Lacón con grelos
Farewell to the Entroido with stew and filloas (a kind of stew)
The festival of Cuntis counts with a special guest: O Chapante
The lacón con grelos is a typical dish of traditional Galician cuisine that is usually prepared during the carnival season, when the turnip greens are at their best and the cold of winter invites us to enjoy the forcefulness of cured pork. In Cuntis, for more than two decades, this gastronomic combination has been the protagonist of one of its most important festivals, declared of Tourist Interest in Galicia.
The Fiesta del Lacón con Grelos is held every year on the Sunday following Carnival Sunday and marks the farewell to this celebration, with its rituals and traditions. The main attraction of the day is the gastronomic tasting itself, whose basic dish is the cocido de lacón con grelos, accompanied by potatoes, and for dessert some filloas. The town council sets up a large marquee in the Praza da Constitución, but the same recipe can also be enjoyed in the local restaurants and eating houses.
The festive programme includes musical performances, as well as other events that have become a regular part of the celebration, such as the camellia bonsai exhibition, the palilleiras exhibition and the classic motorbike route. On the eve of the gastronomic exaltation, a "vespaguateque" inspired by the 60s is organised for the participants of the motorbike rally.
In the evening, after having served more than 2,500 portions of lacón con grelos and filloas, the figure of the Chapante, whose name refers to the popular name given to the inhabitants of Cuntis, due to their taste for good food, comes into action.
Just as in other towns in As Rías Baixas there are characters such as the sardine, the Ravachol, the Momo or the Meco, in Cuntis they bid farewell to the carnival by sending the Chapante to the bonfire, a figure which, in this case, represents a scathing criticism of people who eat too much and are lazy. Widows, mourners, sacristans and friends accompany the Chapante on his last journey through the town centre, to the sound of prayers. Finally, the big eater is incinerated as the culmination of the gastronomic tasting and the carnival.
Tapas competition
Another of the events consolidated in the heat of the Fiesta del Lacón con Grelos is the Tapa Lacón contest, which is usually held a few weeks before the festival. The competition encourages the local catering trade to reinvent the traditional recipe of lacón con grelos with original and innovative proposals, presented in small bites. The customers are in charge of choosing the best tapas in the competition.
What to do in Cuntis?
Cuntis is renowned for the mineral-medicinal properties of its thermal baths, which have become the main attraction for visitors to the town. The spa offers different types of services, from therapeutic treatments to beauty care sessions, which can be contracted as individual services or as programmes lasting several days. Furthermore, given that thermalism has been a common activity since the 19th century, it has a full range of accommodation, including two four-star hotels and several guesthouses.
The municipality is also noted for its archaeological wealth. The castro of Castrolandín, dating back to the Iron Age, is a must-see, both for the interest of the castro and for its privileged location, on a hill in the valley of the river Gallo. The Terra Termarum Castrolandín Foundation, an interpretation centre located in the town centre, offers guided tours of the site and has an archaeological exhibition.
