There are many ways to eat octopus in Galicia
The octopod that Galicians call 'powder' , a name that makes foreigners so funny and from which even more ironic terms such as 'great fuck' , is one of the hallmarks of the cuisine of this community.
Famous is the octopus à feira. There is no tavern in Galicia that does not have this tasty dish on its menu. But this is not the only way to eat it. Throughout Galicia there are many ways to serve octopus. classic recipes and other newly created that deserve to make an excursion through the northwest of Spain.
1. OCTOPUS AT FAIR
Anyone who has ever been to Galicia has tried the ‘octopus á feira’. It is the quintessential recipe, although it is not exactly the same as the one served in other parts of Spain under the name 'Galician octopus', which is presented with cooked potato . The 'octopus á feira' is served alone on a wooden plate and cut into slices seasoned with coarse salt, peppers sweet or spicy, according to taste, and sprinkled with olive oil . It can be eaten all year round, although it is a typical summer recipe, a time when the pulpeiras travel from festival to popular festival with their large copper cauldrons to prepare this dish.
It is best to eat it with chopsticks and accompany it with a bowl of wine or a fresh beer. Bread can't be missing either. The writer Álvaro Cunqueiro already said it: “the octopus wants to be eaten in the shade in summer, with a good piece of bread to dip on the plate”.
Without a stick it's not the same
Just as you can eat at any time, you can eat in any corner of Galicia although if there is a place famous for this dish it is **O Carballiño (Ourense)**. This town 60 kilometers from the coast is the cradle of the 'octopus à feira'. In the 17th century, the trade of pulpeiro was born here and in 1964 the first octopus festival was held in the parish of Arcos.
Gazpara House , located next to the Town Hall, is a benchmark in the area. He has been preparing this dish for 60 years which brings together visitors and locals under the green awning of its terrace, open twelve months a year. Also in O Carballiño it is known Fuchela House (Avenida 25 Xullo), opened three years ago by the descendants of a saga that has more than 150 years selling octopus fairs . In the letter from Fuchela, the name by which the owners' great-great-grandmother was known, it is also offered grilled octopus and octopus carpaccio.
Pulpeira, creating
two. MUGARDESA-STYLE OCTOPUS
The octopus is the absolute protagonist in the gastronomy of the A Coruña town of Mugardos, a coastal town where many arrive from Ferrol after a ten-minute boat ride. The popular song already says so - "those from A Graña are girders; those from A Redonda are stonemasons; those from Cervás are farmers and those from Mugardos are grocers" - and also the Mugardeses themselves, who have created their own recipe . The mugardesa-style octopus is a kind of stew made with octopus, red pepper and onion to which green pepper and potato are also sometimes added. It can be eaten throughout the year but it is a claim in summer . In the middle of July, the Mugardos Octopus Festival , declared of Tourist Interest by the Xunta de Galicia.
You can also taste it in bars like ** La Isla ** (Avda do Mar, 40), where food is served in large quantities, or resort to restaurants like Pier 43 (Avenida do Mar, 43) with more than 30 years of tradition. This place with wooden tables and a maritime atmosphere also serves octopus à feira or with prawns. Some call him 'the temple of the octopus'. 3. OCTOPUS PIZZA
It is known as Galipizza San Froilan and it is one of the dishes served in the premises of the Pizzbur group, present in Ribadeo, Culleredo and Viveiro. This establishment is the author of the 'galipizza', that they themselves define as "the fusion of the common pizza with the traditional food of Galicia".
The octopus pizza is one of the latest additions to its menu. It's made with Galician blue cheese, Arzúa cheese, tomato sauce and octopus and it bears the name of the patron saint festivities of Lugo, where huge amounts of 'octopus á feira' are eaten. This dish shares a menu with other Galician-flavored pizzas such as lacón con grelos, raxo e grelos and broken eggs with zorza.
Octopus Galipizza
Four. OCTOPUS BURGER
in la coruña Gaioso Tavern (Plaza España, 15) have created a variant of the traditional hamburger in which octopus replaces beef or beef. It is the mini octopus hamburger, baptized as McPulpino.
