Stories of Barnacles, Sardines and Octopus
Substack writers are diving deep into Spain’s culinary culture.
A thriving community of writers is chronicling life in Spain on Substack. They are sharing stories of history, culture and the horrors of finding an affordable rental, bringing their own perspectives to every tale.
The one universal topic is food, specifically the flavors, animal parts and traditions that make Spain’s culinary world fascinating and smelly. Every dish has a story behind it. Every recipe and ingredient tells us something about the region and the people.
Here is a sampling of recent articles from Substack writers, capturing some of the elements that make Spanish food special.
Easily the best story I’ve read recently about barnacles. It turns out there is a festival, the barnacles are really expensive and geese aren’t really involved.
“The goose barnacle is one of the ocean’s strangest-looking delicacies and one of the most expensive in the world. If you squint hard enough, the long, leathery neck and prehistoric-looking ‘claw’ looks a little like a barnacle goose - at least that’s what people thought when the birds turned up for the first time in Scotland in the 12th century.”
Margaret Gypsy takes us into the world of sardines, a staple of Spanish menus. You’ll also learn about garum , a “fermented fish sauce.”
“Size is not important here. What is important, is the freshness of the fish. A fresh sardine should be shiny and not floppy. When cooked, the meat is soft and flakey, with a sweet and rich flavor.”
“Slushies” make me think of a convenience story sludge. That’s not this. Rachel Drummond shares the recipe for a simple, refreshing Spanish summer favorite that may or may not work for mojitos.
“Keeping with the citrus theme, this year we’re making citrus granizados, or lemon-lime slushies. Granizados get that we need copious amounts of ice to cool off and hydrate. They’re only available in some bars: look for the hand-drawn sign outside, or make your own at home.”
More from Galicia. Miguel Balsa Campos shares the background and recipes for the famous Galician octopus dishes, Pulpo Á Feira and Pulpo A La Gallega (I write about my favorite Galican octopus spot in Barcelona here.)
“Pulpo á feira literally means “fair-style octopus”, while pulpo a la gallega means “Galician-style octopus”. In practice, many people use the names almost interchangeably outside Galicia, but although they refer to the same dish, both names have different literal meanings. The dish consists of round slices of boiled octopus dressed with paprika, olive oil and salt. It’s pretty simple.”
What to Bring Home from a Spanish Supermarket (and What to Leave Behind)
You need help from a local. I can be that local.
You’re in a Spanish market and looking for a few items to take home. Blanca Valencia offers helpful information for excellent items to stuff in your suitcase that will live in your kitchen for months.
“My list includes extra virgin olive oil that smells of fresh tomato leaves and cut grass, tinned fish with labels that belong in a design museum, legumes and rice with a sense of place wrapped in sackcloth.”
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The barnacle's name comes from a 12th century guess that turned out to be wrong, and nobody ever bothered to fix it. That's most food history. The story outlives the explanation, and the explanation never needed to be true to stick.
Spain isn't one cuisine any more than "Asian food" is one cuisine. A story about goose barnacles or Galician octopus tells me far more about a place than another roundup of "10 foods to try in Spain."
The smaller the lens, the more universal the story often becomes!!