La Castanyada is a traditional Catalan celebration that reaches its peak on All Saints' Day, but begins long before. You can tell it's coming from the smell of roasting chestnuts, baked sweet potatoes and bakery windows filling up with panellets. For a few days, autumn makes itself particularly noticeable in the streets, bakeries and around the table.
At its heart, the tradition is about sharing the little things: a warm paper cone in your hands, something sweet to eat and time to sit down with family or friends. Chestnuts, sweet potatoes and panellets are part of a celebration rooted in remembering the dead, yet lived through the simplest of pleasures: getting together, sharing food and enjoying flavours that have returned every autumn for generations.
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And there's usually a glass of moscatell on the table too, a sweet, aromatic wine that adds a festive touch and a hint of old-fashioned charm to every bite.
La Castanyada traces its roots to the funeral vigils of All Saints’ Day, when simple, hearty foods like chestnuts were prepared to sustain bell ringers and families through long nights of mourning.
Chestnut sellers, wearing aprons, headscarves and with hands blackened by the fire, are the iconic faces of this tradition.
Chestnuts
Roasted over an open fire and served piping hot in paper cones, chestnuts are part of Barcelona's autumn scenery, thanks to the street stalls that still roast and sell them throughout the city. There's something about seeing the chestnut stalls return. Even when it's still far too warm for a coat, suddenly it feels like autumn has properly arrived.
Chestnut stalls by district
Avinguda de Francesc Cambó, 10 – Plaça d'Antoni Maura
Passeig de Joan de Borbó, 1
Ronda de Sant Pau, 76
Carrer d’Aribau, 2
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 522
Carrer de la Diputació, 1
Carrer de Vilà i Vilà, 101
Rambla de Badal, 78
Carrer de Numància, 1
Passeig de Sant Antoni, 1
Plaça dels Ocellets, 1
Rambla del Brasil, 1
Travessera de les Corts, 210
Plaça del Centre, 9
Avinguda Diagonal, 589
Avinguda Diagonal, 668
Carrer de Déu i Mata, 49
Avinguda Diagonal, 582
Avinguda Diagonal, 614
Plaça de Joaquim Folguera, 3
Avinguda de Pau Casals, 2
Plaça de Lesseps, 26
Plaça de la Bonanova, 9
Plaça d'Artós, 19
Passeig de Gràcia, 121
Plaça de Lesseps, 23
Passeig de Sant Joan, 146
Carrer de Bailèn, 207
Carrer de Sant Lluís, 103
Carrer del Tajo, 41
Carrer de Dante Alighieri, 81
Passeig de Fabra i Puig, 224
Passeig de Fabra i Puig, 264
Passeig de Valldaura, 183
Passeig de Fabra i Puig, 260
Passeig de Valldaura, 192
Passeig de Maragall, 186
Passeig de Verdum, 55
Plaça de Francesc Layret, 1
Via Júlia, 143
Passeig de Maragall, 160
Carrer del Segre, 1
Passeig de Fabra i Puig, 116
Carrer de la Séquia Comtal, 21
Carrer de la Marina, 79
Rambla de Guipúscoa, 29
Rambla de Guipúscoa, 100
Rambla de Guipúscoa, 140
Rambla de Prim, 19
Rambla de Prim, 135
Rambla del Poblenou, 60
Rambla del Poblenou, 140
Rambla del Poblenou, 124
Carrer de Rogent, 41
Avinguda Diagonal, 21
Carrer dels Enamorats, 156
Passeig de Maragall, 30
Plaça del Mercat
Carrer de Llull, 385
Passeig de Pujades, 13
Carrer del Consell de Cent, 586
Carrer de Badajoz, 175
Carrer de Pallars, 218
Carrer de Pujades, 228
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes always arrive alongside chestnuts, as though the two had never been apart. Sweet, soft and creamy, this seasonal produce comes to the table hot, with roasted skins and tender flesh, reminding us that some flavours are synonymous with autumn.
Panellets
In the bakeries, La Castanyada takes on a different form: the panellet. These small traditional sweets are made with ground almonds and sugar, and come in plenty of varieties, including pine nut, almond, coconut, coffee and quince paste. Making them at home or picking them up from the neighbourhood bakery remains part of the ritual. Some traditions don't need reinventing to keep their place at the table.
Where to buy panellets: pastry shops
Hofmann
Iconic pastry shop by the Escola d’Hosteleria Hofmann, where classical technique is transformed into contemporary signature pieces.
L'Atelier
School and creative workshop specialising in contemporary haute patisserie and professional training.
Escribà
Historic patisserie founded in 1906, renowned for custom-made cakes, chocolate figures, and Easter mona cakes.
La Colmena
One of the city’s oldest patisseries, where traditional Catalan sweets are served behind an elegant historic façade.
Foix
High-quality artisanal pastry shop that combines classic Catalan recipes with internationally acclaimed innovations.
Brunells
Historic pastry shop in the Born neighbourhood, founded in 1852 and considered one of the oldest in Barcelona.
Mauri
A traditional patisserie and tea room founded in 1929, serving a range of sweet and savoury bakes in a classic setting that has kept its original character.
Turrones La Campana
Shop and workshop making turrón (nougat), polvorones (crumbly almond biscuits), marzipan, chocolates and other traditional sweets, following recipes dating back to 1890.
