Yesterday I went to Ametlla de Mar, a small town about 55km south of Tarragona.
Earlier this week whilst I was walking home, I saw this poster advertising Setmana Gastronòmica de la Tonyina Roja.
After searching on the internet, I found out more information.
The four day event is a celebration of the famous red tuna of the Mediterranean sea from 2nd-6th May, which coincides with the Japanese national holiday of Midori no Hi on 4th May.
Translating as "Green Day", the national holiday is to give thanks to nature for it's blessings.
What better excuse is needed to make some tuna maki, nigiri and sashimi sushi?
As a result, I decided I had to go.
Arriving just after 11:15am (it's only 35 mins on the train from Tarragona costing €9,80), I headed towards the tourist information office to get a town map, and to find where the festival was.
After a short walk to the sea front, there was a large marquee and some stalls set up on the harbour.
I had a look around the market, which sold traditional Japanese plants, children's toys and ceramics.
I then sat for in the marquee for almost two and a half hours and watched two live cooking presentations.
The first presentation was with Shoko Nakanishi, a Japanese sushi chef.
She took members from the audience, and taught them how to make several maki, which is a type of sushi.
I would have loved to have taken part, but I managed to grab a little bit instead, which was delicious!
The second presentation was with Maestro Yukihiko Shidara-Tan, another Japanese sushi chef who has been living in Catalunya for over twenty years.
His presentation was about how to fillet a tuna correctly, and how the different cuts of the flesh are used for different types of sushi, which I found very interesting.
It was an overload of Spanish, which at times was very technical, but I was able to cope and I actually learnt a lot.
A tasting session was planned for the afternoon, but the queue was far too long to wait in and I was very hungry.
So, I made my way back up into town to try and find El Molí dels Avis, a restaurant that Ana said if I were ever in Ametlla de Mar, I had to eat there.
I found it, but unfortunately because I was alone, they couldn't accommodate for just one person.
El Molí dels Avis
Andreu Llambrich, 74
L' Ametlla de Mar
Tarragona
43860
España
However, just around the corner I stumbled over Restaurant Lorena, a small but, busy restaurant which overlooked the harbour.
I deliberated over what to eat for a while, it all looked so good!
I finally decided on calamares a la romana and pollo con patatas fritas.
The food was very reasonably priced, and as far as quality goes, it was great.
An excellent little restaurant with friendly staff, and fantastic food.
Restaurant Lorena
Miranda, 3
L' Ametlla de Mar
Tarragona
43860
España
After lunch I made my way down to the harbour and around to the marina.
En route, I saw someone dressed in scuba diving equipment on the rocks going fishing with a harpoon!
I wandered (maybe a bit too far) down the coast and discovered an off the beaten path trail which lead to some lovely secluded coves and small beaches.
I attended another two live presentations in the evening, this time about Japanese tea with Takayo Fukano and Japanese flower arrangement with Montserrat Gálvez.
In my opinion, they weren't as good as the morning presentations but, they were interesting nonetheless.
Overall I had a very good day in Ametlla de Mar, sampling not one, but two aspects of culture merged together.
It's another lovely seaside town on the Costa Dorada which is worth a visit, especially when this event is on!
2012 is the first time Setmana Gastronòmica de la Tonyina Roja has been held, but judging by the turnout, I would imagine it will become a successful annual event.
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