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

Escudella i carn d'olla
Alternative namesEscudella
TypeSoup
Place of originSpain
Region or state
Main ingredientsPilota (large spiced meatball), vegetables
VariationsEscudella de pagès
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 made mainly on Thursdays and Sundays, and it is traditionally eaten on Christmas Day.

Service

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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

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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 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

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References

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  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. ^ a b 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.