If Spain has something it can boast about, it is eating well. In each of the autonomous communities, you can celebrate the products of the land and the sea through typical regional recipes either in markets or celebrations where local traditions are kept alive.
Many of these celebrations take place during the summer months, so if you are on holiday or just happen to have a day off everyone is invited to these wonderful gastronomic festivals, so take note and plan for the next one...
1 International Garlic Fair (Las Pedroñeras)
Every year, at the end of July, the International Garlic Fair is held in Las Pedroñeras, in the province of Cuenca (Castilla-La Mancha). This town, considered by many to be the garlic capital of the world, organises a weekend of festivities centred around garlic, one of the typical products of this land.
Activities such as a gastronomic contest, a parade of vintage tractors or a tapas route are on the agenda. The International Garlic Fair, which has been held for more than forty years, takes place at the Las Pedroñeras Fairgrounds for Exhibitions.
2 Albariño Festival (Cambados)
In the province of Pontevedra, Cambados is one of those wonderful Galician towns that is always recommended to visit, but it is also one of the cradles of wine in the region. Every first Sunday in August the Albariño Festival is celebrated in Cambados, in which tastings, tapas and seafood are always the protagonists, and in which you can stroll from booth to booth savouring the local gastronomic wonders. The town is known as the capital of Albariño in the world and its festival is classified as one of International Tourist Interest.
3 Gazpacho Festival (Alfarnatejo)
Among the typical recipes of Spain in summer, gazpacho has to be the most recognisable, so it is not surprising that it has a gastronomic festival of its own. The Fiesta del Gazpacho is held in the Malaga municipality of Alfarnatejo.
Declared a Provincial Tourist Singularity Festival, the Gazpacho Festival takes place at the beginning of August. Nestled in the heart of the Axarquía region, it is a perfect occasion to discover one of the most beautiful landscapes in Andalusia.
4 Octopus festivals (Carballiño)
The second week of August in O Carballiño, in the Galician province of Ourense, the Octopus Festival (Festa do Polbo) is organised, one of the most emblematic of the autonomous community. Large copper cauldrons are prepared to cook in the traditional manner this delicacy taken from the waters of Galicia. It is a day when local white wine, traditional Empanadas and Cachelos will definitely be on the menu. It is another of the gastronomic festivals of Galicia that was declared of International Tourist Interest.
5 Day of the Marmita (Laredo)
The typical metal pot of the Cantabrian lands called "Marmita" gives its name to the next gastronomic festival that must be savoured. The Day of the Marmita in Laredo, also known as Dia del Puerto celebrates cooked Bonito- Tuna steak. This gastronomic festival takes place every August 16, coinciding with the feast of San Roque, who is the patron Saint of the town.
The teams meet at the port to cook in these pots-cum-cauldrons and compete to see who can cook the best Bonito del Norte. Yet another gastronomic festival that must be noted.
6 Clam Festival (Lane)
Galicia is an explosion of parties in summer. So much so that if you move around the community in August you will see that in most municipalities one Patron Saints' day or another is being celebrated. Attached to these celebrations it is common to discover a gastronomic festival to aid in the celebration.
In mid-August the Clam Festival takes place in Carril, in Vilagarcía de Arousa (Pontevedra), declared a Festival of Tourist Interest in Galicia. Clam tastings and contests are some of the typical activities during this festival in which neither traditional music nor Albariño wine is lacking.
7 Natural Cider Festival (Gijón)
At the end of August, Asturias celebrates one of its most traditional drinks: cider. Thus, in Gijón the Natural Cider Festival takes place. It was declared an event of National Tourist Interest where more than 30,000 litres are distributed. The activities are very varied ranging from pouring contests to urban pilgrimages, apple and cider markets as well as visits to nearby wineries.
The Natural Cider Festival is the most emblematic of the Asturian cider festivals, since it has been celebrated since the sixties, and constitutes one of the best moments to get to know the beautiful city of Gijón.