Few people realize that since its very early days, Christianity has been associated to wine, food, and travel pleasures. Whether Jesus Christ and the Apostles enjoyed cooking remains a mystery; what is a certainty is that they all shared a passion for food and wine.
Check the Bible, full of references of their culinary celebrations, such as the wedding where Christ made his first miracle, wine-related by the way, or the Last Supper, to name just two. But there were many more instances where mentions of lamb, fish, wine, olives, or bread gave a culinary flair to their journeys and parables.
There are few places in the world with gastronomic calendars as intense as those one can find in Galicia, a region in the Northwestern corner of Spain, rich in history, but also in great wines, astonishing seafood, and a wonderful array of local ingredients that magnetize culinary travelers. Hence, it may not have been accidental that the Apostle Saint James had chosen Spain and Portugal as his preferred destinations to spread the word of faith.
Once he finished preaching there, Saint James went back to Palestine where he was killed. Tradition says that his body returned to Spain on a boat that reached Galicia, where he was buried and then forgotten. One day, a mysterious light shined, attracting the attention of an eremite, who was led to the place where the body of Saint James rested. The light illuminating the field resembled stars, and the site, therefore designated “campus stellae”, served as foundation for the city of Santiago de Compostela, which over time became one of the top destinations for pilgrims from all over the world.
Santiago de Compostela was declared by the UNESCO one of the World’s Heritage sites. Its magnificent cathedral is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Spain, and an emblem for the whole Galician territory. The city is also famous for its University, which attracts students from all over the world.
Every July 25th Spain commemorates Saint James’s holiday. But when this date coincides with a Sunday the celebration acquires a different magnitude. It is then called Xacobeo, just as it has happened this 2010.
The first Xacobeo dates back to the 15th century. The indulgence of sins during this special year stimulated a tradition of pilgrimage, which has had a splendorous revival during the last two decades, reactivating the transit through medieval trails that brought to Compostela thousands of believers from all over Europe.
In addition to a religious tradition, the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) helped vertebrate an architectural and artistic dimension along the route, where wine and gastronomy also play a key role. The Camino de Santiago is traced with religiousness and sprinkled with culinary pleasures. Even when the final destination is Compostela, the Xacobeo has an echo beyond this city, reaching a wider spectrum in Galicia, where cuisine is one of the top tourist attractions.
The Camino also reaches neighboring regions that act as departure or transit points on the way to Santiago. Pilgrims departing from Portugal may come across Port wines, or the reds and whites from the Galician appellations of Rías Baixas and Monterrei, which pair the most tempting fish and seafood of the Ría de Arousa. If they come to Compostela following the French Way (Camino Francés), they may depart from Navarra or Rioja, and travel through Castille-León into Galicia following a trail of garnachas, mencías, godellos, and tempranillo grapes, paired with the most tempting sausages, cheeses, vegetables, chestnut desserts, and other delicacies found along portions of Ribera del Duero, Bierzo, Valdeorras or Ribeira Sacra.
Galician cuisine has witnessed an important transformation in the past two decades, which resulted in a synergy of tradition and innovation on the plate. New creative and technical approaches have helped local cooks, many trained abroad, transform the excellent products found in the region. Chefs have created a cuisine with a true Galician essence, but a more cosmopolitan expression, representative of the international crowds that arrive in Galicia attracted by the region’s natural beauties, artistic treasures, cultural tradition, and, of course, wine and gastronomy.
The identity and origin of local products have also been valued and protected with geographical designations of origin that act as a sort of official passport of Galician flavor. Among these, cheeses like Arzúa-Ulloa, San Simón, Cebreiro or Tetilla; breads, as that of Cea; honey, the “mel de Galicia”; beans, like Faba Lourenzá; the wonderful and spicy green peppers of Herbón; or meats like veal, the “ternera gallega”. An indigenous product that now captivates locals and foreigners is seaweed, as some of the world’s top chefs have incorporated fresh Galician seaweed in their most refined culinary preparations.
Galicia currently is also one of Spain’s most interesting wine territories. The region has witnessed a silent revolution which converted wine previously geared for local consumption into true liquid jewels conceived to delight and conquer the world’s most demanding palates. Rías Baixas, Ribeiro, Valdeorras, Monterrei and Ribeira Sacra are Galicia’s five wine appellations. They offer an array of wine styles (red, white and rosé) that go from the fresher and lighter, to those aged in deposit or barrels, more complex, and conceived to be enjoyed later on. There also are sweet wines, like the Tostado do Ribeiro, an old wine-making tradition recently rescued, and some sparkling made of Albariño or Treixadura grapes. Famous for its spas, Galicia is also known for its mineral waters and distillates from wine or grape skins, called orujo, traditionally served at the end of a meal.
Numerous one-star Michelin restaurants enrich the Galician culinary scene and are important destinations for those who pursue the excitement of dining at top-rated establishments. An incredible collection of popular gastronomic celebrations, such as the Cheese Fair in Arzúa, the Festa do Cocido, in Lalín, or the Festa do Albariño, in Cambados, are highlights in a calendar of culinary pleasures and cultural traditions that lasts all year-long.
Food and wine have been important components of the Xacobeo 2010 activities program. Yet, more than an occasional attractive of this year’s celebration, they are a permanent attraction, and the most delightful invitation to taste the essence of Galicia, any time.
Comments