The birth of this dish occurred two years ago by chance. The owner of the tavern put in the freezer what they were going to be some octopus meatballs that would serve as an appetizer, but a baking tray accidentally fell on the frozen dough and crushed it, giving rise to what It is already a characteristic dish on their menu.
The McPulpiño is served on a hamburger bun with tomato, various lettuces and an emulsion of extra virgin olive oil. The dish is accompanied with what could be called Galician-style deluxe potatoes: fried dumplings.
McPulpiño
5. OCTOPUS PASTRY MEAL
Although the tuna, zorza, scallop or cod with raisins empanadas are famous, the truth is that the octopus empanada has made a name for itself in different corners of the Galician geography. This dish that fuses two of the most typical products of Galician gastronomy can be found in the historic town of Ribadavia (Ourense) and more specifically in its famous Papuxa Tavern (Puerta Nueva de Arriba), a furancho located in the heart of the Jewish quarter.
This place with stone walls, long tables and a dirt floor has 200 years of history and it is a meeting place for the residents of the area who easily go from conversation to song. Santiago Davila , grandson of its founder and today in charge of the tavern, prepares the dishes that are served and among which the octopus empanada has a fixed place.
The España restaurant in Lugo (rua do teatro, 13) includes this dish in its menu when summer approaches and tourists arrive in the city. Its owners Héctor and Paco prepare the open octopus empanada , so called because it does not have a top cover. It is made with corn dough , more typical of coastal towns. The octopus is cooked on the grill and topped with paprika foam, an ajada and a touch of parsley oil.
200 years of history and octopus empanada
6. OCTOPUS CALDEIRADA
In the Rías Baixas, octopus is eaten in caldeirada, a typical way of preparing fish throughout Galicia. Trying this dish is a good reason to go to the island of Ons , separated half an hour by boat from the Pontevedra coast. The recipe fuses two traditional ingredients of the island: the octopus and the potatoes that are watered with a sauce made with oil, garlic, onion and paprika. Sometimes it is also accompanied by red and green pepper.
To try this dish you have to visit House Acuna (Island of Ons, 12), run by Palmira Acuña, who won the award for the best pulpeira in Galicia in 2012 . In addition, other recipes made with octopus such as empanada, octopus á feira croquettes are also served in that place.
7. OCTOPUS OMELETTE
In Buu, in Quintela House (Rua Eduardo Vincenti, 24) , they have added octopus to the classic potato omelette. For a little over three years they have been preparing this recipe that the mother of the current owner created to "take to the octopus party" and that was so successful that it has remained as a bar skewer . It is not prepared every day so there are two options: try your luck or order it by phone . In addition, in this place in the coastal municipality of the O Morrazo peninsula (Pontevedra) they also cook octopus with turnip tops and garlic, with beans, with garlic prawns and à feira. The tortilla is made with egg, potato, garlic, parsley and chopped octopus.
There's also octopus omelette at the Momos bar-restaurant in A Coruña (Coast of Santo Domingo 16). In this place in the old city you can try different varieties of potato omelette: with chorizo, turnip greens and shrimp; with piquillo peppers and prawns; with pork rinds and cheese; wild asparagus and ham; and also with octopus and onion . The latter is very well received and usually ends soon. That is why it is better to go in the morning, when it is not yet exhausted.
Octopus tapa with turnip tops
8. OCTOPUS AT PLANCH
For a few years now, Galician bars and restaurants have incorporated a new way of preparing this product into their menus: grilled or grilled. This modality, which has spread throughout the community, is very simple to prepare. Once the octopus is cooked -just as if it were to be made a 'á feira', Let it cool and then separate the tentacles and pass them through the iron.
This dish can be found in practically any corner of Galicia but it is famous in To Barrola (Rua do Franco 29), one of the best-known restaurants in the Galician capital. It is served accompanied by cream of potatoes and cheese and paprika oil that make it one of their most famous dishes.
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grilled octopus