The sardine brunch at Cal Talaia has become, over time, a cherished event for locals and visitors alike, bringing together up to 25 people in ever-changing configurations that guarantee both familiarity and novelty.

We started making sardines many years ago, when we ran the village bar for two years. The idea came about when a friend invited me to a herring gathering at his home — he had a tradition of inviting the men over once a year to prepare and eat herrings the old-fashioned way. It was a typical breakfast, cooked outdoors in the fields by the men.

A simple recipe — and it tends to be that way: it is the simple recipes that become culinary spectacles — of which every village around here has its own variant. Since this is — and was — garlic country, garlic plays a surprisingly prominent role…

The rest cannot be put into words: you have to experience it live…

And you will always find something extra on the table, so you will leave having had breakfast, lunch — and perhaps even a walk.

Around the table, people have gathered and shared from Barcelona, Athens, Passanant, Vallfogona, Manresa, Ciutadilla, Guimerà, Belltall, Tarragona, Valls, Reus, Moià, Rocallaura, Amsterdam, Sant Boi, Forès, Berlin, Glorieta, Montoliu, Paris, el Prat and els Prats del Rei, Gavà, Rajadell, Ripollet and many, many more places…