why they gave it the name of two superfoods: kale, a variety of cabbage high in fibre, antioxidants and anti-inflammatories; and flax, also known as linseed, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. “People who come to Flax&Kale want to cultivate their vitality over the years, and are starting by introducing superfoods into their diet that will help achieve this goal.”

It is an idyllic setting where you can find cold-pressed green juices and where true culinary works of art, with ingredients cooked below 46 °C (to conserve all the enzymes), gluten-free and lactose-free dishes, and desserts with a low glycaemic index are all on offer. The restaurant is a great inspiration and a gastronomic paradise for lovers of healthy living and good food.

Photo: Albert Armengol
Xavier Barriga, the driving force behind Can Turris bakeries.

Classic bread, freshly made

The aroma of bread straight out of the oven fills the workshop of Can Turris on Carrer d’Aribau. Xavier Barriga (1969, Barcelona) is a baker who wanted to recapture the rich taste of bread from his childhood. He has returned to slower working methods, with longer fermentation periods and wholegrain flour, while avoiding genetically modified seeds.

Seven years ago Xavier opened his first workshop in Barcelona, later going on to create the Institut Turris, where he designs the bread varieties he offers, including breads with organic flour and some that are gluten-free. “We only use flour from trusted local producers. We’re currently bringing pseudocereals such as amaranth and buckwheat into the process”, he explains. They also make Nordic breads, prepared with rye, but one of the delicacies that has caused the greatest stir has been the spring, winter, summer and autumn breads. “They carry more fibre, because they include dried tomatoes, carrot and broccoli.” The spices and seeds also give these creations a slightly exotic flavour, surprising even the most demanding of palates.

Born into the midst of a family of bakers, Xavier’s father passed down his fondness for the bread-making process. “From the smell of the freshly baked bread to the moment you put flour on your hands to knead the dough, you’re following an artisanal process that has a bit of magic in it.” He fell in love with the art of bread making as an adolescent in the family workshop, and when he was twenty-three he visited Portugal, Italy, France and Denmark to train, attend courses and begin to contribute to specialist magazines.

Knowledge of the most innovative methods united with the preservation of certain traditional techniques makes Xavier Barriga’s bread modern but highly authentic in equal measure. “We make our starter without yeast, just flour and water. This is the natural method that was used to make bread rise in ancient times”, he affirms.

This dough is left to ferment at room temperature and water and strong flour are added whenever necessary. “A longer fermentation allows the baker and the rest of the team to have a life during the day and sleep at nights.” The taste of the bread is different, too: the soft part is denser, the crust crunchy and a tiny bit caramelised, with hints of acidity and a robust texture that takes you back to years gone by. “Patience, time and respect are beneficial in the art of bringing bread to life”, he concludes.

Photo: Albert Armengol
Anna Molner, member of Can Perol, an organic farmers’ collective in Sant Vicenç dels Horts and the Tarragonès region.

Organic agriculture with heart

Joan Raventós and Anna Molner are part of Can Perol, a collective of six families of farmers aged between 35 and 60 who practice organic agriculture at Sant Vicenç dels Horts and in the Tarragona area. With their parents and grandparents having worked in the fields before them, they have inherited a respect for the land and turned it into their philosophy. “We practise organic agriculture because it’s a way of not harming the land. We look after around three hectares of varied seasonal crops and have four  types of fruit trees: peach, cherry plums, cherries and olives”, Anna explains.

These land-working families have joined together, offering organic baskets to schools, families, cooperatives and online shoppers. “To avoid pesticides and toxins that contaminate the soil, we use the following methods: we leave gaps between the crops and the vegetation, to accommodate insects that are beneficial and eat aphids; we don’t use chemical fertilisers or genetically modified seeds; we practice crop rotation and diversification, allowing the soil to regenerate properly; and use agroecological methods to prevent harmful insects from eating the fruit and the vegetables”, says Joan. “This means leaving traps with bait, food that peach and olive fruit flies love, or releasing the insect’s female pheromone from two boxes set on each side of the fruit tree. The pheromone attracts the insects into the box, leaving the fruit unscathed. We don’t make much use of natural insecticides such as pyrethrum, only as a last resort, although they are allowed in organic agriculture and are biodegradable.”

Photo: Albert Armengol
Joan Raventós, member of Can Perol, an organic farmers’ collective in Sant Vicenç dels Horts and the Tarragonès region.

