- Flavours of Catalonia to come to Accor Stadium with arrival of world football giants FC Barcelona;
- During Wednesday night’s blockbuster against the A-Leagues All Stars, pop-up stations will serve ‘butifarra’, a pork sausage that’s a staple of Catalonian cuisine and a favourite of Barca fans on match days;
- The sausage – specially created for the Barca in Sydney event in consultation with Accor Stadium Culinary Development Chef Martin Dulke – will be served with salsa and romesco sauce in a crusty bread roll;
- Paella and churros will also be available at select venues throughout the ground;
- FC Barcelona will be visiting Sydney for the first time in its 123-year history for a one-off friendly against the A-Leagues All Stars.
Special Report by Matt Cleary
It’s known as ‘butifarra’ and it’s a staple of Catalan cuisine.
Before FC Barcelona games at the famous, 98,000-seat Nou Camp, fans will enjoy it from street vendors, food vans and local bars and restaurants.
And ahead of the historic football match between FC Barcelona and A-Leagues All-Stars on Wednesday 25 May, Accor Stadium’s Culinary Development Chef, Martin Dulke, is under pressure to produce one so good that Barca fans will make it Instagram famous.
It is a pork sausage.
And for Dulke, it’s kind of a big deal.
“We could’ve banged a sausage between a roll and thrown on some romesco sauce and called it butifarra,” Dulke says.
“But we wanted to create something authentic.
“I’ll know we’ve achieved something if the Spanish fans flock to our stalls, take photos and hashtag it.”
On the night of the big match butifarra will be on sale throughout Accor Stadium in special pop-up stations.
The sausages will come direct from a local supplier and be grilled on site producing what they’re calling ‘The Butifarra Effect’.
Dulke says the smoky, barbecue aromas wafting around the stadium concourse will draw in fans – even if they don’t know what they’re lining up for.
“There’ll be some cool smells around the back of the stadium.
“Even if people don’t know what it is, I think they’ll queue because it does smell really, really good when it’s cooking,” Dulke says.
Accor Stadium’s butifarra will come with a touch of salt and pepper, and the barest hint of paprika.
The sausage will be served in a fresh, crusty bread roll with a dollop of Romesco sauce, a paste made from charred capsicum and tomato.
“Call it a very fancy hotdog – though I wouldn’t ever!” Dulke laughs.
Dulke says that an authentic butifarra sausage has a bend in it, like chorizo, which is why they’re using a natural skin. (An artificial skin would create a straight sausage.)
Unlike chorizo, the sausage won’t be heavily laden with paprika, garlic and other spices.
Dulke says the idea is to “let the quality of the pork speak for itself”.
“We’re using really good quality pork made by a company called Black Forest here in Sydney.
“The providores made us a couple of versions which were sensational but just a little spicy for the general public.
“It’s one of the challenges of the job, creating unique yet traditional food that will appeal to locals and visitors.
“But I can’t speak highly enough of what Black Forest’s created. They’ve taken the brief for the recipe and nailed it,” Dulke says.
Dulke says he’s proud of Accor’s butifarra and reckons it will be a huge hit with fans.
“We think we’ve created an authentic and delicious piece of Catalan cuisine.
“We expect them to sell out,” Dulke says.
Paella and churros will also be available at select venues throughout Accor Stadium.
Tickets in most categories are still available for the FC Barcelona v A-Leagues All Stars blockbuster, which is on track for a full house at Accor Stadium.
Tickets from $29 (kids), $49 (adults) and $127 (family of 4) are available from Ticketek.
More information at www.barcainsydney.com.
