Escudella facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Escudella |
|---|---|
| Type | Soup or stew |
| Place of origin | Spain |
| Region or state | Catalonia and Valencian Community |
| Main ingredients | Pilota (large spiced meatball), vegetables |
| Variations | Escudella de pagès |
Escudella i carn d'olla, or simply escudella, is a traditional and delicious soup and stew. It comes from Catalonia and the Valencian Community in Spain. This hearty meal is full of meat and vegetables.
People in Catalonia have enjoyed escudella for many centuries. A writer named Francesc Eiximenis even wrote in the 1300s that Catalans ate it every day!
Contents
What Makes Escudella Special?
This special dish is famous for its pilota. A pilota is a very big meatball seasoned with garlic and parsley.
Besides the pilota, escudella also includes many vegetables. These can be celery, cabbage, and carrots. The vegetables often change depending on the time of year. Bones, different kinds of meat, and sausages called botifarra can also be added.
Long ago, there was a type called escudella de pagès. This version had pasta and rice. People traditionally made it on Thursdays and Sundays.
How is Escudella Served?
Escudella is usually served in two separate parts:
- The escudella part is a warm soup. It contains the broth from cooking, along with pasta, rice, or both.
- The carn d'olla part means "meat from the pot." This is all the meat and vegetables that were cooked in the broth. They are served on a tray after the soup.
Sometimes, both parts are mixed together in one bowl. When this happens, it is called escudella barrejada.
Special Christmas Escudella
There is a very special version of this soup. It is called "escudella de Nadal" (Christmas soup) or "sopa de galets" (galets' soup). People traditionally eat it on Christmas Day.
This Christmas soup includes meat from four different animals. It also has a pilota and several vegetables. The most unique part is the special pasta called galets. These galets are shaped like snails and are quite large!
See also
In Spanish: Escudella i carn d'olla para niños
