Beginners in Catalan would be right in thinking that this festive treat can literally be translated as ‘Easter monkey’; however, the word ‘mona’ actually exists in both Latin and Arabic, where it means gift or present. Dating back to the 15th century, this culinary delight originally took the form of a tortell de brioix (round brioche cake) and was inspired by the days of fasting preceding Easter Sunday. During this Lent period, representing the time Jesus spent in the desert resisting temptation from Satan, Catholics were forbidden from eating meat and eggs. Instead, the eggs were collected to make celebratory cakes that would then be eaten to bring an end to the gastronomic abstinence. The traditional shape of these cakes was large and circular, similar to that of a sizeable doughnut and it would often contain hardboiled eggs around the edge. Nowadays hardboiled eggs have been replaced with chocolate ones and a mona de Pasqua can come in all manner of shapes and sizes.
Each year, pastisseries across the city plan their creations for months in advance of Easter, setting delicate moulds and eagerly working to put rival window displays of the finished products to shame. The chocolaty fruits of their labour are now droolingly clear to see, none more so than at the legendary Foix de Sarrià. The pastisseria is caked in history and this year marks its 125th anniversary. Amongst others, Spanish royalty have sampled goods from the shop, which belongs to the family of Surrealist poet and journalist Josep Vicenç Foix, who once ran it. The mones de Pasqua in the window range from the more traditional round cake to contemporary takes on the ancient Easter tradition. Movie stars, footballers, cartoon characters and your very own personalised mona are now all readily available upon request. Although the baking of a cake has gradually been replaced by a chocolate sculpture, there are still aspects of this annual indulgence that have not changed.
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