By the time we reached Mercado de La Boqueria on the famous La Rambla street in Barcelona on a recent visit – in the middle of the rainy Spainy season – my leather boots were filled with water. But that was an afterthought. It was our first morning in Barcelona and after a 13-hour connecting flight with only microwave meals and no room to move, my husband and I were eager to devour the world-renowned fried eggs and braaied Spanish sausages of El Quim de la Boqueria.
Pre-breakfast further consists of a punnet of early spring strawberries grown outside the city and a couple of naartjies – the sweetest we’ve ever tasted. At the end of the northern hemisphere’s citrussy winter season, we’d sample many more of these sweet oranges and mandarins as we meander down the east coast towards the renowned citrus centres of Valencia and Seville.The famous squid and eggs El Quim breakfast in the making.
A menu and small pencil are handed to us by one of the 14 heavyset chefs grilling sausages and frying eggs and eating sandwiches in the inner den. From our vantage point near the centre of their small kitchen, I have a view of the entire operation. To one side, a built-in braai with live coals is manned by a dedicated sausage and pork braaier, sandwich in hand. Next to him, fresh loaves of bread are buttered and toasted on a flat grill and further along, the frying station sits.
Here, five chefs with small pans deep continually fry eggs. This conveyor belt is well-oiled, so to speak. All plates eventually end up at the frying station, as the main ingredient of El Quim is eggs. It all started with eggs, too, some 35 years ago in 1987 when chef and owner of Quim de la Boqueria, Quim Márquez, first opened his stall in a 3m bar with only five stools. He’s come a long way, but today still, eggs feature prominently and in every dish.
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