The quick trip to France for indulgences not found in Spain is something of a tradition among the Catalan people. During the Francoist regime, many people used to drive to France to skip the dictator’s censorship and wait in long lines in the Perpignan cinemas to see classics of erotic cinema of the time – like The Last Tango in Paris – or to get books and magazines forbidden in Spain.
Nowadays, you’d still be hard-pressed to find a Catalan who travels to southern France for the weekend and returns empty-handed, though now they’re like to bring back wine, an artisan pâté, or one of hundreds of wonderful French cheeses. For those who don’t have time to cross the border, Fromagerie Can Luc, in Barcelona’s Gràcia neighborhood, is a much faster trip
This specialty shop claims to offer always a variety of around 150 different cheeses, not only from France, but from Spain and all over Europe as well. It was opened in 2014 by Frenchman Luc Talbordet, a cheese aficionado who left his work in the perfume industry to dedicate himself to perhaps the other most thrilling aroma in the world. “I have lived in Barcelona for the last 20 years, and the one thing I always missed [about France] was the cheese. Me, and all the French people in Barcelona!” says Luc, referring to the city’s over-sixteen-thousand French residents.
The supermarkets in Barcelona sell more processed cheeses than in France, says Luc, and here, more artisanal options are hard to find, or come with a high price tag. “I wanted to offer great quality cheese, with a fantastic assortment and good prices,” he explained. “This kind of shop did not exist here at that time! And now there are like only four more.”
Can Luc offers a selection from the most interesting artisan cheese makers – the majority of whom own their own cattle – with an emphasis on French producers but with options from across Spain and the rest of Europe. Here you will not only find a wide variety of cheeses but also any kind of tools or accompaniments you might need to enjoy them: crackers, toasts, marmalades and chutneys, wines and a short but excellent selection of charcuterie, conservas, rillets, pâté and pâté en croûte.
The star of Can Luc is probably the comté, aged 18 or 36 months. Another unintended bestseller are the raclettes and fondues, which have become wildly popular in recent years, not only for locals and but also for the French and Swiss expats living in the city – some who allegedly find Can Luc’s raclette better than that which they’ve had at home. If somebody doesn’t have the grill needed to prepare the decadent melted cheese at home, Luc lends it to customers for the occasion. “Every winter, we sell tons of raclette – we now carry twelve different raclettes of raw milk cheese from Switzerland, with truffle, smoked, with mustard, chives, chilies…you name it!” says Luc. In summer, he tells us, the burrata is the cheese that flies off the shelves.
There’s no shortage of Spanish cheeses, either: according to Luc, they are second only to France in quality and variety. He carries aged manchego, cured cheese from Jaen, Granada and Zamora, as well as local Catalan cheeses like an excellent goat milk Garrotxa, a smoky unpasteurized cow’s milk Cavana Fumada. There are the also delicious and special cheeses from producers in La Cerdanya in the Pyrenees, such as Formatgeria Meranges or goat cheese from Formatgeria L’Oliva.
In addition to the shop’s clientele, Luc supplies cheese to a number of local restaurants, organizes catering for all types of events, and collaborates with other local businesses on innovative projects, such as Paral·lelo Gelato to whom they provide the products for six new cheese gelatos.
Outside the door is a small bar for tasting where you can enjoy cheese-and-wine pairings, and a blackboard announcing Can Luc’s many services: cheese trays, weddings, funerals, baptism and “Quesoterapia” – “Cheese therapy,” no doubt an important contribution to the neighborhood’s wellbeing.
This article was originally published on October, 2022.
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