The temple of bulk nuts

BarcelonaIt's not surprising to walk past the Granería Sala in Travessera de Gràcia and see Miguel Garcia chasing away a pigeon. Why would this happen? I often wondered. The explanation couldn't be clearer. There's a section for animal feed. It used to work very well, and they've kept it even though it's clearly declining. The strong point, of course, is the human feed: all kinds of nuts, legumes, and spices. There are still quite a few people who have a pet bird at home, and therefore, it must be fed properly. Some rabbits, too. Or chickens in houses on the outskirts. There are no longer dovecotes on rooftops, nor are carrier pigeons raised. It used to be common to have the bonnet fed at home before meals at Christmas. Now, this is no longer the case. It's truly curious that Can Sala maintains this animal feed section. Quite a mark. vintage which injects a lot of personality into the establishment. Of course, some of the grains in the animal section are also used by humans: flaxseed is good for intestinal transit, and flax is a fabulous addition to whole-grain breads.

Miguel has been working for about forty-five years. Since 1978, when the Sala family—the founders—employed a fifteen-year-old boy who knew them because the father of a friend of theirs bought their animal feed. The store was founded in 1885 by Isidre Sala and his wife, Antònia Vilaseca, who had come from the Lleida town of Puigverd de Agramunt. The fourth generation of the Salas—Antònia Sala—retired in 2008 and had successors until 2020, just after the pandemic, when Miguel took over. The furniture, eternally painted green, is older than walking. But it's perfectly preserved. The rustic decor is a trademark. What's the reality of the business today? Well, fierce competition from supermarkets, the vast majority of which now have a well-stocked dried fruit section. And also a huge boom in bulk stores. There are a few in Gràcia. The El Grano de Gracia chain, for example. "When I started, so to speak, there was a grocery store on every corner in the neighborhood," Miguel recalls. "Now it's quite fashionable to buy in bulk; many people make cakes at home, for example." This was especially noticeable during the pandemic: sold-out flours, almonds too, sugar, yeast... Salads are also a mainstay for the sale of nuts. And snacks. In Gràcia, a rejuvenation of the population has been noticed. The famous expats, of course, but also the local population. Older, long-time customers are few and far between. Many customers come in because they've been attracted by the recipes and advice from celebrities. foodies and influencers social media gastronomics. They have the ability to make certain ingredients trendy, and if the TikTok or Instagram post is successful, there may be an unexpected spike in demand.

What's trending most? It hurts to say. Perhaps toasted almonds and crochet beans. But also all kinds of flour. Besides traditional wheat or corn flour, there's also chickpea, buckwheat, rice, spelt, rye, oat flour... The whole range of legumes is a real joy. Fabes Asturian beans, Tolosa beans, Santa Pau beans, and crochet beans, Salamanca lentils, kidney beans... Oh! And couscous and quinoa, how can we forget their popularity? Almost all nuts can be bought raw or roasted, with or without salt. Pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, dates, vine dates, pine nuts, peanuts with and without shell, prunes, a variety of raisins... And sunflower seeds! Just to make sure you don't finish them all.

And spices: pepper, parsley, dill, cinnamon, mustard, cumin, coriander, fennel, cloves, basil... the list is endless. "The different cultures that move into the neighborhood tend to want to buy what they eat in their countries; this makes us try to have as much variety as possible," explains Miguel. At Sala, they also have a small section of legumes and cooked pasta and a reasonable assortment of dried pasta in bulk. A customer comes in: half a kilo of peanuts in shell, 150 grams of salted pistachios, and 100 grams of unsalted pistachios. The minimum they serve is 50 grams of each product. "Otherwise, maybe someone would want to buy two nuts!" Miguel jokes.