Hake, turbot, grouper, sea bass, sole, read bream and monkfish are the Galician fish that you will find “swimming” in what is truly a sea of restaurants. Sardine and horse mackerel are normally fried; the rest can simply be grilled or baked, or served in succulent Galician-style stews –with garlic sauce, olive oil and a lot of cayenne pepper– in caldeirada (fish cocktail) and in “zarzuela” (casserole), which involves the presence of several spices, potatoes, beans or peas and the appreciable addition of prawns or clams. Galicia 's thousand rivers also supply salmon, trout and lamprey.

The Galician capital is also home to the famous Galician beef, which provides big and tender barbecued, sirloin and T-bone steaks. However, the star of winter dishes is –unfortunately for the poor animal- the pig. From the time it is slaughtered in November –A todo porco lle chega o seu san Martiño , something like “Every dog has its day” but applied to pigs- pork appears in dishes such as “lacón con grelos” (cured ham from the foreleg served with boiled potatoes, chorizo and turnip tops) or Galician stew, which combines uncured pork, chicken, chorizo, ham (from the foreleg), salted ribs, pork fat, pig's ears and snout with boiled potatoes, chickpeas and turnip tops.

Blood sausage and chorizo may also be served inside filloas , which appear in Galician cuisine during pig-slaughtering and carnival time, on their own or along with stew. These are similar to Breton crêpes and are also very popular as desserts.

Image gallery

Of the sea to the earth