18 Typical Galician Dishes and Foods

Empanada is a famous patty in Galicia and South America in general after the Spanish colonization.

The origin of this delicious treat remains unknown, but most people believe that it first appeared in Galicia. Its name derives from “empanar” in Spanish, which means breaded or covered in bread.

Basically, empanadas consist of chopped or minced meat, regional spices, and perhaps boiled eggs. The locals will cover that combination in a flat dough, shape it into a crescent, and then bake or fry it until perfectly golden brown.

In the old days, empanadas used to be a favorite Galician breakfast dish for the working class due to their convenience and nutrition. You can find many variations of empanada from region to region, but the most famous version in Spain is Empanada Gallega.

Empanada Gallega is normally in large rounds or squares, unlike most empanadas with portable sizes and crescent shapes. It’s a staple for special occasions or celebrations of the locals, and they enjoy it either chilled or freshly baked.

The Galicians make it with leavened dough and multiple stuffings before baking it until golden brown. Though paprika and onions are always included, the stuffing variations are endless, from meat bases to vegan. Still, the most popular ones in Galicia are tuna fillings.

Lacon con Grelos is among the most popular meat dishes in Galicia. It’s highly associated with both the cold months and the Carnival festival – when the turnips are at the best stage to crop.

The locals make this traditional dish with slices of pork shoulder or ham hock and turnip buds or greens, not the root parts.

Lacón con Grelos is typically served as a warm stew. When serving, you can expect to enjoy this dish alongside some boiled potatoes, chorizo sausage, and other optional vegetables.

Polbo á Feira, also known as “fair-style octopus,” is a quintessential dish of Galician cuisine. The star of the dish is octopus, which is tenderized, traditionally by beating and then boiling until it reaches the perfect texture.

After boiling, the octopus is cut into bite-sized pieces with scissors. The sliced octopus is sprinkled with coarse sea salt and smoky paprika (pimentón), and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil.

Polbo á Feira is normally served on wooden plates, which is a nod to the dish’s origins in outdoor markets and fairs (feiras). Locals often pair it with boiled potatoes and Galician bread.

Chuletón de Ternera features a large, bone-in rib steak, distinguished by its rich marbling and profound flavors in Galicia.

This region owns the best breed of cow in Spain, and they call it Rubia Gallega or Galician blond. Order an “A la plancha” or grilled in Galician for the best experience.

The steak, often aged to perfection, is seasoned with nothing more than coarse salt, and occasionally pepper, to highlight the meat’s natural flavors.

They usually serve this dish with roasted potatoes, green salads, or grilled vegetables. You can easily address steak restaurants while traveling in Galicia.

Churrasco primarily revolves around various types of meats, predominantly pork ribs and beef in Galicia. They are marinated and then grilled over an open flame to achieve a perfect char and smokiness.

The marinade, a blend of garlic, paprika, olive oil, and sometimes white wine, infuses the meat with a robust flavor that is both spicy and aromatic.

Though Churrasco only refers to grilled beef in many nations, the Galicians use this term for grilled meat in general, specifically the spare rib. They also use the term “churrascada” to indicate the family event that basically is the BBQ party in America.

Cocido is a term for stewed delicacies in various Spanish recipes, particularly in Galicia. The term derives from the word “Cocer”, which means to boil. You can also find this name in Portugal and Brazil.

In Spain, there are many variations of this dish that are named after their origin, and Cocido Gallego is among the most famous ones. The Galicians also prepare their stew with turnip greens, pork shoulder meat, chorizo sausage, and potatoes.

This stew is also among the cultural Galician dinner dishes for the cold months. Beans, mostly chickpeas, are another irreplaceable ingredient for Cocido Gallego. Poultry sometimes also takes part, and the locals will slowly cook the whole combination on low heat.

Botelo is a traditional dish consisting of chopped pork meat stuffed in a pig’s cecum. It is a delight from El Bierzo, a county in Galicia. Some other regions may call it Botillo El Bierzo.

The locals usually use pork tail, ribs, and head meat, such as ears, snouts, or jaws, for Botelo. It’s crucial to season the chopped meat with garlic and paprika before stuffing them.

The process of making this culinary specialty takes at least 4 days from the butchering until done. After mixing the meat with spices, the Galicians will smoke it with oak wood. Then they’ll allow it to sit in the drying room for at least 2 more days to ensure its consistency.

When serving, the locals will re-cook Botelo after covering it in a sheet. This dish has a distinct flavor from pig along with an interesting smoky, peppery aroma.

The Galicians have created their own kind of sausage – the Androlla. They make it with pork spare ribs or “cueras” – bacon end slabs, and stuff it in natural casings.

The traditional paprika also takes part, as well as garlic, oregano, and white wine, in order to season the meat. Hence, the deliciousness of this sausage doesn’t only come from the spice, but also from the qualified meat itself, the local Celta pigs.

Androlla is usually smoked and cured in a 2-month process before you can re-cook it and consume it. The Galicians also use Androlla with Lacon con Grelos in place of Chorizo.

However, you might want to make sure you’re enjoying the right Androlla since some Galician regions use this term to indicate any pork sausage.

Mejillones al Vapor, or steamed mussels, is highly abundant in Galicia, mainly in the regions of A Coruña and Pontevedra. The locals prepare this dish by steaming mussels with lemon, white wine, spring onions, and a few bay leaves.

Here, they use the typical Fresh mussels from local coasts. These mussels are so-called Mytilus Galloprovincialis, and the locals are proud of this nourish and flavorful kind of seafood. Hence, they store it in the most dedicated method to maintain freshness and deliciousness.

