The Calçots Pilgrimage

A calçotada is one of the great communal eating rituals of Europe: long, fat spring onions (calçots) grilled over blazing vine cuttings until the outside is completely blackened, then wrapped in newspaper to steam until soft. You pick one up, peel off the charred skin with your fingers (they give you a bib and gloves for a reason), hold it above your head, and lower the sweet, smoky, tender heart into your mouth before dipping what's left in romesco - a thick sauce of roasted red peppers, toasted almonds, hazelnuts, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. It's messy, theatrical, entirely plant-based and utterly delicious.

The calçotada is a Catalan institution. The town of Valls, just outside Tarragona, claims to be its birthplace, and every January to March the region erupts into calçotada season - restaurants set up outdoor grills, towns hold festivals and competitions, and groups of friends and families gather around long tables to eat dozens of calçots between them. Tarragona itself is a Roman city (the amphitheatre overlooks the sea) with a food culture that runs deep into Catalan tradition. Fly into Reus, eat calçots in a bib with romesco running down your chin, and fly home a convert. Just make sure you come between January and March - this is seasonal, no exceptions.