In Spain, conservas, or foods preserved in cans and jars, are not simply a matter of economic survival or a source of basic nutrition for students, hikers, military recruits and the like. Rather, the tradition of conservas more resembles that of keeping one’s most beautiful jewelry locked safe in a strongbox – a prized possession to bring to the table on special occasions, and a unique offering that can be found in both traditional and modern bars and bodegas.
It was a Frenchman named Nicolas Appert who invented the technique of canning around the beginning of the 19th century, earning a 12,000-franc prize from Napoleon for having found a way to keep the French army alive and well-fed during its long war campaigns. After being heated and hermetically sealed in jars, these foods were not only transportable but also retained all their nutrients.
Today, however, Spanish conservas are not mere soldiers’ grub but rather gourmet food products in which every ingredient matters. Variables such as the kind and quality of salt, sugar, oil and/or vinegar, the sauces and condiments used in the canning process, the season and locale where the food has been caught or harvested, the cut, the size or the number of pieces in the tin, and even the amount of time the product has aged, can all affect the taste and texture of conservas – which, like wine in a wooden barrel, will often improve in flavor over time. Many different products can be preserved using these techniques – vegetables such as artichokes, seaweed, cooked game meats like partridge, boar or dear, and even traditional stews like callos – but only a few are considered gourmet products.
Some of the most valuable delicacies found in Spanish tins are fish and seafood sourced from the cold seas to the north. From the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic come Cantabrian anchovies and top-quality tuna. From the Galician coasts come some of the most delicious clams, razor clams, mussels, small scallops (zamburiñas), mackerel, sardines, octopus or squid. The very best Galician clams can reach €600 per kilo, or about €97 for a 20-piece tin; looking like shiny pearls of the ocean, these white clams are carefully preserved in salted water only. Another curious gem is Catalan caviar, which comes from sturgeon raised in the waters of the Pyrenees in Vall d’Aran, which is prepared the traditional Siberian way – i.e. fresh, not pasteurized – and sells for €77 per 30-gram tin.
The tradition of preserving all kind of marine treasures came to Spain in the 19th century, influenced by the French. From there, Catalan entrepreneurs – like the famous Massó family, still a well-known commercial brand of conservas – brought the techniques to Galicia. They took part in an industrial revolution on the Atlantic coasts of Spain that led to the creation of dozens of canneries, eventually becoming the most important caning industry in Europe.
In Barcelona, these canned delicacies are often served as hors d’oeuvres, accompanied by a good wine or, most often, vermouth. Conservas can be found in all kinds of bodegas (cellers in Catalan), like Morro Fi, Lo Pinyol, La Moderna, Bodegueta Cal Pep, or the famous bodega Quimet i Quimet in El Poble Sec, one of the most iconic places to enjoy the local “vermouth hour.” Here, the owner Quim Pérez has created hundreds of amazing tapas and montaditos using preserved ingredients. One of our favorites is a fantastic sweet and salty contrast of Cantabrian anchovies served with two syrupy apricot halves and finished with an intense spoonful of Torta del Casar (a creamy cheese from Extremadura) and some drops of balsamic vinegar reduction.
In the Gràcia neighborhood, Bodega Costa Brava is one of our go-to spots for conservas, a small tavern with a comfortingly local atmosphere that has been in business for more than 60 years. The current owner, Xavi Batlló, who also DJs in bars and clubs around the city, offers a great selection of foods from Espinaler, one of the best and most iconic brands of Catalan canned products. But for a fun evening of tapas accompanied by pop-rock music, we recommend trying one of the venue’s several lovely homemade conservas, like their boquerones (anchovies in vinegar) or the sardines in escabeche, which are fried and then marinated in lemon and orange juice with tomato and aromatic herbs. All are prepared in-house by the bodega’s chef, Joana. Also in Gràcia, Bodega Quimet (not to be confused with Quimet i Quimet above) is a typical neighborhood bodega that offers affordably priced tapas from the high-quality canned foods brand Lolin, in a pleasantly informal atmosphere.
When picking up conservas to enjoy at home, head to the specialty conservas shops, such as Entrelatas in Gràcia. Opened by Paola Fornasaro in 2015, Entrelatas was the first shop in Barcelona completely dedicated to canned foods. Here, you can find an interesting selection of affordable yet magnificent conservas of all kind, mostly Spanish, but also Italian, French, Portuguese and Greek. LaTorre Punset in another gourmet producer, shop and bar with two locations in the Sant Antoni neighborhood and a small local factory. Their bestsellers are the anchovies, but in their shops you can get also a larger variety of seafood cans and olives.
Barcelona’s beautiful, often historic colmados – old-fashioned Catalan shops specializing in wines, liquors and conservas – are another great resource. Some of the best in town are the renewed Colmado Quilez on La Rambla de Catalunya, or nearby Mantequeria Lasierra in the Eixample neighborhood. Both are traditional stores with a carefully curated selection of preserved vegetables, meat and, of course, marine treasures. Conservas can also be found in the “Rincón Gourmet” of the department store El Corte Inglés, which offers a wide selection of top brands, or the Vila Viniteca grocery, a temple for local gourmands. Very often, market stalls dedicated to olives also offer also a selection of preserved products in jars and cans, like Olives i Conserves Salvador Helbig in the Llibertat Market.
It’s time to open the strongbox.
Published on June 24, 2022