A Guide to Galician Cuisine: From Seafood to Wine
Galician Cuisine
Vigo, on the southwest coast of Galicia, is the main fishing port in Europe and boasts the greatest Galician mussel production in the world. With this information, it’s easy to understand why seafood products are common ingredients in Galician cuisine.
Some highly valued species used in Galician dishes are barnacles, prawns, crabs, lobsters, mussels, cod, and mackerel.
Visitors should not miss trying one of the many recipes made with capon, a chicken raised on a strict homemade natural diet and with sufficient space to move, resulting in a much more flavorful bird than the usual “supermarket chicken.”
Plates
Pork Shoulder with Turnip Greens:
This dish is usually eaten more frequently in the winter months. It is the quintessential Galician stew whose main components are ham, pork, potatoes, chorizo, and turnip greens (turnip sprouts with edible flower ends). The turnip greens are edible while tender. When the flower develops and hardens, the turnip greens are no longer suitable for consumption.
Pulpo a la Gallega:
One of the most famous dishes in Galicia is made with another quality raw material from the area, octopus. Galician-style octopus, or pulpo a feira, is one of the most common dishes found not only in Galicia but also in other areas, though perhaps less so.
The ingredients to prepare Galician octopus are few: octopus, onion, olive oil, paprika, and salt. The result is exquisite.
Padrón Peppers:
Peppers from Padron are another specialty of Galician cuisine. The pepper is small and conical-elongated with a slightly rough texture. It is consumed fresh and green and has a somewhat spicy flavor, although there are varieties with a hint of sweetness. A small percentage of Padrón peppers are hot. This means that on the same plate, you can have mostly normal peppers, but one or two can be very spicy, adding an interesting factor when it comes to tasting this vegetable.
The most common preparation is to fry them in olive oil. They are enjoyed as an appetizer and as a side dish or serving with meat and fish.
Desserts
Galician Crepes:
These are thin tortillas made from wheat flour, egg, and water, similar to French crepes. This recipe of unknown origin has many variations in its ingredients. They can include broth, milk, or even pig blood (at the time of slaughter).
Diners can add sugar, honey, cream, or even a few drops of brandy to their taste. If corn flour is used, they are called freixas.
Cheese
Tetilla Cheese:
One of the most popular cheeses. Made from cow’s milk (Friesian, Brown Swiss, and Rubia Gallega breeds, always fed by traditional practices). White-ivory to beige in color, it has a mild, buttery, and slightly salty flavor.
It has its own Denomination of Origin since 1992.
When accompanying Tetilla cheese with a drink, we recommend a good white wine such as Albariño or Ribeiro.
O Cebreiro Cheese:
This mushroom-shaped cheese is made naturally without any additives or preservatives from the milk of Friesian, Rubia Gallega, and Pardo Alpina cows.
It is enjoyed both fresh and cured (fresh, matured for at least 2 days, and cured for about two months). In the case of fresh cheese, the dough is white, soft, and creamy, while the cured cheese is yellow, has greater rigidity, and a spicy flavor.
Production takes place in several municipalities in the province of Lugo, including Baralla, Becerrea, Folgoso do Caurel, Cervantes, Navia de Suarna, As Nogais, Piedrafita do Cebreiro, and Tricastela.
Formerly, cheese curds needed to be obtained for several days, causing mass to be left over most of the time. The mass was pressed with a stone, giving the cheese its characteristic shape, like a mushroom or chef’s hat, which survives today although the forms of production have changed.
Wine Gallegos
Galicia has 5 designations of origin for wines, both white and red. The grape is a fundamental part of any wine, and Galicia has its own grapes, “Albariño,” a small, white grape with a very sweet broth that does not yield as much as others, hence the high price. This grape is mainly used in winemaking in the Rias Baixas DO.
Another native grape is “Treixadura,” used in the elaboration of both Rias Baixas and Ribeiro wines, characterized by its aromatic properties.
Ribeira Sacra wines
This designation of origin encompasses several sub-groups on the banks of the Miño and Sil rivers, geographically covering the southern province of Lugo and north of Ourense, a spectacular site in itself.
Here, excellent white wines and aromatic red wines are produced. Production is limited and sold almost exclusively in Galicia.
The best-known wines from this appellation are red Mencia and, among whites, Godello and Albariño.
More information www.ribeirasacra.org
Ribeiro
Best known for its white wines than its reds, this appellation of origin is very present in Galician cuisine, accompanying various dishes and plates.
The white wine is fresh, light, very aromatic, and lively with acidity, with an average ranking around 10º. Its color is pale straw.
Rias Baixas
The development of this appellation of origin takes place in four districts of the province of Pontevedra and southern La Coruña, each belonging to a subzone of the appellation of origin.
Virtually all production is white wine, with the key grape being Albariño, but depending on the subzone, a percentage of Treixadura (a grape native to Galicia) is added. Keep in mind that for a wine to be considered Albariño type, it should be developed with 100% Albariño grapes.
For visitors with wine-making interests, the Rias Baixas area offers the “Wine Route,” where several wineries in this appellation of origin open their doors to sample and learn more about the development of these wines.