Galician Bread: Flavor, Individuality, and Culture

Galicia's breadmaking tradition originated far away, and has shaped the region's landscape. Following the discovery of America, wheat and rye fields grew alongside corn, which has had a huge impact on this area. 

At the time, grain was ground and stored in hórreos: raised grain stores that protect the grain from rodents while keeping it ventilated. The size of an hórreo symbolized the wealth of its owner: this one in San Martiño de Ozón is one of the largest in Galicia.

The grain was ground into flour in one of the thousands of watermills located on the banks of streams and rivers, such as these ones in O Folón. Mills have been a central part of Galician culture: they were meeting points and are the subject of several traditional songs, known as coplas. The most famous traditional Galician dance is called a muiñeira (mill owner).

Several towns in Galicia are known for their breadmaking tradition, such as O Porriño on the Portuguese Way, Neda and Carral on the English Way, Ousá, and Antas de Ulla.

Cea, located on the Silver Way, is possibly the most famous of them all. Cea's bread has protected geographical indication. This regulates and protects the traditional, artisan breadmaking technique that dates back to at least the 13th century. There is documentary evidence that the region's ovens existed at that time.

It is made with wheat flour, water, and salt, which are fermented with the previously prepared starter dough. The process is a laborious one. After kneading it, leaving it to stand, and then dividing it, the loaves are rolled into balls and left to prove three times.  

The qualities of Galician bread are not the exclusive preserve of any particular town. The bread has certain characteristics that are found across the entire region, and an unmistakable flavor that is mainly due to the variety of wheat known as trigo país, which is traditionally grown in Galicia. Breads with the protected geographical indication of Galician bread must contain at least 25% of this variety of flour.  

Another feature that is always present is a high level of moisture. Wheat shortages during certain periods led bakers to develop a technique that used a lot more water than in other areas: sometimes there are equal parts flour and water, and sometimes even more water is added. 

The long proving periods (for a slower fermentation process), the manual shaping of the loaves, the use of old stone wood-burning ovens, or newer ovens with a fireproof oven floor, and the long baking time, are characteristic of Galicia's breadmaking technique. 

Dough made with corn is often used for Spanish pasties known as empanadas. These pasties are filled and baked in the oven, in individual but generously sized portions. Empanadas made with corn dough tend to contain a seafood-based filling. The most popular fillings are pilchards (known as xoubas in Galicia), and cockles. 

Empanadas made with wheat dough are more common. They can be filled with almost anything, and the filling is usually fried and made with plenty of onion. Popular fillings include cuttlefish, cod, a chorizo and spice mix known as zorza, meat, and pancetta. The best-known and most commonly eaten filling is tuna.