Escudella

Escudella i carn d'olla

Alternative names	Escudella
Type	Soup
Place of origin	Spain
Region or state	Catalonia Valencian Community
Main ingredients	Pilota (large spiced meatball), vegetables
Variations	Escudella de pagès
[[:b:|Cookbook: Escudella i carn d'olla]]  Error creating thumbnail: File missing

A bowl of escudella with pasta

Escudella i carn d'olla, or shorter escudella (Eastern Catalan: [əskuˈðeʎə]; lit. 'bowl'), is a traditional Catalan and Valencian soup made with meat and vegetables. Francesc Eiximenis wrote in the 14th century that it was eaten every day by Catalan people.

It is characterized by the use of a pilota, a very big meatball spiced with garlic and parsley; it also contains vegetables as celery, cabbage, carrots, etc. depending on the season. Additionally, bones, sausages called botifarra, and other types of meat, can be used.

Service

Escudella is typically served in two parts:

• The escudella proper is a soup consisting of a broth with pasta, rice or both.
• The carn d'olla is all the meat used in the broth, served afterwards in a tray along with the vegetables used.

When both parts are served mixed together, it is called escudella barrejada or escudella de pagès.

Escudella de Nadal

There is a particular version of this soup that can be called "escudella de Nadal" (Christmas soup) or either "sopa de galets" (galets' soup), and is very typical on Christmas Day. It includes meat from four different animals, a pilota, several vegetables and the traditional special type of pasta, known as galets, which are snail-shaped and notable for their considerable size.

See also

• Catalan cuisine
• List of soups