SPAIN, Galicia - Brief Notes

The province of Galicia is located in the northwest corner of the country due north of Portugal. It is picturesque countryside, exceptionally green (unlike the rest of Spain)and punctuated by hundreds of beautiful rias (estuaries or fiords). The deep ravines and long curving beaches make for some dramatic vistas. Galicia was invade by the Celts as early as 1000 AD, so the comparisons to Ireland are understandable. Lace making, brought to Galicia by the Irish, is still very much in evidence along the coast and the traditional Gallegan instrument resembles the bagpipes.

Because of its relationship to the sea, the traditional occupation in Galicia has been fishing. The provence supplies Spain and even Portugal with a multitude of shellfish (many varieties unknown to us here in the US), as well as produce. It seems that every restaurant features the same Galician staples: Caldo Gallego (a broth flavored with Galician greens, fava-type beans and ham hocks, YUMMY), pulpo (octopus), bacalhao (the ever present codfish) and veal cooked in every way imaginable. Chicken was curiously absent and mussels, although advertised, were hard to actually find. The special almond cake, Torta de Santiago, with St. James' sword dusted in powdered sugar on top, is heavenly.

Galicia produces the most wonderful wine and we enjoyed a number of Albarino whites in particular. We also tried Orujo, the traditional afterdinner liquer. It is said to ward off evil spirits and I believe it. Orujo is fire-water of the first degree, like Cointreau on steroids.


The Gallegan language looks very much like Portuguese, although it doesn't sound similar, and public signs are in both Gallegan and Spanish. Galicia's largest cities are Vigo and A Caruna. We thought the most picturesque towns were Pontevedra, Lugo and of course, the most famous city in Galicia, Santiago del Compostella, for centuries the end point of the Christian pilgrimmage route. One can walk around Lugo on top of its medieval walls, which have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.