The fertile land provides unique vegetables and legumes. In the Bages region, we have white eggplant, Mura chickpeas, Manresa green cabbage, Castellfollit beans, and Bages tomatoes. As for the Anoia region, it offers Alta Anoia chickpeas, Calaf eggs, extra virgin olive oil from the Arbequina, Palomar, and Vera varieties, and Piera peaches. Other delicacies such as Montserrat mató cheese, rocking horse cookies from Sant Antoni, Ral d’Avinyó pork, and organic Anoia veal and lamb are examples of the richness of locally-sourced, zero-kilometre products.

With the coordination of the Alicia Foundation, the Hospitality and Tourism Guild of Bages and the Rebost del Bages —consisting of the Regional Council and Manresa City Council—and with the collaboration of local markets and restaurants, the white eggplant is promoted through various culinary events. Its flavour is milder than that of the black eggplant, but it is more challenging to preserve as it ripens more quickly. Experts compare it to fat-free foie gras. Along the Ignatian Way, many pilgrims visiting the Bages orchards already knew about this eggplant, but its cultivation ceased a century ago due to low productivity. Enric Casasayas, a third-generation farmer at the Les Arnaules estate in Viladordis, explains that this vegetable “has a more subtle flavour than the black one and differs in its colour and texture. Once you taste it, you’ll never go back to black again.”

In Anoia, the Alta Anoia chickpea is a local specialty that has been passed down through generations and has gained exceptional gastronomic qualities. It is a small, smooth chickpea that triples in volume when cooked. It has an intense and delicate flavour, a non-starchy texture, and a fine skin on the palate. Various restaurants in the region serve it with vegetables, fish, and meats, inviting diners to enjoy it slowly and savour each bite.

Did you know?

One of Anoia’s most notable fruits is the Fortesa peach, which bears a Penedès designation of origin. The quality of this peach is a direct result of the soil. “It is a 100% dry-farmed crop grown in clayey, highly calcareous soil, producing a fruit with qualities hard to find in other areas,” explain the producers. This peach variety has an intense yellow colour, is meaty and sweet, but with a slight tinge of acidity.