Protein sources beyond meat: a local guide

Sales of plant-based protein foods in Catalonia rose 18 percent between 2023 and 2025, according to figures published by the Generalitat's Department of Agriculture in March 2026. The trend is reshaping what ends up on plates across the city — and the Mediterranean pantry, it turns out, was always quietly stacked with alternatives to the butcher's counter.

The timing matters. Rising grocery costs have pushed many Barcelona households to recalculate their weekly shop. Chicken breast at Mercat de Sant Antoni was running at around €9 per kilo in June 2026, while dried chickpeas — gram for gram, a comparable protein source — sat at roughly €2.20. Awareness of that gap is spreading beyond vegan circles into mainstream kitchens in Eixample and Sarrià-Sant Gervasi alike.

What the local markets are actually selling

The Mercat de la Boqueria on La Rambla remains the city's most photographed food hall, but it is Mercat de l'Abaceria in Gràcia and Mercat de Santa Caterina in the Born that offer a clearer window into everyday Barcelona eating. Both markets stock fresh anchovies and sardines at accessible price points — typically €4 to €6 per kilo — that nutritionists in the city routinely recommend as a high-protein, omega-3-rich option requiring almost no cooking skill. A 100-gram portion of fresh sardines delivers around 25 grams of protein, on par with the same weight of beef sirloin.

Eggs remain the city's most democratic protein. The organic cooperative La Xarxa de Consum Solidari, which runs collection points across Poblenou and Horta-Guinardó, supplies free-range eggs from farms in the Osona comarca for between €3.50 and €4 a dozen. They move fast on collection days, usually Tuesdays and Fridays.

Legumes are the backbone the Mediterranean diet was actually built on. Botiga de la Pasta on Carrer de Verdi in Gràcia sells bulk dried lentils, white beans and the locally beloved mongetes del ganxet — a creamy, hooked Catalan bean with protected designation of origin status — for around €3 to €5 per kilo. A single 80-gram dry serving of lentils, once cooked, yields roughly 18 grams of protein and costs less than 40 cents.

Fermented foods and the new pantry staples

Tempeh and tofu have quietly embedded themselves in Barcelona's food retail landscape. Veritas, the organic supermarket chain with 14 stores across the city including locations on Carrer de Muntaner and Avinguda de Gaudí, now dedicates a full refrigerated section to fermented soy products from Spanish producers, including the Valencian brand Natursoy. Tempeh offers a particularly strong nutritional profile — approximately 19 grams of protein per 100 grams — and holds up well to the high-heat cooking Barcelona home cooks tend to favour.

Dairy, often overlooked in protein conversations, is worth mentioning in the local context. Catalan fresh cheese — specifically mató, a soft white cheese made without salt — is sold at several stalls in Mercat de la Llibertat in Gràcia and delivers around 11 grams of protein per 100 grams. It is traditionally eaten with honey but works just as well stirred into savoury dishes.

Nutritional yeast has found a foothold in the city's bulk food shops. Granel, with a branch on Carrer del Consell de Cent in Eixample, sells it for around €22 per kilo, though most customers buy 100 to 200-gram portions at a time. Two tablespoons add roughly 8 grams of complete protein to pasta, rice or soup.

For anyone looking to restructure their diet in a more systematic way, the Col·legi de Dietistes-Nutricionistes de Catalunya maintains a public directory of registered dietitians practising in Barcelona — searchable by neighbourhood at the college's website. Appointments with practitioners in the public health system are available through CAP (Centre d'Atenció Primària) clinics, with most neighbourhoods served by at least one CAP offering nutritional consultations. If you have specific health conditions or are making significant dietary changes, getting advice from a registered professional in your area remains the sensible first step.