What does a landscape taste like? In the heart of the province of Barcelona, the taste can be the sweetness of an apple from Vallès, the persistent aroma of honey from Moianès, or the intensity of a herbal liqueur made from herbs gathered in the forests of Lluçanès. The territory translates into flavors, and each region explains who it is through what is cultivated, harvested, or produced there.
This sensitive and gustatory view of the landscape is shared by Clara Soler and Gemma Muray, two young women who have shaped the project Caram Caram! Sommeliers by training and with experience in several wineries, they soon detected an imbalance: gastronomy often took a backseat to the prominence of wine and cava. "That led us to focus on the gastronomic products around us ---explains Soler--- and, when we started visiting small workshops, we realized that behind them were very powerful and valuable stories."
For years, they have traveled the territory to give visibility to local projects and to give a voice to the artisans who work from the roots. "We are dedicated to disseminating Catalan gastronomic products that are part of our culture and identity," Soler points out.
"The idea is to bring the product closer not only through its characteristics, its texture, or its flavor, but also through its meaning: why it is made, why it has endured generation after generation, and what role it plays within our culture." Because the taste of a landscape is not only eaten: it is also heard, learned, and shared.
The value of products with identity
In this journey of gastronomic rediscovery, Soler and Muray often speak of "products with identity": those that leave a mark that goes beyond the palate. "For me, a product with identity is one that you remember from the first bite. When you taste it, it stays etched in your memory," Soler describes. And Muray adds: "When you return to the place where you ate it, you remember that, one day, there, you tasted it. And you will surely look for it again. And if that place has closed... You will feel enormous sadness."
This way of understanding the affective value of food is reflected in the world of wine, which ---as Muray explains--- taught them to interpret the concept of terroir: that combination of soil, climate, and adapted varieties that shape a character and speak a landscape language. They apply this same criterion to their pairings and to the enogastronomic experiences they propose, such as blind tastings of products and wines or painting workshops among glasses.
"Creating territorial pairings makes perfect sense, because wine and products share the same climate, the same gastronomic culture, and a traditional way of doing things that makes them naturally compatible," Muray points out.
That's why, if they do a tasting of D.O. Alella wines, they pair them with goat cheeses from Arenys de Mar. If the tasting is of D.O. Penedès wines, they opt for cheeses made and/or aged in the area or for sweets from producers and bakeries in Penedès.
And, whenever they can, they highlight unique products, such as the rabbit sausage from Lluçanès, the "butifarra terregada" ---inspired by a traditional dish from Terrassa, originating from the early 20th century, made with blood and offal cooked in a slightly spicy stew--- and the becaruda oil from Vallès Occidental. Products that, like wine, explain a territory without the need for words.
How do you translate a landscape?
This technique of translating the emotions of a territory into flavors and aromas was applied in a project presented at the latest edition of FITUR 2025. In collaboration with the Barcelona Provincial Council, Caram Caram! created four cocktails that evoked the territory, mixing aromas, colors, and flavors of the Barcelona regions in concoctions expressly designed for this action, with the collaboration of a master mixologist. Wine, vermouth, ratafia, and other traditional drinks became the base of the recipes, and each cocktail was personalized with ingredients that themed the mix and reflected the essence of the territory.
Behind these cocktails, there is a creative process that starts from sensibility. For Soler, translating a landscape into an experience begins with a sensation. "First we feel what a territory awakens in us. Do I have a sweet, bitter, or salty memory? And what kind of sweet is it? From there, we look for a flavor or texture register that can express those sensations. And many times you find those ingredients in the same place, which help you tell its landscape, its vibration."
"Once you have all those elements identified," adds Muray, "it's about working with a mixologist who can translate that inspiration into spirits, liqueurs, sparkling wines... It's also a matter of harmony, balance, and listening to the sensibility of the creator." For the sommeliers, explaining a territory with a cocktail is much easier than doing it with a single product, because a territory is never just one thing. "The cocktail helps us tell many things in a single drink," concludes Soler.
More than products, people
The territory, however, is not explored only with the palate, but also through the human network that makes it possible. For Muray and Soler, each territory is an open door to a way of doing, of relating, of cooperating. And each encounter with local producers reveals a unique identity. "Each region has its singularity; it has surprised us in one way or another, and I believe that is the richness that Catalonia has: its diversity," says Muray.
Tasting a local product is a way to connect with the culture that makes it possibleIn this sense, Soler adds that the interest does not always lie in the product itself, but in the story that accompanies it"It's no longer just about highlighting products, but also small, lifelong businesses that you find in towns, and which often hide a product linked to someone's dream." For example, in El Vallès Oriental they have a friend who makes a total of 90bullsdifferent. "It's her dream: before retiring, she wants to leave a book written with all the recipes. And I would highlight that product, not only for its quality, but for the story that accompanies it and for the passion with which many producers live their craft."
And this journey through the flavors of the territory reminds us that, beyond the ingredients, there are landscapes, people and stories that give meaning to cooking. And that the Barcelona regions are full of unique products yet to be discovered. Through a sausage, a cheese or an artisanal bull, one can also read a way of life, of caring for the land and preserving a legacy. After all, tasting a local product is a way of connecting with the culture that makes it possible.
More information at www.barcelonaesmoltmes.cat/es/gastronomia