THE IMPORTANCE OF RAW MATERIALS

The most important thing that makes octopus an exquisite delicacy, is the quality of the raw materials. The best octopus is the one from Galician 'rías', because it has a better taste. One crucial

characteristic is that the octopus should be frozen and always packed in Winter because being hermaphroditic, this cephalopod becomes female in summer and it is not so tasty. For a better taste the octopus should always be male.  

 It must be pointed out the importance of the quality of the water when preparing this dish. Many cooks base part of the success of their dishes in the quality of water used in their cooking. In the case of octopus, this characteristic is very important, because its taste can change depending on whether the water is hard, soft or less or more ferrous.

 It is well know that octopus from innerlands is always better than the one from the coast. The areas of Arcos, Carballiño (Ourense), Cacabelos (León) and Melide, have ideal waters because of their chemical composition.