Galician cuisine is characterized by many dishes with local and fresh ingredients. The main staples of Galician cuisine include rice, beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and spices such as pepper and chili peppers. In addition, vegetables and fruits are a big part of Galician cuisine as well.
When we talk about Galician seafood, the main taste is its salty taste. This saltiness is a result of the ingredients used. These include fresh seafood from all over the Atlantic, along with smoked meats from the Andes mountains, which contributes to the taste of the seafood.
Seafood
Dishes prepared with fish are the most popular ones in Galician cuisine. Fresh fish such as tuna, haddock, eel, cod, and striped bass are available in many restaurants in Galicia. Some other popular fish that can be found in Galician restaurants are trout, salmon, halibut, haddock, cod, striped bass and mackerel. Crab is also a good choice for cooking, as it can be cooked with different vegetables, or even just with the shell.
Prawns, grilled shrimp, squids, oysters, crabs, and clams are the types of seafood that are frequently seen in Galician dishes. Galician chefs have learned to combine these different types of seafood into exciting and new dishes. The Galician cuisine offers more than just the simple tastes of seafood. It has very interesting colors and textures.
Staple Food
The main staples of Galician cuisine are beef, pork, chicken, potatoes, rice, salads, vegetable dishes, beans, and pastas. Galicians have learned how to use all these different food groups without compromising on their unique flavors. Beef is a must-have when it comes to Galician food. Beef is Galician's most popular meat.
There are two kinds of meat used in Galician cuisine: beef and mariscada. Mariscada is a sheep that is used to make typical dishes such as enchiladas. Mariscada is tender, moist and is very easy to cook. Galician sheepherders still raise and traditionally breed the sheep.
Octopus
One of the most famous dishes of Galician cuisine is the octopus. Octopus can be found in almost every Galician household. When Galician chefs want to create a delicacy, they will choose octopus and prepare it using traditional methods. They add lots of herbs, spices, garlic, and tomatoes.
Pepper
Pepper is another one of the most popular tastes found in Galician cuisine. Galician chefs are famous for grilling and preparing various kinds of peppers. A Galician cookbook would be incomplete without at least one recipe for grilled pepper. Galicians love to eat peppers because of their piquant taste. Hot peppers can also be seasoned with herbs and spices for added taste.
To Sum Up
If the delicious foods mentioned above do not sound like your kind of food, you can always check out some Galician seafood dishes. Galician seafood dishes are usually spiced using ginger, garlic, calamansi, and other spicy herbs. You can also check out the traditional fish dishes - octopus, bass, swordfish, pollack, scallops, mussels, and white shrimp - that are common in many restaurants all over the world.
In addition to typical dishes, people also enjoy eating deserts such as jalapeno peppers or oven chips made with fried onions and fried cashews. They also enjoy desserts such as quesadillas made with cream cheese.