3 stars

Tarta de Santiago

1:23 AM


 
Tarta de Santiago:✩ ✩ ✩

This cake known as tarta de Santiago, is an almond cake with a very unique texture and flavor. This cake seems doesn't seem to be around too much in Vigo, in fact, I don't think I've ever eaten it here in Vigo. Even though I've never eaten tarta de Santiago here, I have definitely seen it on restaurant menus and in the windows of bakeries. Tarta de Santiago is immensely popular in the city of Santiago de Composetla, or the city of Saint James. It is the capital of the Galicia area with a very rich and fascinating history. If you'd like to read more about Santiago de Compostela, click this link. I don't neccessarily LOVE this cake, but it is very interesting and different than anything I've tried in Texas. While I was in Santiago, I took a tour and we learned that you can go to a convent where nuns live and buy one of these famous cakes made by the nuns. No offense to the nuns, but it was not as great as I was expecting it to be, but worth a try if you go to Santiago. Tarta de Santiago has a layer of powdered sugar on top and the symbol on the top is the cross of the Saint James. It's a very interesting design and it think it's very pleasing to the eye. Sometimes, I don't love the texture of this cake. I also LOVE desserts and sometimes this cake is so sweet that it's sickening. I'm also not the biggest fan of almond in a cake. It's a very famous dessert and it'd be a little odd if you visited Santiago de Compostela or Galicia without giving this a try. Needless to say, this is a must try when visiting Galicia and even though it's not necessarily my cup of tea, you could end up loving it like many others.

3 stars

Percebes

5:00 AM

Percebes: ✩ ✩ ✩

While initially quite frightening, percebes, or goose barnacles in English, are actually quite a tasty snack or side dish. Harvesting percebes is a very dangerous and tough job for only the fearless, therefore making the goose barnacles quite expensive and more of a treat for special occasions. They're actually quite salty, which I don't love, but overall I think theyŕe pretty good. They are cooked very simply and not usually served with any sauce here in Galicia. The hardest part, in my opinion, would be eating them. The prehistoric-looking part isn't eaten and is a hard shell. The part that resembles "the stem" of the goose barnacles has the edible part inside. To reach the actual food, you have to do a little work, as with almost all seafood here in Galicia. The way I learned to do it, is by using your nail to puncture a small cut towards the top of the point part of the percebes. Then, wiggle the stem a little and the outer shell of the edible part should just slip off. Then. you bite off the meat and leave the top part. There is a part that you can eat inside of the sharp looking head of the percebe, but many people here, including me, don't like it because of the texture. I also really hate the way that part of the percebe looks, so I steer clear of that part.





 

3 stars

Churrasco

7:56 AM

Churrasco: ✩ ✩ ✩

A pretty yummy dish that consists of pork ribs sometimes topped off with a tasty red sauce that consists of olive oil and paprika called chimichurri. Churrasco is a very common dish in the summer, in fact, I first tried churrasco after a long day at the beach last summer. This is one of the few rare dishes in Spain where it is acceptable to ditch the silverware and use your hands. I have rewarded this dish three stars because, just being completely honest, it definitely does NOT beat my uncle's barbecue Texas-style ribs with BBQ sauce. Being Texas born and raised, I have very high expectations and standards of meat. Although these aren't quite comparable to Texas ribs, churrasco is a delicious meal that I would recommend to anyone visiting the Galician region who might not exactly be brave enough to try something like the octopus. I think that they are a bit flavorless without the sauce, but being from Texas, I think anything is pretty tasty if it's meat. Churrasco initially threw me off when I had my first bite because I was expecting that smoky barbecue taste that I know and love. I've grown to love this new flavor of ribs as well and I look forward to every time we go to have churrasco. The best churrasco I've tried here has been from a family friend that we usually go visit about once a week or once every two weeks. They serve it with chorizo and another type of sausage and patatas fritas, or french fries! French fries are a pretty typical side dish here, but prepare to be shamed and given dirty looks if you reach for them with your hands like any sensible American would!