The Galicians even register for these mussels a prestigious quality seal to protect their designation of origin (or PDO). If you want to sample this type of mussels, you can identify them by the red and yellow PDO seal with the label “Mejillon de Galicia” on their shells.

In Galicia and Spain in general, Mejillones Rellenos is one of the most famous tapas, which means appetizer. This mussel-based dish sprouts from the Bilbao city of Basque, and other regions of Spain also call it Tigres or tigers in English, which derives from its fiery flavor.

The Galicians prepare this seafood by covering it in a mixture of wine, onion, and flour. Then, they once again coat it in breadcrumbs before frying. When serving, the cooks usually place the mussels back into their shells, which the customers are free to discard on the floor.

The locals consider that’s the best way to enjoy Mejillones Rellenos, and you can often see empty mussel shells laying on the floor, even in the bars. In addition, this dish is also famous for its accompanying spicy sauce that comes from tomatoes, anchovies, and peppers.

Merluza a La Gallega, or Galician-style Hake, is very common in Galicia. The centerpiece of this dish is merluza, or hake, a white fish beloved for its delicate, flaky texture and mild flavor. The locals will slowly cook the fish with bay leaves, onions, and potatoes in salted water.

In another pan, they prepare the signature sauce for this dish that combines sauteed garlic, olive oil, and paprika. Some modern methods may only use one-pan recipes. Still, the traditional way is to pour the sauce onto the fish and reheat it when serving.

In Galicia, the hake is often sourced from the cold Atlantic waters, ensuring freshness and quality.

Caldo Gallego is a hearty and comforting soup that is a staple of Galician cuisine. Like Cocido, the Spanish names for the Caldo or broth after its origin, and Caldo Gallego is one of the most outstanding.

It consists of chickpeas or white beans, turnip greens, broccoli, and potatoes. Hence, you can tell that the broth base itself is vegan. However, the local cooks may sometimes add meat ingredients such as sausage, lard, ham, or bacon.

The traditional way to serve this delicious, nourishing soup is in an earthen bowl called Cuncas. It’s also known as a standard course starter for lunch dishes in this area.

Originating from the town of Padrón in Galicia, Pimientos de Padron or Padron peppers are often served as a popular tapas dish.

These small green peppers have a mild flavor, and the locals mostly pan-fry them with olive oil with some coarse salt for garnishing.

You can find these peppers in almost any tapa bar or restaurant, and they usually serve them with wine, cider, or a glass of beer. The exciting part is one or two out of ten Padron peppers are incredibly spicy, and you won’t be able to identify those until you eat them.

In Galicia, they got a saying, “Os pimientos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non”, which means “Padron peppers, some are hot, some are not”. They are so proud of this extraordinary pepper that they hold an annual festival to honor it in August.

Pan Gallego is a traditional bread that is available in artisan bakeries across the Galician regions. The bakers make this iconic bread type with Galician wheat flour, a sourdough starter, a large amount of water, and a pinch of salt.

The leavening or resting process of this bread takes at least 3 hours. Hence, the outcomes are soft with springy crumbs and many air pockets. The locals prefer to form a hard crust for Pan Gallego, and they shape the bread into 4 different types.

The first is an uneven round with a knot on top called Hogaza. Barra is similar to a baguette. The remaining two are flatbread, the ring shapes are Rosca, and Torta is round. The best way to enjoy Pan Gallego is with slices of Queso Tetilla – keep reading to know about this cheese.

Queso Tetilla is a staple cheese variant in Galician cuisine. The locals either enjoy it with Pan Gallego or as a dessert. The buttery and aromatic flavor of Queso Tetilla comes from the milk of three cow breeds: the Dutch Friesian, the Swiss Brown, and the local Rubia Gallega.

While Queso generally means cheese, Tetilla derives from the breast shape of the cheese block. The artisans usually make this cheese weigh 0.5 to 1.5 kilograms in a pear-like form with a point on top. Thus, the locals also call it “Perilla”, which means nipple.

Many would describe the taste of Queso Tetilla as relative to walnuts and vanilla. You can add it to your cheeseboard and enjoy it with optional wine or combine it with chorizo sausage, bread, and ham as the Galicians do.

The origin of Leche Frita is quite fuzzy, though some may insist that it’s an invention of the nuns in Palencia in an effort to maintain their convents. Nowadays, it’s one of the most favorite Galician desserts that you can sample throughout Spain.

To prepare Leche Frita, the cooks will first combine cornstarch, flour, sugar, egg, and milk. After cooking the combination into a firm dough, they will cut it into bite-sized pieces and deep-fry them. They will add a coating of sugar glaze and cinnamon powder when serving.

You can either enjoy these sweets hot, chilled, or cold. But ideally, the Galicians will have it alongside a scoop of ice cream. Although it’s available primarily in pastry shops and restaurants, you can also find Leche Frita at street food stalls in Galicia.

While Tarta means torta or cake or pie in Spanish, Santiago literally means Saint James, which indicates the cross imprint on top of the cake. It’s also a historical dessert since its first traces were in the 16th century.

The first printed recipe for this signature Spanish dessert was around 1983, and the icing sugar with Cross of Saint James garnish appeared in 1924. Nowadays, many bakeries in Galicia still use those centuries-old recipes, comprising egg, ground almond, and sugar.

The standard quality ones contain at least one-third of almonds. The flavorings vary, from sweet white wine, brandy to lemon zest or grape marc. Tarta de Santiago can exclude the base, but the baker often will form it with puff pastry or shortcrust pastry.