Camino Primitivo Culinary Highlights

[Heartsong Willow]

Ok Friends, SO, while I am not going to be camping at all and trying not to overplan, I wouldn’t mind if you would share your “must try while you are on the Camino” dishes. I downloaded Elle Bieling’s ebook on the CP and she weighs in on the Asturian and Galicia delectables (thanks Elle - awesome guide !!!), but would love to hear from all of you as well if you have a moment.
If you are inclined, let us know where you ate the dish that comes to mind and any story about your camino that goes along with it b/c, as we all know, the vibe enhances and is part of any culinary experience.
Gratefully,
Willow

 

[Kimtom]

Ok Friends, SO, while I am not going to be camping at all and trying not to overplan, I wouldn’t mind if you would share your “must try while you are on the Camino” dishes. I downloaded Elle Bieling’s ebook on the CP and she weighs in on the Asturian and Galicia delectables (thanks Elle - awesome guide !!!), but would love to hear from all of you as well if you have a moment.
If you are inclined, let us know where you ate the dish that comes to mind and any story about your camino that goes along with it b/c, as we all know, the vibe enhances and is part of any culinary experience.
Gratefully,
Willow

The most memorable meals are often spontaneously cooked up by a group of pilgrims. Occasionally albergue hosts make a great meal. These and other experiences come as unanticipated gifts along the way...

 

[Tia Valeria]

Tarta de Fonsagrada in a cafe in A Fonsagrada. Only town it is available. More like almond trifle than cake, with a cream coating

 

[Heartsong Willow]

The most memorable meals are often spontaneously cooked up by a group of pilgrims. Occasionally albergue hosts make a great meal. These and other experiences come as unanticipated gifts along the way...

@Kimtom - I shall look forward to those moments!

 

[Via2010]

Carajítos del Professor in Salas (little crunchy nut cookies which give pilgrims lots of energy)
a traditional potage in Grandas de Salimé
Pulpo and Tarta de Fonsagrada in "Pulpería O Candal", A Fonsagrada
"tostada" de la casa at restaurante "O Candil" in Lugo (basically a tasty steak on a slice of country-bread)

 

[Bradypus]

The Asturian staples - a huge bowl of fabada with a bottle of sidra natural. For an experience try it at an outside table in one of the many restaurants in Calle Gascona in Oviedo. Most of them a little overpriced and dripping in tourist kitsch but a fun experience all the same. The cider-pouring ritual itself is very entertaining though by the time I am halfway through a bottle I usually just want to grab it and pour the rest into a big glass in one go. But I am a Scottish barbarian...

 

[Pelegrin]

If you like vegetable soup, on the Primitivo you can try Pote Asturiano and Caldo Galego. P.A. has more meat and fat than C.G.
It is famous the P.A. of La Nueva Allandesa in Pola de Allande if you do that variant.
I had good Caldo Galego in Fonsagrada.Here rest. Caldeira has a good menu with C.G., pulpo ,pimentos de Padrón and tarta de Santiago.
Also good was C.G. in O Cadavo (first restaurant that you find on the left)
As you will see, Grandas de Salime is clearly a transition area between Asturias and Galicia and so it is its vegetable soup which is closer to Caldo. I had it at rest. Arreigada.
Enjoy.

 

[Felizald]

Pulpo and Tarta de Fonsagrada in "Pulpería O Candal", A Fonsagrada

Best pulpo I had on the Camino Primitivo, recommended by an old lady I talked to in my previous stop (Grandas). We were asking her if Melide was the place to eat pulpo and she said "No, have it in A Fonsagrada. Go to O Candal and ask for 1/2 a racion. They put almost as much as in a full racion and it costs half the price". She wasn't wrong! O Candal is not on the main street and a bit difficult to find but worth it.

In Campiello you can go to Casa Herminia (which also runs a hostel and a hotel) and have the "pote de berzas". It's a typical Asturian dish and, as I was told there, Casa Herminia won the 2018 pote de berzas competition in Asturias. It was a delicious cabbage stew, rich, flavourful and filling. It was not included in the menu of the day.

At the cafe of the private albergue in La Mesa, I had the most delicious potato omelet (tortilla de patatas) of the whole Camino.

In Grandas the best restaurant (raciones and menu of the day) is O Regueiro. Down on the same street, there's a little pastry shop that makes delicious pastries right on-premises.

Had one of the best tarta de Santiago (the typical almond tart) at a cafe in O Acebo. As you come out of the forest and you cross the main road there's a cafe where I stopped for breakfast (was it my second breakfast of the day? Probably). The tarta was moist and tender, very likely homemade. I've also had a "bocadillo de chorizo" with local sausage that was really good. Mind you, it was probably my most expensive breakfast on the way.

In Lugo, go to the Confiteria Ramon, on Rua Doctor Castro, and have the Peregrino pastries. THey're shaped like shells and made of the same pastry as the tarta de Santiago. Again, they're moist and soft. An amazing treat.

In Santiago de Compostela, two good and inexpensive places are La Tita on Rua Nova and Cafe Trafalgar, on Travesia Fonseca, pretty much next to the Cathedral. Neither place is fancy and both serve "raciones" but the food is very good. At Cafe Trafalgar, they serve really good empanada and delicious mussels with a very spicy sauce. La Tita specialises in tortilla de patatas and they give you a "tapa de tortilla" with every drink you order. Of course, you can order a full tortilla, if you so please. And the steamed mussels with just lemon juice are very, very good. I guess it depends on the quality of the mussels, and, most likely, they source very high-quality mussels.

All in all, you'll hardly eat badly on the Camino.

Hope these tips are useful and "Buen Camino"!

 

[Pelegrin]

Best pulpo I had on the Camino Primitivo, recommended by an old lady I talked to in my previous stop (Grandas). We were asking her if Melide was the place to eat pulpo and she said "No, have it in A Fonsagrada. Go to O Candal and ask for 1/2 a racion. They put almost as much as in a full racion and it costs half the price". She wasn't wrong! O Candal it's not on the main street and a bit difficult to find but worth it.

Yes A Fonsagrada (O Candal, Caldeira) is a mythical place for pulpo for people from western Asturias since many years ago, but Melide´s (Ezequiel) is also good.

 

[Felizald]

I missed Ezequiel in Melide because I got there too early and I was continuing onto Arzua, but some of my fellow pilgrims got there for lunch and told me the experience was very good. Yet, one of them who ate with me at O Candal said the octopus was better at O Candal in A Fonsagrada. So I was not as sorry I skipped Ezequiel.

By the way, when, before leaving for my Camino, a friend asked me what motivated me to do it, I responded: "The good food and the good wine". I wasn't disappointed!

 

[Heartsong Willow]

I’m new to the forum venue and somehow didn’t realize all these awesome responses were here!!!! Thanks so much and I have done the ole copy and paste into a note so I can check in on these places as I go.
Thanks all for weighing in! Off I go in a few days........