The Land of Hazelnuts

An unmistakeable marker in the landscape of Tarragona and its surrounding comarcas (portrayed above in an early 20th-century painting by Joaquin Mir, a lover of the local landscape in and around l´Aleixar and Alforja) is the hazelnut plantation. An amazing 90% (!) of all Spanish-grown hazelnuts are produced on the small hazelnuts farms - thousands of them - of this region, especially in the Camp de Tarragona lowlands. A 600-year old tradition, hazelnut cultivation spread by the late 19th century to replace the vineyards wiped out by the great wine blight. Now there is another blight sweeping the region: Turkish competition. The biggest world producer of hazelnuts is flooding nowadays even the Spanish domestic market, so local growers have been working hard on raising the quality of their product. The first major step in this direction was the creation in 1995 of the DOP Avellanes de Reus (Denominación de Origen Protegida - or, in English, Protected designation of Origin); worldwide there is just one other hazelnut-producing region that has this same quality label.

The nutritional and health benefits of hazelnuts have been demon-

strated by several scientific studies: it is a source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamin E, antioxidants, minerals and a fat content that is primarily oleic acid. Most hazelnuts end up in the confectionery industry - worth mentioning is turrón, an ancient and artisanal nougat that comes in many varieties. But the gastronomy of hazelnut goes far beyond confectionery, sweet deserts (like hazelnut cream) and the well-known hazelnut romesco sauce. Top restaurants in the region like Falset´s Celler de l´Aspic or La Gigantea in La Selva del Camp offer dishes such as langoustine salad with hazelnuts and green Benac tomatoes or with hazelnut bread and aubergine mousse. Step into any of the region´s better agrobotigas or farm shops - usually in villages with an active cooperative - and you´ll find a range a hazelnut-derived produce: hazelnut spread (puré de avellanas tostadas); hazelnut oil (e.g. from Reus-based Afruse S.L.) - sold both as an edible oil great for adding flavour to a dish and as an essential oil for aromatherapy and massage -; hazelnut horchata which is a creamy, refreshing drink that can be served as an aperitive; etc.

Now a new quality label has been introduced under the name of ´Productes Locals de Qualitat - Camp de Tarragona i Terres de l´Ebre´ (PLQ, in short), bringing together not just hazelnuts (DOP Reus) and quality wines and oils but also peaches (IGP Ribera), bluefish (MQ Peix Blau), rice (DOP Delta de l ´Ebre), clementines (IGP Terres de l ´Ebre), potatoes (IGP Prades), calçots (IGP Valls) and honey (Perrellò). No better place to start sampling these gastronomic goodies than in one of the many fairs that are celebrated year-round in the region. The small village of Riudoms near Reus will soon - during the second weekend of August - celebrate its annual Hazelnut Fair, the meeting point for all local hazelnut fanatics.