Scallop festival
Cambados honours the queen of the estuary
The Scallop Festival pays tribute to this dish that combines perfectly with Albariño wine
The scallop has its paradise in Cambados, which every year pays tribute to this prized bivalve mollusc in a celebration that was declared of Tourist Interest in Galicia in 2013. Local restaurateurs and renowned chefs take part in the event, which offers attractive complementary activities to accompany the culinary tasting.
Tens of thousands of people congregate on the promenade of A Calzada, on the weekend closest to the feast of the Virgen del Carmen, to taste the exquisite scallops caught by the Cambados fleet. The days were born in 2002, after the alliance of the Confraria de Pescadores Santo Antonio and the Concello, and today they are an essential event that serves as a prelude to the Festa do Albariño, at the beginning of August. Albariño, the world-famous wine of which Cambados is the cradle, forms the perfect pairing with shellfish.
The vianda is tasted during the days of exaltation with different preparations: natural, in empanada, al al albariño... The bars and restaurants join the party and even organise free tastings with different recipes from their harvest in the form of pinchos or tapas.
Live cooking
Prestigious chefs offer gastronomic workshops and cook in the marquee on the Paseo de A Calzada. Yayo Daporta, María Varela, Xosé Torres Cannas, Pepe Solla, Rafa Centeno and Diego López were at the helm of the cookers in previous editions. Without forgetting tradition, the chefs taking part in the festival demonstrate the infinite possibilities for turning scallop tasting into a real treat for the palate.
The first edition of the Jornadas de Exaltación de la Vieira was held in 2002, following an alliance between the Confraría de Pescadores and the Concello, at a time when the sector was at risk of disappearing after more than a decade without being able to extract scallops due to a toxin.
The Galician scallop belongs to the Pecten maximus species, which lives in Atlantic waters up to 100 metres deep, clean and with high salinity. The mollusc buries itself in sandy bottoms where it moves with its powerful musculature to propel the water between its valves, jumping several metres in length. It takes four years for specimens to reach commercial size and the largest ones can reach 15 centimetres.
Concha, symbol of the pilgrimage
The scallop shell is the symbol of the pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. There are many versions of the origin of this tradition; one of the most widespread comes from the pilgrims of the Middle Ages who wore the characteristic attire of those returning home: staff, gourd, cloak, hat and scallop shell. The latter was imposed as a prize after reaching the finish line in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and was irrefutable proof of having travelled the Pilgrim's Way, since the sale of these shells was forbidden elsewhere on pain of excommunication.
The Codex Calixtinus already records the significance of the shells and the fact that pilgrims pinned them to their cloaks for the glory of the Apostle.