Vigo empanadillas from the Carballo bar
More than once we have heard that Spain is not a country in which there is an abundance of street food . What is internationally known as street food and that has made some destinations world famous. We talk about Los Angeles and burritos , of the positions of street food in thailand , of the grills in the sicilian markets ; we talk about the Berlin balls that are sold on the Portuguese beaches, of the new york hot dogs or from the German sausage stalls. And there are those who defend that we cannot play in that league here.
Well no, sorry. I don't go through there. If we talk about stalls where you can sit down to eat on the street, there are the terraces and their tapas . But I up the ante: let's talk about the itinerant churrerías of the fairs and of the markets, of the roasted potatoes from Andalusian fairs , let's talk about the octopus carp at fair , of the donuts of the saint from Madrid.
Let's talk about the Sevillian serranitos and of the campers from Malaga , let's talk about talos and pancakes at the fairs in the Basque Country and Galicia, respectively; of the Asturian preñao buns, of the horchata and the fartóns. That we don't have street food? Hold my beer.
**Let's talk about dumplings. Let's talk about Vigo. **
It is curious, because few cities are so linked to a quick bite like Vigo and the empanadilla . And yet, this is something that many people, even in Galicia, are unaware of.
It is true that the empanadilla is something that appears everywhere in Spain and that in Galicia, specifically, there are several towns that have a place known for this specialty. But, without detracting from those mythical empanadillas from Coruña Compostela, from Manix (Chantada, Lugo), those from La Bombilla from Coruña, from San Xés de Ourense and some others, Vigo, in this aspect, prevails.
HOW IS THE EMPANADILLA VIGUESA
And the thing has a logical explanation: Vigo is a working and humble city , of workers without time to entertain themselves with complicated meals and, in many cases, without money to pay for them. 50, 60 or more years ago, taverns served, in many cases, to suppress your appetite with something strong, tasty and cheap . and there it was the dumpling to take charge of the situation.
Little by little, and discreetly, the empanadilla was gaining strength in the bars of taverns and eating houses . A little bread dough, something to put inside, whether it was the remains of a stew or, in cases of greater scarcity, some onion and boiled egg, perhaps with an olive to brighten the whole, and that was the tapas solved.
There are fried and there are baked , there are more conventional ones, like the ones you can find in any other city, and there are puff pastries . But the empanada from Vigo was always, in general, fluffier, smaller, three or four bites Y with a thick crumb that was soaked with the juices of the filling.
Vigo empanadillas from the Carballo bar
The empanadilla has arranged a few lunches and a few dinners in Vigo, millions of tapas and bar talks and thousands of returns home in the wee hours of the morning. has solved snacks at recess and snacks at the coffee break; it has gone to the factories in the pocket of more than one worker and she has waited for so many others, freshly baked or freshly fried, at the bar in her neighborhood.
The empanadilla is and has been ours Asterix magic potion , that bite that tastes like home, that smell that takes you to the tavern on your street, capable of lifting our spirits even on the saddest day.
He has accompanied us romantic dates and to celebrate our first salaries with friends . So it is time to vindicate them, as in Naples they vindicate pizza, as in Palermo they make the flag of the arancini (and in Catania of the arancine , although this debate is for another day). Vigo should have one of its emblems in the empanadillas , as Philadelphia has it in the cheesesteaks and Mexico in the thousand and one variants of the taco family.
If this is Vigo, give me an empanadilla . And a wine. Or a beer, even if it's from Coruña. And let it be later what has to be that the penalties, with empanadillas, are less.
Because although in recent decades we have lost some empanadilla temples such as the mythical Rufino bakery on López de Neira Street We still have a lot to choose from.
WHERE TO EAT THE BEST EMPANADILLAS IN VIGO
Bar Carballo : the classic among classics remains unchanged with that atmosphere of another time in the heart of the city. Here it comes for the tortilla very good, but above all for the dumplings , of those of spongy dough that are served while still hot. They are small and hearty, with a meat filling and a price that continues to explain their popularity for more than half a century. It doesn't matter when you come, there will always be tables full of neighbors, people from nearby offices and visitors. And in each one, at least, a dumpling.
To Barrel Lid: if the Carballo is the inalienable classicism, A Tapa do Barril is the vocation for the future , the demonstration that something so humble and so traditional can be an appetizing snack today. Several dozen varieties and two locations guarantee the success of this renewed formula in which there are immovable staples on the menu and specialties that come and go depending on the season.
On our last visit, I took a squid dumpling in its very serious ink . The prices are somewhat higher in this case, although always very affordable, and the truth is that the larger size and, above all, the diversity of the menu more than justify them.
A Barrel Lid
Other addresses if you want to get your doctorate in Vigo empanadillas:
Bar Line : sailor's bar Beiramar Avenue located in a loft with views of the Maritime Station area. Their empanadillas are from the Carballo school, to understand each other: small, dense and tasty.
Paima Bakery : in Elduayen, a step away from kilometer zero of the city, Paima bets on the empanadilla also in a vegan and gluten-free version.
Patacas Bar : in the Navia neighbourhood, a stone's throw from the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático, the Patacas offers dumplings with finer dough and good size.
taboada 26 : in the heart of port Vigo, this traditional bar offers from time to time an appetizing octopus dumpling.
The barrels : Next to the O Bao beach , Las Barricas boasts of having recovered the recipe for the empanadillas “from Mrs. Puri, who since the 1980s have delighted the most demanding palates in Vigo”.