Hugo Baila Fortuny, KONTAKT CJO
Galicia is a region in northwestern Spain famous for its cuisine. It is also one of the most agriculturally productive regions in Spain. Galicia’s fertile soil and temperate climate allow its farmers to grow a great variety of fruits, vegetables and cereals. Galicians also export their culinary masterpieces to other parts of Spain and to other countries around the world.
Galician seafood is known throughout Spain and even abroad. Along its almost 1700 km of coast the regional fishermen are very proud to catch some of the best regarded sea products one can find worldwide. Galician prawns, known as camarones gallegos, are large and fleshy with a spicy sauce. Galician lobsters are also famous; they’re exported frozen and are served both boiled and grilled. Many other types of seafood are eaten in Galicia, including mussels, clams, crab, scallops, fish eggs and oysters. Many paella recipes use Galician seafood instead of chicken or meat. Galician shellfish are sweet and delicately flavored due to the region’s abundant ocean produce. The quintessential seafood Galician dish is Pulpo a la gallega. The recipe is very simple: boiled octopus meat cut into bitesize pieces with some pimentón picante, Spanish spicy paprika, on top. This is usually presented on a wooden plate on a boiled and cut potatoes bed. It is so famous that this delicatessen is a must-have tapa in every single tapas restaurant all over Spain.
While many Spanish regions pride themselves on their culinary traditions, Galicia takes it to another level. Local cuisine includes a wide variety of meats including beef, lamb, pork, veal and poultry; these are all raised locally. Beef meat from Galicia is regarded as one of the best quality culinary products you can find in Spain. It can be compared to other worldwide regarded counterparts, like Wagyu or Argentinian meat. One of the most famous dishes in the region is Cabrito. They prepare whole sheep slowly over a period of several hours, which allows the meat to become tender but still retain its flavor and texture, resulting in one of the tastiest and mellow pleasures any foodie can look for.
