Tasting Barcelona – things you must have when you visit the city. Part 1.

Barcelona has a variety of delights to sample, and not all in the top restaurants. Many of the best treats can be enjoyed on a budget. I've split the list into 2 - read on to find out more!

Spanish gastronomy has enjoyed much popularity over recent years, and Mediterranean cuisine on a whole is often regarded as one of the healthiest regarding balanced diet. Ferran Adria's restaurant in northern Catalunya, "El Bulli" is considered by some of the world's most acclaimed critics to be the best restaurant in the world at the moment. However, with so much on offer, and so many restaurants in Barcelona, like any city, it's easy to miss a few of the classic Catalan dishes. What worse feeling is there to getting home and your friends and colleagues saying "What?! You mean you didn't try the ….?!" Well, here's a quick list of those un-missable culinary delights that are on offer.

Pan Tomaquet. This sounds really simple, but it's so great, and the majority of tapas and sandwiches in Barcelona are served in this way. It's basically bread (be it, baguette, chapatta, slices of toast, etc.) rubbed with raw tomato and olive oil. Variations include rubbing toasted bread with raw garlic, then the raw tomato and then the olive oil drizzled on top. Sounds simple, but it is mouth-wateringly good, and when I've gone out dining many times, you often polish off the tomato bread so quickly that your starter doesn't quite have the same shine!

Continuing from the above suggestion, we have the amazing Spanish cured hams, but in particular "Jamon Iberico pata negra" which refers to a specific breed of Iberic Hogs "black trotter" - who are fed solely on acorns - which gives an incredible taste to their meat. It's the most expensive of hams, so avoid the restaurants, and pop into the "boqueria" market on Las Ramblas, pick up a couple of slices (ask for birutas, which are wafer thin slices), get your bread and tomato and you have a self-made picnic right there. Be sure to get some of the pata negra chorizos (spicy sausage) while you're there, too - amazing!

What visit to Barcelona - the Catalan Capital - could be complete without trying the various Cavas on offer. The Penedes region is only 40 minutes from Barcelona, and such brands as Codorniu, Freixenet, and many others on the cava trail are a must to be tasted whilst in the city. Unlike Champagne, Cavas seem to go down easier - maybe due to the fact that you don't need to buy a really expensive bottle for it to taste anywhere near nice (personal experience, and not much at that!).

David writes about Barcelona apartments and Cheap barcelona apartments.