Visiting the Girona Food Market in Spain

Travel is synonymous with food and for me and no trip is complete without sampling the local cuisine. In all my years of travel experience, I found the best food in local markets. They are great places to soak up the local culture and guarantee vibrantly colourful photos. During our long pan-Europe road trip which covered France and Spain, Tarek and I visited many such local watering holes and our most memorable food affair was at Girona, in Spain. It was only fitting since Girona is hailed as the new food capital of the world and the city boasts of the second-best restaurant in the world. However, since we were on a budget trip, we gave the city‘s Michelin-starred restaurants a miss and instead opted for a very enjoyable Girona food market visit.

What to eat at Girona food market

Girona‘s Catalan cuisine showed up on our plates at various small eateries across the city and Suzanne, our BnB hostess was an exceptional cook. From Iberian ham tapas platters, xuixo pastries, grilled boitifarra, a typical Catalan sweet sausage to local liqueur Ratafia, our Girona food market experience was one big gastronomic affair. We were there in spring when Ajo paisajes or garlic scapes were in season and the whole city basked in a delicious aroma. Flower buds of the garlic plant, which are removed to allow the bulbs to fatten up, ajo paisajes made me so curious, that eventually, Suzanne stepped in to accompany me for a visit to the Girona food market. A proud Catalan, she loved everything about her city and the Girona food market visit is a very memorable one.

Recommended read for food lovers: Food thoughts collection

Mingle with the locals at Girona food market

She took me to the local El Lleó market which is a sort of nerve center of Girona. The Spanish take their food seriously and they love to spend their time lavishly. Thus their marketplaces double up as a place for meeting up, exchanging boisterous holas and juicy gossip, along with some fresh produce shopping. The defiant Catalans are no different and Girona‘s local market was an interesting peep into the province‘s rich food culture. Housing around 60 stalls offering a mind-boggling variety of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, preserves, cheese, and groceries, it was an absolutely photogenic place. Colours popped out from spiky artichokes and strings of sausages, as garlic scapes gave off a pungent aroma. The market was frequented by the locals at the time of our visit and we received our share of samplings, holas, and a complimentary bottle of wine.

Sneak peek of Agora Market in Crete: Agora Market in Crete

Take those awesome photos

In the mornings, however, the vendors hardly have time even for a brief chat, since the Girona‘s chefs come to shop for their restaurants. Now, for a city that holds the title of having the second-best restaurant in the world, along with fantastic food culture, that is a huge responsibility on the local market, yet it never fails to deliver. Bustling, laughing, and friendly, it was a great place to wander, shop, take photos, and gorge on some delicious snacks. Baby pickled aubergines, grilled artichoke hearts, and savoury coca pastries..the list of local Catalan dishes found there was endless and they were much pocket-friendlier than the reputed second-best restaurant in the world.

Don’t leave Girona without trying these dishes

• Xuixo – Pronounced as ‘CHOO-chos’, this very sweet pastry filled with cream is a must-try.  
• Sweet ‘botifarra’ sausage – A local product hailing from medieval times, is cured meat that can be eaten roasted with apple, cinnamon, and lemon.
• Pals Arros/Rice – Introduced by the Arabs from Valencia in the 12th century, this rice is used in numerous rice stews, especially a particular Empordà plate.
• Fesol d’ull ros – Locally known as the ‘banyolí’ bean, this is a typical kind of legume from the Baix Empordà and Estany area. They are excellent when eaten with shredded cod (‘bacallà escaixat’) or grilled vegetables (‘escalivada’). 
• Ratafia – A local liquor made by mixing different regional ingredients (such as fruit, medicinal herbs, roots, pine nuts, and spices) in brandy.
• Pollastre amb Escamarlans – This is an unusual combination of chicken, and shellfish and is truly delicious.
• Beef with Bolets/Wild Mushrooms – The combination of juicy meat stewed with the mountain, mossy-scented wild mushrooms (‘bolets’) is heavenly. It is slow cooked for best results.
• Can Xapa Chocolate – This is one of Girona’s best gastronomic heritage. Can Xapa is a bakery inside a 13th-century castle and their star product is the ‘xocolata a granel’. Made in slabs of 1.5kg that are then broken down into pieces, this chocolate has 85 percent cocoa and candied dried fruits.

Sounds delicious? Take a look for yourselves!

For more information, check out Localmarket.cat

Follow the rest of the Spain series

• THINGS TO DO IN GIRONA
• HOW TO SPEND ONE WEEK IN ANDALUSIA
• ALMERIA, SPAIN´S SOUTHERNMOST CITY
• THINGS TO DO IN GRANADA
• NIJAR, ONE OF THE WHITE VILLAGES IN SPAIN
• BEAUTIFUL UNDERRATED CUENCA
• THE DALI MUSEUM IN FIGUERES IN SPAIN
• 48 HOURS IN GIRONA

RESPONSIBLE TRAVELING-BECAUSE I CARE

FAQs

What food is Girona known for?
Girona is hailed as a food capital in its own right — home to one of the world’s top-ranked restaurants — with local specialties including xuixo pastry, sweet botifarra sausage, Pals rice, fesol d’ull ros beans, ratafia liqueur, and pollastre amb escamarlans (chicken with shellfish).

What should you eat in Girona?
Don’t miss xuixo (a cream-filled sweet pastry, pronounced ‘CHOO-chos’), sweet botifarra sausage roasted with apple, cinnamon, and lemon, Pals rice (introduced by Arab traders from Valencia in the 12th century), and fesol d’ull ros beans paired with shredded cod or grilled vegetables.

Where can you find the best local food in Girona?
The author’s most memorable food experience was at Girona’s local food market — a budget-friendly alternative to the city’s Michelin-starred restaurants, and a great place to soak up local culture, mingle with locals, and take vibrant photos.

What is a must-try dish in Girona?
Xuixo, a very sweet cream-filled pastry, is singled out as a definite must-try, alongside Pollastre amb Escamarlans, an unusual but delicious combination of chicken and shellfish.

Is street food in Girona safe to eat?
The article doesn’t address food safety directly, but describes the local food market as a welcoming, everyday spot popular with locals, which the author chose over Michelin-starred dining during a budget trip.

Can you take me on a food tour of Girona through someone’s actual experience?
The author, travelling on a budget through France and Spain, skipped Girona’s famous Michelin-starred restaurants (the city is home to one of the world’s top-ranked restaurants) in favour of the local food market, calling it their most memorable food experience of the whole road trip.

What local dishes in Girona should I seek out that most tourists miss?
Lesser-known specialties include fesol d’ull ros (the ‘banyolí’ bean, a Baix Empordà specialty best with shredded cod or grilled vegetables), ratafia liqueur (brandy infused with regional fruit, herbs, roots, and spices), and sweet botifarra sausage, a medieval-era local product.

What makes the food culture of Girona distinct from its neighbors?
Girona blends deep historical influences, like Pals rice introduced by Arab traders in the 12th century, with hyper-local specialties tied to specific nearby regions, such as the Baix Empordà bean fesol d’ull ros, giving its cuisine a strong sense of place.

What should a first-time visitor know before eating their way through Girona?
Know that Girona is considered a serious food destination, home to a world-class Michelin-starred restaurant, but that the local food market offers an equally rewarding, budget-friendly way to experience the city’s culinary culture and mingle with locals.

Are there any food memories or traditions from Girona worth knowing about?
Sweet botifarra sausage dates back to medieval times, and Pals rice traces its roots to 12th-century Arab traders from Valencia — both dishes carry centuries of regional history into the local market stalls and kitchens of Girona today.