Cap i pota
Catalan slow-cooked stew of veal head and foot, sometimes with chickpeas, in a tomato-paprika broth. A working-class Sunday classic.
Cap i pota is one of Catalonia's great working-class stews. The name translates literally as 'head and foot,' a reference to the cuts used: head meat (cap) and trotter (pota), both slow-cooked for hours until they collapse into a rich, slightly gelatinous mass. The broth is built from tomato, onion, garlic, paprika, sometimes a splash of white wine, often finished with chickpeas. The whole thing eats almost like a thick soup with a spoon, and traditionally turned up on Catalan Sunday lunch tables as something to fill a worker before a long afternoon. Modern Catalan menus still carry it; many of the most-cited traditional tabernes (Quimet i Quimet, Bar Salvador, Bar Pinotxo) make it a regular dish. Closely related to but distinct from Madrid's callos a la madrileña.
How it's served
In a deep bowl with the broth still steaming, eaten with a spoon. Bread on the side for sopping. Traditionally a midday lunch dish in winter; on most traditional Catalan menus year-round but most popular in the colder months.
Regional variation
Catalan cap i pota uses a tomato-paprika base, often with chickpeas. The Castilian equivalent, callos a la madrileña, adds chorizo and morcilla and uses a darker, more paprika-forward broth. Both are slow-cooked offal stews; the Catalan version is lighter and more chickpea-friendly, the Madrid version is richer and meatier.
- Origin
- Catalonia
- Etymology
- Catalan for 'head and foot,' a literal description of the cuts used.
Where to try it in Barcelona
2 restaurants on Guidavera mention cap i pota in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What is cap i pota?
A Catalan slow-cooked stew of veal head and foot in a tomato-paprika broth, sometimes with chickpeas. The cuts collapse during the long cook into a rich gelatinous mass. Traditionally a working-class Sunday lunch dish, still on traditional Catalan menus across Barcelona.
What's the difference between cap i pota and callos?
Both are slow-cooked offal stews. Cap i pota is Catalan, using veal head and foot in a tomato-paprika broth with chickpeas. Callos a la madrileña is the Madrid version, using tripe with chorizo and morcilla in a darker paprika-forward broth. Closely related; the cuts and the supporting ingredients differ.
Is cap i pota eaten year-round?
Yes, but it's most popular in winter. The dish is dense and slow-cooked, the kind of stew that fits a cold day better than a hot one. Most traditional Catalan restaurants keep it on the menu year-round; the Sunday-lunch tradition that drove its popularity historically peaks November through March.
Related terms
- CallosSpanish tripe stew. The most famous version is callos a la madrileña: tripe slow-cooked with chorizo, morcilla, ham bone and a paprika-tomato broth.
- Escudella i carn d'ollaCatalan winter stew of meats, vegetables and beans simmered together. Served as two courses: pasta soup first, then the meats and vegetables on a plate. Christmas Day tradition.
- ButifarraThe Catalan family of pork sausages: fresh ones grilled over coals, cured blood-based ones, and a sweet lemon-and-sugar oddity from the Empordà.