00:01it has three hearts nine brains can change colors and has the ability to
00:07escape quickly in Galicia in northwestern Spain octopus is considered a national
00:15dish but how is it prepared and can you eat this ocean genius without guilt
00:23hello I'm Gorka Rodriguez and I'll show you how to make pulpo afeira but before the octopus lands
00:31on our plates we need to head to the fish market in the port city of A Coruña around 3
00:41a.m. fish
00:41traders and wholesale buyers gather every day to bid on all kinds of seafood caught overnight
00:47swordfish crabs shrimps pike langoustine and many more and of course octopus Galicia's rugged Atlantic
01:00coastline is a haven for marine biodiversity especially for octopus rocky seabeds and
01:07shallow waters offer plenty of food and shelter making it an ideal habitat all the seafood is
01:15brought to Simon's company before dawn just five minutes from the market here his team sorts and
01:23cleans hundreds of octopuses every day most of them caught in the region are around three years old
01:30though some species can live longer they've gutted them removed all the innards which are the only part
01:39that isn't eaten we eat everything the head the tentacles everything is eaten in Galicia octopus
01:48isn't just food it's a tradition you'll find it everywhere in local markets bars food festivals and even on
01:56the streets apopada de melida is one of the most renowned octopus restaurants with a legacy spanning four
02:05generations by the way the word put payda has two meanings it can refer to someone who specializes in
02:12cooking octopus or to a restaurant dedicated to it it's a very important tradition octopus never fails
02:21octopus is one of my favorite dishes for us it's always a reason to celebrate yes it's delicious very
02:30good pulperas often have a small kitchen in an open space where guests can see how octopus purple in
02:38Spanish is prepared dozens are cooked and served here each day and here comes the first trick before
02:44cooking that's the natural shape of the octopus but we cut it here to open it up why because if
02:53we leave it
02:53like that when it cooks this inner part stays tough so by opening it up and curling the ends a
03:00little it cooks
03:04evenly and takes on the nice shape that we want it to have in Spain people say you have to
03:12scare the octopus before
03:13cooking it by dipping it into boiling water three to four times but why do they do that
03:22there are many legends about that but it's a practical matter when the octopus's tentacles curl up it
03:30allows the octopus to take on a certain shape so that we can place it properly in the pot
03:39once the octopus is cooked it's chopped and seasoned only three ingredients go on top coarse salt powdered
03:47paprika and lots of olive oil not a big deal you might think but many people leave it in the
03:54hands of
03:57cooking octopus isn't easy so people prefer to eat it in restaurants outside of the Galician region the
04:05octopus is prepared exactly the same but comes with a side of potatoes Galicians have been cooking octopus
04:12for centuries a simple recipe that started as a way to feed local fishermen and their families
04:21despite the long-standing tradition the animals intelligence has sparked ongoing ethical debates about whether it's
04:28right to eat it so how is this viewed in Galicia you know it's good and much more not long
04:36ago I heard a
04:37biologist say that the octopus is indeed an intelligent animal but it's not much smarter than a cow and we
04:46consume beef
04:47all over the world so there's no great controversy at least not in this region
04:55we're used to eating octopus here and no it doesn't make you feel guilty this species reproduces
05:01very quickly so there's no problem with that debate aside nothing in Galicia tells a story quite like octopus
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