Sustainable Food

The fourth edition of the Terra i Gust sustainable food festival took place in the Ciutadella Park. For three days, some twenty-eight gastronomic offerings were served up by restaurateurs with a commitment to quality, local produce and practices that respect both the planet and the people who live on it. 

Visitors were able to tickle their taste buds with a total of 12,000 small dishes, taste natural wines and craft beers selected for the Barcelona Beer Festival, discover new recipes at showcooking sessions, have lots of fun while learning about responsible consumption through workshops and games as well as enjoying the contagious energy and vibrancy of live music. 

Diverse and locally sourced 

“We’re thrilled to be here, because it’s reassuring to be surrounded and supported by so many restaurateurs who, like us, put their heart and soul into making the products they use really shine”, explained Valentina from Fella Pizza. “The festival’s raison d’être is to make the city of Barcelona’s gastronomic delights accessible to a public increasingly committed to healthy, sustainable food”.

The range of dishes on offer was extensive and varied, with stalls from some fourteen restaurants offering everything from signature tapas and rice dishes to Mediterranean fare and fusion cuisine: Assalto Bar de Vins, Bacaro, Bistrot Levante, Casa Xica, El Celler del Nou Priorat, Espai Puntal, Fella Pizza, Green Leka Valldaura, Happy Foods, La Sosenga, Llamber, Mescladís, and Zaza were those chosen.

“It’s an opportunity to get to know many of the city’s restaurants at the same time, and try their dishes at affordable prices, said Maria, one of the visitors. Joan from the restaurant Casa Xica located in the Poble Sec district said, “it’s well worth taking part in this festival because it promotes zero-kilometre products and gives us restaurateurs a chance to get involved in this kind of major event”.

What’s more, thanks to the Diamond restaurant and El Pagès del Prat – a group of farmers from the Parc Agrari with Moroccan roots – visitors were able to enjoy a gastronomic journey to Casablanca, the guest city at this year’s La Mercè, with traditional chicken and vegetable couscous. 

Drinks, cheeses and sweet treats, the other stars of the show

As well as restaurateurs, there was also plenty of space for others to showcase their products. In terms of drinks, the Barcelona Beer Festival (BBF) collaborated once again this year, selecting six craft beer producers, and there was also space for natural wines from L’Olivera (Can Calopa), Rabassaires, Terrabuxena and Clot de Soleres. As well as the range of alcoholic drinks, there were non-alcoholic options like Lov Kombucha’s organic Kombucha. 

There were also six small producers of jams, artisan breads, chocolates and both vegan and cow’s milk cheeses. Those with a sweet tooth could find a selection of seasonal artisan ice creams from Delacrem, and for those looking for something to round things off nicely, there were speciality coffees from The Milk & Coffee on offer. Furthermore, it’s also worth noting that the free filtered water system avoided the use of some 11,000 plastic bottles.

High levels of attendance for activities 

Besides food, the festival also offered a wide range of activities, from showcooking sessions and talks by chefs such as Marc Singla and Vicent Guimerà, to workshops and informative games proposed by participating organisations and the Espai Consum Responsable. In all, over the three days 2,293 people took part in the different activities aimed at providing an opportunity for people to learn about healthier eating habits that are also more environmentally sustainable without sacrificing the pleasures of good food. 

The Saturday kicked off with a talk-workshop on traditional Barceloneta cuisine and its relationship with the fishing neighbourhoods, led by the Dones amb Sal Association, and Justícia Alimentària held a workshop to reveal the misleading aspects of food advertising, while CREDA taught attendees how to create colourful hummus using a variety of different pulses. 

Pep Nogué presented his radio programme El Suplement from the festival, and later the Barcelona Beer Festival offered a beer pairing workshop. There was also a showcooking session featuring vegan sweets and mindful eating, a presentation of Ada Parellada’s book on balancing cooking and family life, and a workshop on infusions and herbs to find out more about their properties, organised by ZeroWaste BCN.

On the Sunday there was a family-oriented storytelling session, “La Quinoa Viatgera”, organised by the DESCA Observatory, followed by an interactive game focused on learning how food can regenerate ecosystems and communities, presented by the Coordinadora de Mercats de Pagès. 

The day’s two showcooking sessions revolved around the trend towards plant-based eating, led by the CETT – one was centred on local ethnic cuisine, organised by Abarka and L’Etnogràfica, and the other on food waste in restaurants, organised for the Josep Lladonosa Awards. What’s more, there were also practical experiences on offer, such as a workshop on the African drink ‘bissap’, also provided by Abarka, and another on the preparation of Mediterranean herb salt, run by L’Aresta.

Ciutadella Park and music, the other keys to success

For the second year running the festival was held at the Ciutadella Park, a location that’s eminently suitable for large numbers of people, with plenty of space for tables and chairs so that visitors can enjoy the culinary delights on offer in peace and quiet. 

The live concerts added an even more festive touch, with artists such as Aïta Mon Amour, a leading exponent of electronic and traditional music from Morocco and Tunisia, Alejandro and Maria Paula, who introduced us all to Peruvian folk music, Juanlu Leprevost who gave us everything from folk to rumba, Aymée Nuviola with her Latin beats, and finally Egosex, with their original Jungle Trance Blues. 

“We came to listen to the concert, and then stayed to have a wander around, discover the different things on offer and have a bite to eat”, explained Maria López, adding, “the fact it’s in the park helps because it means there’s a great atmosphere, but no overcrowding – so you can go and take a look at all the stalls without having to queue for too long, and the music really adds to the enjoyment”.  

Gastronomic Responsibility Awards

The people and projects that won prizes at the third edition of the Gastronomic Responsibility Awards, organised by Slow Food Barcelona were also represented at the festival, and got the event off to a flying start on Friday, showing visitors the way that they work.


This year, awards went to Artur Martínez, one of the leading chefs in Catalonia’s Slow Food movement and a keen promoter of local produce and producers, who explores their exotic side; to L’Olivera, as a responsible producer on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and to the Mescladís Multicultural Citizenship Foundation (FCM), which was voted the Best Responsible Initiative.