Arcade Oyster Festival
Arcade, capital of the seafood pearl
Tribute to the oyster, a prized delicacy cultivated in the Vigo estuary
The bottom of the Vigo estuary is the place par excellence for oyster farming. Arcade, in the municipality of Soutomaior, pays tribute to this tasty mollusc during the first weekend of April.
The Oyster Festival is an essential date on the Galician gastronomic calendar. This parish in the municipality of Soutomaior welcomes a tide of visitors on the first weekend of April to taste this exquisite bivalve. This delicacy is served in its natural state (with a few drops of lemon juice), in pickled sauce and in pies, washed down with good Galician white wines, especially from As Rías Baixas. Music and cultural activities, among others, complement the programme of the multitudinous event.
The Habsburgs and the Bourbons appreciated this delicacy, which was transported to the Court in pickled form in small wooden barrels.
The Arcade oyster, of the Ostrea edulis species, crosses borders. This area has ideal conditions for breeding oysters thanks to the confluence of the fresh water from the river Verdugo with the salty water of the estuary. This combination gives rise to a juicy, mild-tasting product that is also highly nutritious, due to its richness in mineral salts and vitamins. And, as if that were not enough, popular wisdom attributes aphrodisiac properties to it.
Sea truffle
This celebration was born in 1987 at the initiative of the oyster farming sector of Arcade, a pioneer in the marketing and export of this mollusc. April is the best month for tasting the so-called sea truffle or pearl of shellfish, which is why it was chosen for its exaltation. Its commercial size, between 6 and 7 centimetres, is achieved in less than 24 months.
The breeding and consumption of oysters has a long tradition in the Vigo estuary. There is evidence that the Castro population collected this bivalve, and its cultivation dates back to Roman times. The Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties appreciated the quality of this delicacy, which was transported to the Court of the Kingdom in pickled form in small wooden barrels, and which, by the 19th century, was being marketed in Europe.
This exquisite seafood has a place of worship in the historic centre of Vigo, Pescadería Street, popularly known as Rúa das Ostras, and for decades, one of the tourist attractions of the city of Vigo.
The oyster is a classic of Galician gastronomy and is inextricably linked to Arcade, the capital of this seafood, praised by Álvaro Cunqueiro, who wrote: "it has a special flavour, which is like a longing for the sea".
