Are you planning on going to Asturias or are you already here and you are looking for what is good to eat? Then take a look at our Asturian food list devised by a local who enjoys a good feast.
First of all, what kind of food can you expect when dining in Asturias? Asturias is one of the colder and wetter regions of Spain, this means that Asturian food is comprised of hearty dishes. Portions are generally large and the food can be quite heavy. You’ll find a lot of meat (there even is a special breed of cattle, Asturiana de los Valles, which is famous for the quality of its beef), a lot of seafood, cheese and quite a few tasty treats. However, you won’t find a lot of vegetable-based dishes and it is common to order meat and not have a side dish, so do order a table salad if you need your greens.
Meat / Veggies and seafood / Sweets / Cheese / Drinks
Anyway, without further ado, here’s our list of some of the best Asturian food:
Meats
Cachopo: Possibly the most famous meat-based dish nowadays, Cachopo has become an icon of Asturian food. Cachopo is beef, ham, cheese, ham, beef that is breaded and fried, usually served with chips and, maybe, a couple of red peppers. It is very heavy and very large, but has one the hearts of many in Asturias and all over Spain, just don’t say it is similar to other dishes in other countries 😉.
Escalopines al Cabrales: Breaded and fried beef with a delicious Cabrales (local blue cheese) sauce. Served with chips usually.
Torto: A torto (or tortu in Asturian) is a delicious maize bread and one of the more “modern” dishes of Asturian cuisine (only invented after the discovery of America allowed the local to taste corn). It is fried and served with a variety of things on top. Usually, it is served with picadillo (mincemeat) and a fried egg and/or Cabrales sauce, though it is sometimes served with cheeses, among other things.
Pitu Caleya: Literally translated from Asturian, it means “Street Chicken”. Essentially, it is a free-range chicken served in a variety of ways and usually accompanied by a delicious sauce.
Chorizo a la sidra: The famous Spanish chorizo cooked in Asturian cider. A delicious entrée or tapa. It is also really easy to do at home too, just remember to take some Asturian cider and a chorizo back with you.
Bollu Preñao: Essentially, a bread roll with a chorizo inside of it, enough said. Literally means “pregnant bun” in Asturian, in other parts of Spain it is called Choripan (“chorizo bread”, much less fun a name).
Longaniza de Avilés: A delicious sausage from the city of Avilés. Often served with boiled potatoes and also easy to do at home.
Veggies and seafood
Fabada: Possibly the most famous Asturian dish of all, Fabada is a bean stew with chorizo, blood pudding and bacon. It is a hearty dish and one of the most popular. Great for lunch on a cool day, not as good potentially for dinner…
Verdinas: The other famous bean of Asturias. These smaller green beans (verdina means little green one) are cooked with a variety of different seafood and produce.
Cebollas rellenas: Stuffed onions with a variety of fillings, tuna being our favourite.
Pastel de Cabracho: Scorpionfish pâté, don’t let the name scare you off, this is one of the most popular entrées in Asturias and is usually served with mayonnaise and cocktail sauce.
Oricios: Sea urchins, boiled, in tortilla, raw… it can be eaten in many ways. If you are a fan of seafood, this might be for you.
Llampares: Limpets cooked in delicious sauces, a big favourite in Asturias since prehistoric times.
Sweets
Arroz con leche: Delicious rice pudding. Prepared in a variety of ways, this is one of the classic Asturian food desserts.
Casadiellas: Delicious puff pastry with ground walnuts inside. It can be fried (most traditional method) or oven baked. A famous sweet that you can find all over Asturias.
Carbayones: A puff pastry with marcona almond, yolk and a sugar filling. The sweet of Oviedo, it was actually created only in 1924 by the famous Oviedo pastry shop Camilo de Blas for the City Hall of Oviedo as they wanted a sweet to represent the city at a fair in Gijón.
Moscovitas: The other sweet that competes with the carbayones for the sweet of Oviedo. While carbayones can be made at any pastry shop, Moscovitas are trademarked and can only be made by the pastry shop Rialto. These delicious marcona almond biscuits with a chocolate covered can also be bought at shops and supermarkets, but only those made by Rialto will be called Moscovitas.
Marañuelas: A personal fave, these were originally the biscuits that fishermen and sailors would take with them to sea. They are a popular, tasty biscuit that is only made in two towns in Asturias, Luanco and Candás. This has also caused a rivalry between them of where the real marañuelas are made as the ones from Luanco use only egg yolk while the ones from Candás use the entire egg and even add a bit of aniseed. One thing everyone from the area agrees with though, is that the ones that some people call marañuelas in Avilés (it is a sort of sweet bun in Avilés) are definitely not real marañuelas.
Mantecado: So, now you know that Avilés don’t have marañuelas, however, what they do have is this lovely glazed sponge cake. Highly recommended.
Cheese
Cabrales: The most famous Asturian cheese. Asturian food also includes Asturian cheeses and Asturias produces hundreds of types of cheese, thought this one may be the one that is best known. This blue cheese is used in a variety of dishes or eaten alone. It can be quite strong though, so while it’s perfect for blue cheese lovers, it won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Afuega’l pitu: There are three cheese that have protected denomination of origin, one is Cabrales and the other two are the varieties of Afuega’l pitu (the white and red one). Usually eaten with quince jam, the name means “chokes the mouth” in Asturian as the red one can be a bit spicy.
Gamoneu: One of its variants is considered the most expensive Asturian cheese. A delicious cheese that isn’t as strong as Cabrales but has a decently strong taste. A favourite among the locals.
La Peral: There are hundreds of cheeses that are made in Asturias so we will call it a day here, but that doesn’t mean that La Peral or the others are not worth a taste. La Peral is a delicious creamy blue cheese with a soft paste texture made from cow’s milk.
Drinks
Sidra (cider): This is arguably the most famous part of Asturian cuisine. While fabada, cachopo or Cabrales are all famous in their own right, Sidra has reached the pinnacle of international recognition. Asturian cider culture is so important and unique that it has even recently been catalogue as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Asturian cider is not bubbly like ciders in other parts of Europe, it’s a bit bitter and not so alcoholic (around 4/5%). There is a special way to pour it that even has a specific word (escanciar) and a special way to drink it too. Definitely recommended.
Sangría de sidra (cider sangria): Not UNESCO World Heritage, but a lovely light and sweet alternative to cider. It isn’t traditional and not everywhere serve it, but if you want something light and sweet to drink that packs a punch, try sangría de sidra, just be careful how much you drink because, even though it may not seem like it, it is alcoholic.
Orujo: A liqueur that in many ways. In its base form, orujo blanco, it tastes similar to grappa and is highly alcoholic. However, there are many other liqueurs that are made from orujo:
- Crema de licor (similar to Bayleys).
- Licor de hierbas (a digestive taken after a meal; it can be translated as herb liqueur).
- Licor café, coffee liqueur. Etc..
There are many types of orujo and, while it is traditional in Asturias, it is mostly so because Asturias lies between two autonomous communities where this liqueur is most commonly distilled: Galicia and Cantabria.
Well, that’s our list of some traditional Asturian food. It is not exhaustive and maybe everything won’t be to everyone’s liking, but we hope that you know have a better idea of what you can eat and drink when coming to Asturias.
If you do come to Asturias and are looking for a guide or translator, why not send us message here. And, if you want to come on one of our group tours in Oviedo or Gijón, feel free to also send us a message or follow the links here and here.