Food of Ferrolterra
From the sea
The ría and the Cantabrian Sea give famous shellfish: gooseneck barnacles from Cabo Ortegal (Cariño) and Cedeira, and the shellfishing of the Ferrol, Ares and Ortigueira rías — mussels, clams, cockles, velvet crab, spider crab and razor clams. In Mugardos, polbo á mugardesa — octopus in a paprika, garlic and bay-leaf sauce — even has its own festival in July.
Galicia boasts a record: over 50 kinds of shellfish and more than 80 of fish. From the Ferrol ría comes the fine As Pías clam, gathered from the bed between the San Felipe and A Palma castles. Fish is cooked as caldeirada or «a la gallega», with an ajada of oil, garlic and paprika. And mind the fishermen's saying: shellfish is at its best in the months with an «r», September to April.
Cedeira's marraxo
Cedeira's most emblematic dish is marraxo: a shark with firm, juicy, meat-like flesh that even wins over people who rarely eat fish. It's cooked Cedeira-style and handed down through generations in the town's bars.
The land and the grelo
Inland it's ruled by the grelo (turnip greens), with its big fair in As Pontes and in Xestoso (Monfero). On the table: caldo galego (Galician broth), lacón con grelos (the Carnival dish), cachelos (boiled potatoes) and garden greens, with meat and cheese from the countryside.
Among the meats stand out beef raised semi-wild — like that of the Capelada, pasture- and milk-fed — and, from pork, raxo, zorza and roxóns. The Couto peppers, sweet in flavour, differ from those of Padrón in that they never bite.
With its own seal
Several of the comarca's products carry a European quality seal: Mexillón de Galicia mussels (PDO) — Galicia is the world's second producer —, Galician beef and Lacón Gallego ham (PGI), Couto peppers (PGI) and Patata de Galicia potatoes (PGI, Kennebec variety). Neda bread, baked with water from the river Belelle, and Cariño's artisan preserves round out the pantry.
Fairs, bread & sweets
Neda bread is renowned, and the historic Feira do Trece in Narón (in Sedes, on the 13th of each month) brings together produce and food. Galician empanada is never missing; for dessert, filloas (crêpes) and orellas at Carnival, and chestnuts at the autumn magosto.
Dishes not to miss
A few Ferrolterra flavours, with freely-licensed photos from Wikimedia Commons.
Octopus (polbo) á feira · á mugardesa
Octopus reigns at Galician festivals, boiled and dressed with oil and paprika (á feira). Mugardos has its own version, polbo á mugardesa, in a pepper, garlic and bay-leaf sauce — with its own festival in July.
Empanada de festa e romaría
The Galician empanada is a thin pie with a filling — traditionally scallops, tuna, small sardines (xoubas) or meat. It's never missing from a fiesta or a pilgrimage.
Lacón con grelos prato do Entroido
The Carnival (Entroido) dish: cured pork shoulder (lacón) boiled with grelos (turnip greens), chorizo, potatoes and sometimes ear or rib. Hearty winter food.
Caldo galego de culler, todo o ano
The everyday soup: grelos or turnip greens, potato, white beans and unto (cured fat), slow-cooked. The spoon dish that warms the Galician winter.
Filloas doce do Entroido
The Carnival sweet: thin crêpes of flour, milk and egg. Eaten plain, sugared or filled — cousins of the carnival orellas.
When to try it
Many specialities have their own festival or season: check the comarca agenda.