In the gastronomy of Pontevedra, seafood is key. It is a fact. But so is the fact that beyond this and the Albariño, the province hides many delicacies to discover.
Pontevedra is an option that never fails on a trip, since it has everything. Of course, when we plan a getaway to the earthly paradise of the Rias Baixas we must begin to change the chip because Pontevedra is much more than seafood, Albariño and pancakes.
Pontevedra cuisine is so extensive that in order to cover it we would need several lives and large doses of digestive s for the desktop. If you want to eat Pontevedra and not die trying, we'll give you a hand.
Salinas da Ullo.
MUCH MORE THAN SEAFOOD
It is undoubtedly one of the flagships of Pontevedra gastronomy. But talking about eating seafood in Pontevedra is a topic that is already too hackneyed. It seems that the only thing they eat in the restaurants is seafood from the estuary, but this is far from the case.
Pontevedra's gastronomy is much more complex, maybe not as delicate or refined as in other parts of Spain, but it doesn't need it. Because your table is based on a extreme quality raw material and it does not need tricks or disguises to position itself as one of the best cuisines in our geography.
It is very, very, very difficult not to eat good seafood in Pontevedra. There the fruits of the sea are religion and the protagonists of the vast majority of restaurants.
Octopus to fair
But seafood becomes exciting in Pontevedra not only in seafood restaurants where mountains of shells from hundreds of devoured bivalves are present on all tables. There is another planet to discover in Pontevedra seafood, and it is the one in the orbit of the canning.
Visiting a cannery is one of the most exciting gastronomic activities that can be done in the province. Vilagarcia de Arousa has great examples, some of them visitable and where you can buy the same preserves that will later dress up gourmet shops and menus from the best restaurants in our country.
A very interesting visit is to the Cannery of O Carril called Los Peperetes, where it is possible to see the shellfish workers at work and taste these delicacies paired with a rich Albariño. Mussels, razor clams, scallops, sardines or cockles that, in addition, you can take home at a much lower price.
Preserved from Los Peperetes.
BREAD AND EMPANADAS FROM ANOTHER WORLD
If we follow the road, passing Rianxo, we will reach Census , where it can be discovered that, in addition to some peppers famous for their hotness (or not), It has a great gastronomic treasure: its bread.
Galician bread plays in the first division, but there are towns like Padrón where their bread already belongs to the Champions League. But of course, we would already be in A Coruña and not in Pontevedra.
To eat sidereal bread in Pontevedra it is not necessary to look far but if we have dropped by Vigo it will be well worth it to make a mini getaway to O Porrino . Barely a year ago that the bread here has its own brand protected , a fight that had the local bakeries on edge for more than fifteen years.
Amaquía (Antonio Palacios, 20) was considered last year as one of the best bakeries in Spain and it is found here. O Porriño bread is unique, with a coarse and crunchy crust, a slightly acid taste and a crumb for making soups that goes with absolutely everything. Pontevedra is one of the "cathedrals" of bread, because what comes out of its kitchen is soaked and venerated.
Pan de Amaquia, an award-winning bakery in Galicia.
All Galicia is made of bread and dough , being the empanada another of the second lieutenants of his culinary army. In Pontevedra, how could it be otherwise, the Patty is closely linked to the sea and the mass that is most often in demand is that of corn.
Here we find scallop, mussel and octopus empanadas , cockles and even cuttlefish. The option is to go through those that never fail like those of Santa Rita (Pza. Santa Rita, 3 – Vigo) or the one they can put you on the terraces of the Plaza de la Leña in Pontevedra, a place where you can pair with a cold beer.
WINES BEYOND CAMBADOS
Albariño is the fruit of Pontevedra's savoir faire in terms of wine culture. Cradle of the Rías Baixas Denomination of Origin, the town of Cambados is in the spotlight every August, when the annual Albariño Fair.
But we would be missing out on a lot of Pontevedra if we were only looking for the Rías Baixas wines here. In fact, there are several wine routes through the Rías Baixas, which stop beyond Cambados.
View of Cambados.
Thus, the wake of the Albariño leaves its brilliant mark on three great pillars of the gastronomic culture of Pontevedra: O Grove, Sanxenxo and Vilagarcia de Arousa , all with perfectly visitable wineries and that usually include very different gastronomic experiences.
In O Grove one idea is to go to the Casal Fuentes winery's tapería after touring the vineyards and attending one of their tastings. If what we are looking for is a "very Galician" experience in VilaGarcía de Arousa, you can visit the Pazo de Rubianes, a historic estate that offers experiences with pipers, Galician stew and tastings in a space with tradition and a lot of charm that leaves no one indifferent.
Finally, if you choose to live the Albariño Route in Sanxenxo, it is very likely that you will be seduced by the wonderful restaurants in this beautiful town sheltered by spectacular beaches. The Albariño here is lived with octopus in the bars of the bars, pairing dishes from here but that are not mentioned in the guides such as ray stew , a delicacy that is not of this world.
In fact, until this year the Festa da Raia was celebrated on these dates, a gastronomic event that put the Port of Portonovo in the spotlight, with tastings and contests. A few days ago they decided to move this party to October, so we will have to wait.
And if you still want to go one step further, we can leave the Albariño aside and discover Barbanza and Iria , a Protected Geographical Indication that corresponds to the area of the Ría de Arousa and that produces some very peculiar local wines.
Here appears a Mencia grape outside their comfort zone (mainly Bierzo, Valdeorras and Ribeira Sacra), making it clear that in Pontevedra you can also discover good red wines, with a lot of personality and a long journey ahead.
Tetilla cheese from Anzuxao.
CHEESES AND COOKED
Little is said about the cheeses that are made in Pontevedra, even more so knowing that it is a land of pastures and traditional livestock. Cheeses in their own way, with their own style and personality. cheeses that reappear with the new generations and that they have even brought to Galicia a gold medal from the World Cheese Awards.
You have to route to Silleda , in the Deza region, a beautiful town where Cortes de Muar is located, a small cheese factory where the magic of Pontevedra cheese is worked.
They are a second generation of cheese producers who rescue the craft way of making the precious delicacy using the milk of cows that graze freely, as has been done in Galicia all their lives.
It is said that the origin of the famous Galician tetilla cheese It is located between A Coruña and Lugo, although it is a product that is made throughout Galicia. In the Pontevedra town of Lalin make the Tetilla de Anzuxao, which was the best matured cow cheese in Spain in 2019 and that causes fury inside and outside the province.
Lalin stew.
Of course the one who is going to Lalin you know that here is a Cooked that elevates Pontevedra to the Olympus of the cooked. This year this festival, declared of International Tourist Interest since 1999, has been celebrated at the end of April and brings together travelers and onlookers from all over the planet.
In all the restaurants of Lalín you eat cooked, with his turnip tops, his lacón and his tongue , ingredients that make this dish a unique and representative emblem of this Pontevedra town.
PLUS…
- Pork shoulder with turnip tops and Padrón peppers (although Padrón is in A Coruña) are also dishes that are very present on the table in Pontevedra.
- If you stop at O Carril to visit the cannery, be sure to look in the restaurants for the clams , raised in the sand of the estuary. A true delusion.
- The restaurants near Portonovo in Sanxenxo may have a variety of croquettes most colorful. Ray, spider crab, tetilla cheese, minced chorizo and even squid in its ink.