Samfaina
Catalan vegetable stew of onion, aubergine, courgette, pepper and tomato slow-cooked together. Used as a side or as a sauce for bacallà, rabbit and chicken.
Samfaina is the Catalan way of treating summer vegetables. Onion, aubergine, courgette, red and green pepper and tomato all get diced and stewed slowly in olive oil until they collapse into a thick, sweet, almost jammy mass. The cooking takes 40 minutes to an hour; the result keeps for days in the fridge and gets better on the second day. Eaten as a side, spread on toast, or used as a sauce: bacallà amb samfaina and conill amb samfaina (rabbit) are two of the canonical pairings. Belongs to the broader Mediterranean family of slow-cooked vegetable bases (ratatouille, pisto, ciambotta) but the Catalan version keeps the vegetables in larger dice.
How it's served
As a side under a fried egg, with grilled fish or chicken, or spooned alongside the protein. Also served as a tapa with toasted bread. Bacallà amb samfaina (salt cod with samfaina) is the canonical full-meal pairing.
Regional variation
The Mallorcan tumbet is a related dish but layered rather than mixed. The Provençal ratatouille uses similar vegetables but with herbs (thyme, bay) and no Catalan-style aubergine focus. The Castilian pisto is closer to samfaina but lighter on the aubergine.
- Origin
- Catalonia
- Etymology
- From the Catalan, of uncertain origin; possibly related to the Latin symphonia (a mix or combination).
Frequently asked
What is samfaina?
A Catalan slow-cooked vegetable stew: onion, aubergine, courgette, red and green pepper and tomato, all diced and cooked in olive oil for 40 minutes to an hour until jammy. Used as a side, a sauce, or a topping. Improves on the second day.
What's the difference between samfaina and ratatouille?
Same Mediterranean idea, different region. Samfaina is Catalan and built around the same five core vegetables, cooked together until they collapse. Ratatouille is Provençal, often cooked with each vegetable separately first then combined, and uses thyme and bay leaf. Samfaina is sweeter and jammier; ratatouille is brighter.
What dishes use samfaina as a sauce?
Bacallà amb samfaina (salt cod), conill amb samfaina (rabbit), pollastre amb samfaina (chicken). The vegetable stew acts as the braising base; the protein cooks on top of or inside it. The combination is one of the foundational Catalan home-cooking pairings.
Related terms
- EscalivadaCatalan smoky vegetables: aubergine, red pepper, sometimes onion and tomato, all roasted whole, peeled and dressed with olive oil.
- TumbetMallorcan vegetable casserole: layered slices of fried potato, aubergine and red pepper, all topped with tomato sauce. The Mallorcan answer to ratatouille.
- BacallàSalt-cured Atlantic cod. The backbone of Catalan, Basque and inland-Spanish cooking for centuries; soaked in water before use, then prepared a hundred different ways.
- SofritoA slow-cooked base of onion, tomato and garlic in olive oil. The starting point for most Spanish rice dishes, stews and sauces.