It is undeniable that A Coruña, as a self-respecting Galician city, is a favourite destination for foodies and gourmets. The quality and freshness of its ingredients is widely known.
In the traditional cuisine, you will find everything from a hearty Galician soup to roast meat with potatoes, Betanzos-style omelette, Galician stew, peppers and lacón con grelos (pork shoulder with turnip greens), the latter of which is typical of Carnival. And let's not forget the empanada! Enjoy countless varieties and exquisite flavour.
Seafood is another of our specialities - baked, grilled, stewed or prepared in any number of ways. The list goes on: clams, barnacles, mussels, oysters, crayfish, prawns, shrimps, scallops, squid, sea bass, hake, grouper, turbot, monkfish, sea bream, bonito, cod, sardines... The star of the show is the octopus, with tender but firm meat, seasoned with olive oil, paprika and a pinch of salt, served on its own or with "cachelos" (boiled potatoes).
For carnivores, beef is the protagonist: there are hundreds of recipes made with Galician veal. Pork is also very present in local cuisine, as well as kid goat, free-range rooster and chicken. And depending on the season, many restaurants offer dishes featuring all kinds of big game, such as roe deer, venison and wild boar, dishes with mushrooms, chestnuts, or with lamprey - that fish that looks like a monster - slow-cooked and enjoyed by the most refined palates.
Not only fish and meat
Dishes are often accompanied by magnificent legumes and vegetables, and washed down with Albariño or Ribeiro wines or a refreshing local beer.
The breads deserve a special mention all their own: toasted crust, spongy centre and an artisan baking process. They come in a variety of textures, flavours and shapes.
And when it comes to desserts, filloas, leche frita, almond cake or the typical fried dough cañitas filled with cream are fixtures in the local recipe book. And the cheeses! Tetilla, San Simón and Arzúa - when eaten with quince jelly, they're a real pleasure.
Lunches and dinners that end with leisurely conversations, desserts, spirits, herbal liqueur and coffee liqueur.
In addition to traditional cuisine, there are also contemporary and innovative options that reinvent tradition without losing its essence.
A Coruña has a strong presence on the avant-garde culinary scene, with chefs that surprise and impress food critics. It's a world of modern cuisine and excellent technique, where local producers, local ingredients and simplicity in the cooking process play a fundamental role. A progression respectful of its origins, reflecting the present and the future of the best of Galician cuisine.