4 stars

Cocido

2:07 AM

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Cocido: ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
Cocido is a very typical dish in the Galician area that is made up of different cuts and types of meat, chorizo, potatoes, chickpeas, and turnip greens. This is a somewhat special meal and there are special restaurants that only serve cocido. For example, we had this meal on All Saints Day and also Three Kings Day. This was another dish that my Indonesian family ate while here, and they loved it! The greens, potatoes, and chickpeas are boiled in the same water that the meat was cooked in, resulting in the tastiest and most flavorful vegetables, potatoes, and chickpeas. I've previously mentioned these turnip greens in an earlier post about Caldo. This vegetable is so popular here and used in many dishes. Cocido is a very diverse dish and can be served with so many different options. There are so many different variates of chroizo and meat to be used in this dish, it's really incredible. There's sure to be something that you like on the gigantic plate of food, so you're basically guaranteed to enjoy this meal! But I must mention that sometimes there will be pig ears or the snout as well. The first time, it completely shocked me! And if we're being completely honest, I didn't try either of those parts. My Spanish family was completely unfazed and they even enjoyed the ears and snout. Cocido deserves 4 stars in my opinion because it's basically a delicious food overload. Every time that we eat it, I always end up very full and very happy. It's such a delicious meal with so many different components that all go hand in hand. You can't go wrong with it! A very tasty dish that is worth looking for when visiting.
 

4 stars

Caldo

1:27 AM


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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.

2 stars

Empanada

1:04 AM

Empanada: ✩ ✩

I personally do not like empanada all that much. I take that back, I do like empanada, but I'm a little particular about what is inside. Personally, fish inside the fried dough with raisins does not necessarily appeal to me all that much. Empanada is definitely not limited to just fish and raisins though, you can put literally just about anything inside an empanada. I swear, here in Spain, they have empanaderías, which translates to empanada store. Yes, there are stores that literally just sell empanadas stuffed with different things to your heart's content. I think that it is not a very flavorful food, mainly due to the outside fried dough component. The dough is pretty flavorless, sometimes lacking even salt, and it just acts as a filler in my opinion, serving no real purpose. Even the texture is quite dull, so I can't give empanadas anything over two stars. It deserves two stars because of all the amazing variety and I'm that there's at least one for everyone, but I really just don't like the seafood ones too much. Honestly, nothing about this food really excites me. But I think it's worth a try if you visit the area and it makes a quick and easy snack in between breakfast and lunch. Many people do really enjoy them and who knows, you might too.

5 stars

Filloas

4:13 AM

Filloas: ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
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 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

Tortilla Española

4:57 AM

Tortilla Española: ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Tortilla Española. Just the name of this dish makes my mouth water. I have to say that this is one of my favorite dishes, if not my favorite, that I've tried here. I realize that this isn't a dish typical to only the Galicia area, but this totally deserved to be mentioned. Tortilla Española is made up of three simple ingredients; egg, potato, and onions. After combining all the ingredients, the tortilla is then cooked in a pan and ready to serve. Such a simple recipe, yet it has everything that you could want in a dish. Tortilla Española is basically served whenever and wherever. For tapas, for lunch, for dinner, in a sandwich, you name it! I can even remember the first time I tried a tortilla Española, which was at a taparía. It was probably one of the first Spanish foods that I had tried in Spain, and it still pretty much reigns my favorite. I really want to learn how to cook this and take this recipe back home to make for friends and family. This is a super great Spanish dish to try while visiting or even to cook in the comforts of your own home. If you'd like to make this recipe for yourself, check out this link. It's a great dish for somewhat pickier eaters and smaller kids as well. Personally, I prefer that there be more egg in the tortilla than potato, resulting in a less dry tortilla. The best tortilla that I've had here has been from a small taparía in the city of Santiago, and all I had to do was buy a drink! The tortilla came free with the drink as a tapa. It was made exactly the way I like it and it was the most satisfying tortilla I've ever had. Whether you visit Spain or not, I completely recommend that you try this easy-to-make and delicious dish.