Cool Hunting

On vacation you want to try the local cuisine, but what is the local cuisine? In Barcelona that problem is solved at Origen 99.9%, a restaurant and retail shop with three locations that specializes in “la cocina Catalana” or the Catalan cooking. Many of the dishes, such as the traditional "Little Octopuses With Chocolate" and a leek and almond soup made from a medieval recipe, are ones you may not find elsewhere.

Several times a year Origen 99.9% publishes a menu-magazine (in Spanish and English) that can also be downloaded and includes recipes, photographs of each dish and stories behind your meal. Articles in the current edition cover everything from pumpkin sausage to hollow "air doughnuts" and the history of the first cafes in Spain.

After dining head to the shop next door and pick out a little something to bring to home with you. Chocolates, jam, honey, olive oil, and wine are just a sampling of the specialties available. Origen 99.9% is the tastiest cultural education you are likely to encounter.

by Amy Sherman