4 stars

Caldo

1:27 AM


Image result for caldo gallego
Caldo: ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
Caldo is a delicious soup dish that contains potatoes, vegetables, beans, and sometimes chorizo or some type of meat. The broth is somewhat bland in flavor, in fact, when my relatives visited, they tried some caldo and they all agreed that it was almost flavorless. Being from Texas, we have some pretty hearty stews and soups, so this lighter and thinner soup was definitely somewhat new to me. I actually really enjoy this soup and I love the warmth it brings to me on a cold winter day. Vigo doesn't necessarily get too cold, but I always seem to be frozen here. The vegetables in caldo are very typical here and are known in English as turnip greens. They're used in another popular dish as well called cocido. I've awarded this dish four stars because I've definitely fallen in love with it, but I do agree that it's a little bland in flavor, which is something I can about most Spanish foods because I'm so used to eating very flavorful Asian and Italian cuisine. I really like soup and just about any type of soup, so this is probably one of my favorite dishes here. Check out this video on how to make it!

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.

5 stars

Filloas

4:13 AM

Filloas: ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
Image result for filloas
 Filloas are a dessert here in Spain that are quite popular. They strongly resemble a crepe, but they're a little thinner. Personally, I don't see much of a difference. But I love dessert so I don't necessarily spend too much time looking at the dessert on the plate because I'm too busy eating it. These wonderful little thin pancakes of heaven can be topped with absolutely anything you want! Dulce de leche, chocolate, whipped cream, and/or caramel. It's always so nice to have one of these warm comfort foods on a cold day. They honestly do remind me a little bit of pancakes, so they are kind of a nice little reminder of home. The reason filloas get five stars form me is because of how simple they are to make and how diverse they can be. It's an easy base recipe with not too many ingredients and then you can create your ideal dessert by topping it with whatever you want. It's such an easy recipe that we make filloas almost every Saturday in my house here and have them for breakfast. I love watching people make them as well! you can check out a video of that here.
 
This is another recipe that I'd love to learn to make as skillfully as the person in the video so that I can make it for my American family when I return. I love how I can put literally anything I want in or on the filloas! In my house on Saturdays, my little siblings usually eat their filloas with Nutella and whipped cream. I love it with just about anything and I don't really have a preference about what goes on it. I recommend giving this recipe a try in home and have fun putting making them any way you'd like!





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.





 

5 stars

Pementos de Padrón

1:50 AM

Pementos de Padrón: ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

 These delicious peppers make a tasty addition any meal and I get excited every time I see them out on the table. This dish is made up of small peppers that are fried and salted. Pementos de padrón are not spicy... like everything else here in Spain. I'd love for these to spicy, but that's just not really ever the case. Regardless, these peppers are basically everything that I want in a little side dish. The reason this dish has earned five stars in my eyes is because of how tasty and fun it is. I fondly remember my first night and Spain and the barbecue that I attended with my new family. There were pementos de padrónes and I remember how funny it was to watch people get a "spicy pepper". I guess it was somewhat of a bonding experience and definitely a conversation starter. They remind me a bit of shishito peppers, which is a food that I am very familiar with and love. Winter is not the season for these peppers, which makes me so sad because I can't find them too often anymore, but in the summer, almost every restaurant has pementos de Padrón. A must try when visiting the Galician area!
 

4 stars

Pulpo a la Feira

7:32 AM


Pulpo a la Feira: ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

This is a very delicious dish with quite an interesting texture. I personally believe that it needs more flavor diversity, but I do enjoy the typical "sauce" combination of olive oil, paprika, and salt. Pulpo a la Feira is one of my favorite dishes here in Galicia, but I don't enjoy it when the octopus is very tough and hard to chew, or when the octopus is too soft and has a somewhat mushy feel. While it does have a unique and interesting texture, if not cooked the right way, the octopus can become too tough and not very appetizing. While definitely a bit terrifying at first, it is definitely worth a try if you visit the Galicia area. Face your fears and just take a bite! In many restaurants, the octopus is cut up smaller and appears much less intimidating. A not so fun tidbit that I've heard is that to ensure that the octopus does not become too touch, you must slam the octopus down on it's head until it dies. That is such a sad story and it almost makes me not ever want to eat octopus again, but I've also heard that putting in the octopus in the freezer can also result in an appealing texture. It sounds a little bit better than the more brutal death. A poor fate for the octopus, but I really love Pulpo a la Feira, as well as many other Galician people.