The farmers at Can Perol are also working towards helping local crops recover their standing. “We’ve helped bring back the white aubergine as well as native varieties of cole (espigalls and brotons de la col), chickpea (cigronet petit) and bean (mongeta del ganxet)”, adds Joan Raventós. Some of these genera had been lost, being less resistant to insects than other more commercial crops. “We have seasonal produce; our maxim is that we follow the rhythm of the land and its traditional growing calendar. When it’s not the season for tomatoes, we don’t offer them. But what we do practise in the Can Perol network of producers is that some of us put our efforts more into fruit and others into vegetables. The produce that we sell is sourced locally, because the majority of the producers are located in the Baix Llobregat and Tarragonès areas.”

© Dani Codina
Rubèn Garcia, the force behind Growinpallet.

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Rubèn Garcia worked as a researcher for one year at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. However, he wanted to turn his career around; he was a chemist and was becoming increasingly more interested in the renewable energy sector. After studying for a master’s degree and working for five years in an energy sector company, he decided to start up his own personal project. “When I saw the speculation in the energy sector and the underlying political interests, I decided to throw myself into a project to promote a social and sustainable economy.” And that was when Growinpallet saw the light, which consists of “spreading a network of urban allotments over the rooftops of the city of Barcelona, producing organic vegetables and minimising environmental pollution,” he explains. “Firstly, vegetables absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere, and secondly, transport is reduced because the city’s inhabitants consume a kilometre-zero product.”

The project won first prize for the 2013 Barcelona Incubaeco programme, which serves to promote ecoentrepreneurship. “Growinpallet makes it possible to create allotments in grow tables made from recycled materials, which means no reforms are needed on rooftops. This makes for fast installation.” Cities like San Francisco have already shown an interest in the proposal and it is gradually spreading all over Barcelona. “We don’t want to be just another urban allotment company,” says Rubèn Garcia. “Our project is based largely maintaining the allotments, promoting a new job profile: the urban farmer, who acts as an advisor to the people who sign up for the service.”

Neighbours’ associations, restaurants, hotels, businesses, schools and homes for the elderly are potential customers. “One very interesting example is nurseries and schools that organise related educational activities. Education is crucial in producing far-reaching change that will make new generations aware of the importance of sustainability and the environment.” Is anyone else interested? “Some companies have hired the service to improve employee productivity, as well as organic restaurants that seek to reduce costs by growing their own vegetables,” says the creator of Growinpallet.

© Dani Codina
Architect Marc Folch.

After studying at the School of Architecture of Barcelona and taking off to Lund University in Sweden, Marc Folch was granted a NASA scholarship for the “Space for Living – Living in Space” programme developed in Houston by the US agency and the aforementioned university, and trained in Israel with the architect Ze’ev Baran. He subsequently returned to Barcelona to co-found Calderon-Folch Arquitectes together with Pilar Calderon, later to be joined by Pol Sarsanedas. His decided commitment to the concept of sustainable architecture has brought his studio great success, and it was a finalist in this year’s Catalonia Construction Awards and the AVS Awards. It was also awarded the Prix régional de la construction bois (France).

Last year the Calderon-Folch-Sarsanedas studio received the ISOVER Energy Efficiency Award and the AJAC Award for Young Catalan Architects. “Sustainability is not just about reducing consumption and minimising pollution; it also brings wellbeing, health and comfort back into the focus of the architectural discourse.” Marc Folch designed the MZ House in Barcelona, “an example of how to rehabilitate, in energy terms, a century-old home in Barcelona, reducing its power consumption by 90%.

Bioclimatic design is based on a proper interpretation of the natural environment and makes it possible to generate spaces with maximum environmental comfort and minimal –or zero– auxiliary energy dependence,” he underlines. “We know that we live on a planet with limited resources, and if we can leave a minimal environmental impact, then why don’t we?” He tables some data: “The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that buildings contribute one third of total greenhouse gas emissions and consume 40% of the planet’s energy.”

The architecture of Calderon-Folch-Sarsanedas Arquitectes is responsible, committed and supportive of the environment and future generations. In this regard, Marc Folch describes the city as a “model and a source of inspiration” for the world, but he stresses that “if we want to continue to be pioneers and give greater value to our assets then we have to promote new-generation models. And it is precisely in the field of sustainability where we have a great op­portunity, both in architecture and urban planning.”