Johanna Writes Barcelona: Bimbo Bread

Spain has one of the top culinary reputations in the world. However, it is not known for it's bread and for good reason. That being said, there are a few places to get excellent bread in Barcelona. I will get to that in a minute.

Unfortunately, like many families with small children, we've resigned ourselves to eating, for the most part, a slightly inferior quality of bread. In the USA there is Wonder Bread and in the UK, they have Mother's Pride, both brand names that conjur up images of wholesome deliciousness. Most of the Spanish speaking world however (including Spain), eats Bimbo bread.

In its defense, Bimbo has no particular meaning in Spanish. Rather, the Mexican company came up with the name in 1945 because they thought it would compete well with the existing "Bambi" and "Dumbo" brands. This means that 1940s Mexican housewives said things to each other such as, "Conchita, I can't decide whether to buy Bambi, Dumbo or Bimbo bread. Which do you like best?"

It seems that Bimbo won the competition because Grupo Bimbo is now the number one bakery in the world, dominating the bread market throughout much of Latin America, China, Europe and the US. After a bit of research I found out that Bimbo in Spain is really operated by Sara Lee bakeries (I bet you didn't know she was leading such a risqué double life), while Bimbo in the USA is the company behind several popular brands such as Popoli and Entenmann's.

There is even a "Pan American Bimbo Award." Among others, last year's winners included esteemed Harvard professor Dr. Hannia Campos. I'm sure she displays it in a place of pride.

Check out this Mexican Bimbo commercial from the 1970s.

In this commercial for Bimbo, they try and tempt housewives to buy it by offering a set of plastic knives and forks with each loaf. This seems like an odd marketing tool considering that bread is one of the few foods that is never ever eaten with utensils.

This commercial starts out well enough, but ends tragically when a Bimbo Christmas loaf left by the Bimbo teddy bear blows up the house it was left in front of. I suspect it was tinkered with.

If you're visiting Barcelona but not tempted to run out and stock up on Bimbo bread, here are a few places that sell great bread, all within walking distance of my house!

1. Barcelona Reykjavik.

(RAVAL) Doctor Dou, 12
(GRÀCIA) Asturies, 20
08001 Barcelona
Barcelona España

People love this bakery to death and many feel that it's the best in Barcelona. It is completely organic and made with old varieties of grains such as spelt. Rather than industrial yeast, they use a natural starter of corn, greenpea and yeast from flowers. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of the bread. It is very dense and also very expensive. Recently I bought a half loaf, a muffin and a slice of cake and the total was 11 Euros!

2. Turris.

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 7:30 am 21.00; Saturday, 7:30 am 14.30
Address: C / Aribau, 158
08036 Barcelona
OR C / Calvet, 7
08021 Barcelona
Nearest Metro: Universitat

This is hands-down my favorite place to buy bread in Barcelona. The bread is made using organic ingredients and it was voted Best Bread in Barcelona by Time Out Barcelona. The flavor and texture are excellent!

3. La Fleca Balmes.

Carrer Balmes 156

I actually haven't tasted the bread from this bakery but the cakes and muffins are some of the best I've found in Barcelona. The man behind this 102-year old bakery, Eduard Crespo, is known for his innovation (he invented Barcelona's famous Pa de Sant Jordi), and they always have unique treats such as carrot cake with ground almonds, or dulce de leche muffins.