Andorra la VellaAfter two years of inactivity as a result of the pandemic, Andorra la Vella has again celebrated this Sunday in Plaça del Poble the popular calçotada, an event that is part of the twinning between the capital and Valls that began in 1967. Moments before the start of the calçotada, the consul major of Andorra la Vella, David Astrié, received the mayoress of Valls, Dolors Farré, in the communal building, where both representatives took the opportunity to highlight the good existing relations between the two territories, especially during the last eight years.
Precisely, Astrié has stated that “we are very happy to recover a tradition that we did not celebrate two years ago” and that it happens one year after the celebration of the 55th anniversary of the twinning, when it was installed in the same square from the Village the sculpture ‘Homage to the castellers’, by the Catalan artist Antoni Llena. In addition, the consul major recalled that the relationship with Valls includes a gastronomic exchange between the two towns, since, on a rotating basis, one year the parish hosts the calçotada and, the next, the city of Tarragona hosts a escudella of the Escudellaires Brotherhood of Andorra la Vella.
For his part, Farré emphasized that “it is an honor to be able to return to Andorra la Vella, a city with which there have been very close ties over the last few years”, so “to bring here a kilometer-long gastronomic festival zero for us is very important.” In addition, he took the opportunity to indicate the correct way to eat calçots, ensuring that “people should get their hands dirty” and “leave the plastic gloves for restaurants”.
After the formal ceremony of reception, the authorities went to Plaça del Poble to taste the food that, from early in the morning, the members of the Societat Arícola and Seccío de Crèdit de Valls, with the collaboration of Escudellaires d’Andorra la Vella, have been preparing for the hundreds of people who have taken part in the event. In total, around 6,000 calçots have been prepared, which are equivalent to around 600 portions, and which have the badge of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). The portion was accompanied by a terrine with romesco sauce, a gluten- and lactose-free sausage patty, a slice of bread, DO Tarragona wine and a commemorative bib of the day.
The relationship between the parish and Valls began in the mid-1960s following the interest of the gastronomic and hotel sectors to promote themselves and establish exchanges. In 1967 the twinning protocol was signed between the two cities and Pere Canturri and Joan Sasplugas, representing the municipality of Andorra la Vella, and Romà Galimany, mayor of Valls at the time, signed an agreement that remains today very alive
