Tradition, technique, and creativity: the croquette as a gastronomic symbol in Barcelona

"It's better to fry them fresh or already defrosted, unless they are soft-dough; then, better frozen, to maintain the structure of the croquette." This and many others are tricks from croquette masters to serve the perfect bite, with flavors ranging from the most traditional ham to groundbreaking combinations, such as oxtail in black wine, garlic prawns, goat cheese with onion and walnuts, or squid with a touch of lime mayonnaise.

All of them are pampered and kneaded one by one at Croq&Roll, specialized, of course, in croquettes. For ten years from the Gràcia neighborhood, and also for two years, next to the Mercat del Ninot, it has been innovating with a product as traditional as the croquette. With 12 employees in the two establishments —seven of them in the kitchen—, they prepare a couple of doughs and roll about 300 croquettes of each dune every day.

"We do everything very artisan and very homemade," highlights Santi Pérez-Bonfils, who opened Croq&Roll with Nil Hostan a decade ago, during which they have accumulated recipes, customers, and also tricks, which they share with us coinciding with International Croquette Day: "You have to find the right point for the dough, which changes a lot depending on the ingredients. And, always, the oil must be very hot." These are constants in the establishment's extensive croquette menu, like a test bench for new combinations and flavors to give them that crispy and juicy rounded shape that their diners seek.

In Poblenou, Cata de Catacroquet also acts as an experimental ground. "We are specialists," highlights Andrea Pérez Lorente, owner of a place where no less than 400 kilos of croquettes move every week. "We do everything manually, we even cut the ingredients with a knife. Only a molding machine helps us," highlights Pérez, who runs a place with six people in the kitchen.

Born 11 years ago, Pérez launched the establishment to respond to her own need: "As a consumer, I missed more quality croquettes in restaurants; the croquette seemed a rather denigrated dish of Catalan gastronomy," and she decided to remedy it. Always based on ingredients from local suppliers, the place has a menu that rotates according to the season, now with six types of croquettes —they have had up to 12—.

And the croquette stopped being a recipe for food utilization a long time ago, and now it has become a creative testing ground. In Barcelona, many are opting for doughs that go far beyond chicken or ham, while another trend is gaining ground: gastronomic fusion. From curry to mole or kimchi, flavors from around the world are creeping into recipe books. And the crossbreeding goes beyond the interior, covered by alternative breadings that seek new textures, through infinite options such as panko, cereals or puffed rice, opening the door to endless possibilities.

Thus, what a decade ago might have seemed like a reviled elaboration of our gastronomy, has taken shape as a dish with points of sophistication, which can be found in the most innovative recipes, but also in the most classic ones —chicken, ham, and stew are a sure hit—. International Croquette Day, celebrated since 2015, has contributed to its valorization, in a Barcelona where many establishments are part of this croquette game, either with new interpretations or by refining the traditional ones.

From Born, Bar del Pla is one of them. "The croquette accepts all kinds of combinations," highlights its chef, Jordi Peris. "It cannot be missing in a bar, as it offers a lot of play to start a good meal," emphasizes the restaurant's chef, who has been serving daily for 14 years. So much so that even restaurants that cannot make them, such as Bodega Sepúlveda, offer croquettes. The establishment focuses its efforts on its traditional spoon dishes: "We do everything, we even mold the meatballs and clean the anchovies," highlights the owner, Núria Solà, also president of the Gremi de Restauració de Barcelona. But, despite not having time to make them, she does not give up on croquettes: before they are missing from the menu, they order them from a workshop.

Of stew, mushrooms, and baby squid, their croquettes are among the most flavorful in the city, within a long list of top-tier croquettes, spread throughout Barcelona. The oxtail croquette from Leku, those from Polleria Fontana —chicken, of course—, the classic ones from Gaig Barcelona, the high-quality croquettes from Delicias, those from Tres Tombs on a Sunday market day in Sant Antoni, the cod and chicken croqueticas from Esquinica, are part of those establishments that reserve a prominent place for the croquette.

Coinciding with their International Day, the city gives them an even more prominent place, with events such as the one offered by the Time Out Market until this Saturday —with proposals from renowned chefs, from the matured ribeye with caramelized piquillo from Darvaza to the escudella from Casa Amàlia—, and that of the Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower hotel, with an author's gastronomic proposal by its executive chef, Juanjo Martínez. Whether at one of these events organized for the anniversary or in some of the city's croquette temples, its International Day invites us to celebrate them, and not just as a crunchy bite, but as memory, creativity, and gastronomic enjoyment.