Escudella

Escudella i carn d'olla, or shorter escudella, (Eastern Catalan: [əskuˈðeʎə]; lit. "bowl") is a traditional Catalan and Valencian meat and vegetable stew and soup.^[1] Francesc Eiximenis wrote in the 14th century that it was eaten every day by Catalan people.^[2]

Escudella i carn d'olla

Alternative names	Escudella
Type	Soup or stew
Place of origin	Spain
Region or state	Catalonia and Valencian Community
Main ingredients	Pilota (large spiced meatball), vegetables
Variations	Escudella de pagès
Media: Escudella i carn d'olla

A bowl of escudella with pasta

It is characterized by the use of a pilota, a very big meatball spiced with garlic and parsley; it also contains vegetables as celery, cabbage, carrots, etc.^[3] depending on the season. Additionally, bones, sausages called botifarra, and other types of meat, can be used. In historical times a type called escudella de pagès, which had pasta and rice, was traditionally made on Thursdays and Sundays.

Service

Escudella is typically served in two parts:

• The escudella proper is a soup consisting of a broth with pasta, rice or both.
• The carn d'olla is all the meat used in the broth, served afterwards in a tray along with the vegetables used.^[4]

When both parts are served mixed together, it is called escudella barrejada.

Escudella de Nadal

There is a particular version of this soup that can be called "escudella de Nadal" (Christmas soup) or either "sopa de galets" (galets' soup) and it is very typical on Christmas Day.^[2][5] It includes meat from four different animals, a pilota, several vegetables and the traditional special type of pasta known as galets, which are snail-shaped and notable for their considerable size.

See also

• Catalan cuisine
• List of soups
• List of stews

References

1. Ichijo, A.; Johannes, V.; Ranta, R. (2019). The Emergence of National Food: The Dynamics of Food and Nationalism. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-350-07414-9. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
2. Totes les sopes: Brous, escudelles i sopes d'arreu, de Jaume Fàbrega. Cossetània Edicions, 2008. ISBN 978-84-9791-394-2 (in Catalan)
3. Song, H.R.; Riera, A. (2019). A Taste of Barcelona: The History of Catalan Cooking and Eating. Big City Food Biographies. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 181-183. ISBN 978-1-5381-0784-3. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
4. Andrews, C. (1997). Catalan Cuisine: Europe's Last Great Culinary Secret. Grub Street. p. 254-256. ISBN 978-1-898697-76-3. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
5. Nadeau, C.A. (2016). Food Matters: Alonso Quijano's Diet and the Discourse of Food in Early Modern Spain. Toronto Iberic. University of Toronto Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-4426-3730-6. Retrieved 20 June 2019.