A Pulpeira originates from Carballiño in central Galicia, often referred to as the "Octopus Town." Interestingly, this town is situated eighty kilometers from the Atlantic yet earned this name. Looking back a century, villagers offered Atlantic octopus to the church in lieu of taxes. The church sold the octopus, establishing a trade that continues today. Every August, the town hosts the summer Festa do Pulpo (Octopus Festival).
Icon of Carballiño:
Traditional Octopus Cuisine
Áurea (2nd Generation)
& Camilo (3rd Generation)
A Pulpeira family carries on century-old Galician octopus cooking techniques. Camilo, now 90, remains active daily at Casa Gazpara, their family restaurant in the town. The restaurant preserves the traditional methods of cooking large octopus used a hundred years ago.
Young Camilo (left)
90-year-old Camilo (left)
A Pulpeira's vacuum-packed octopus legs are pre-cooked. We had the opportunity to learn about their distinct qualities with Daniel Gonzalez Atanes, the family's fourth-generation representative.
Miguel Daniel Gonzalez Atanes (first right), fourth generation
Pulpeiras
A Pulpeira continue their ancestors' "pulpeira" trade from Galician fairs over 100 years ago, combining traditional octopus-cooking knowledge. In 1974, French chef George Pralus discovered vacuum cooking when wrapping foie gras terrine retained flavor and reduced weight loss. Since 2014, "A Pulpeira" has combined Arcos villagers' traditions with Pralus' method, developing vacuum-steam octopus cooking. As pulpeiras, our mission is cooking octopus while enhancing its flavor and quality.
A Pulpeira vacuum cook octopus in its own juice
A Pulpeira pioneered vacuum-cooking octopus in its own juice in 2014, seeking the ideal method. Their innovation cooks octopus solo in sealed bags – no water contact. It self-cooks in naturally released juices (100% additive-free) at low temperatures for extended periods. This preserves the octopus' full flavor, color, scent, and texture.
The juice
The juice is A Pulpeira's greatest asset. Octopus naturally reduces during cooking, a cost always factored into pricing – whether self-cooked, bought cooked without juice, or with juice. A Pulpeira include this precious juice in their bags. It preserves the octopus' full taste, scent, colour, and texture, essential for achieving natural shelf life. The juice also serves multiple purposes: regeneration, cooking base, rice preparation, and more.
Fishing
As professional octopus chefs, A Pulpeira strive to master and explain everything about the octopus they cook:
Species
Octopus: cephalopod mollusc, of which there are more than 300 species, some of which are not edible. The most appreciated species is Octopus Vulgaris due to its flavour, texture and colour.
Geography
Although fished globally, two areas stand out: Dakhla (Western Sahara) and Nouádhibou (Mauritania). Their broad continental shelves and quality waters naturally foster exceptional octopus. A Pulpeira sources exclusively from these regions to guarantee quality.
Sustainability
Octopuses have a short natural lifespan (1-3 years), with females often dying weeks after breeding. A Pulpeira respect this cycle, using only artisanal octopus pot fishing to maintain marine ecological balance. A Pulpeira also partner with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), working to restore depleted stocks and reduce fisheries' environmental/ social impacts.
Quality
After capture, each octopus is individually selected (size, flesh firmness) and frozen within 24 hours at -34°C. Only octopus meeting these criteria – artisanal catch, firm flesh, rapid freezing – earns the "Japan 1a " quality label.
Crystal
The International Taste Institute (Brussels), comprising 200+ world's leading chefs, awarded "A Pulpeira" cooked octopus its highest accolade: three gold stars for quality and taste. This marks the third consecutive year receiving this distinction, entering the Crystal category among worldwide top-quality products.
It remains the only octopus globally with this rating. "A Pulpeira" pioneered vacuum-steam cooking in its own juice to enhance quality and flavour. Reject imitations.
Stepping out of the processing plant, Mr. Camilo microwaved vacuum-packed octopus legs (1min+), thinly sliced them, and finished with Spanish paprika, EVOO, and sea salt for instant tapas.
A Pulpeira cooked octopus legs offer effortless preparation: boil vacuum-packed for 3–4 minutes or microwave unpacked for 1–2 minutes, then slice and season. Versatile for dishes like octopus with potatoes, paella, pasta, or salad. Always retain the juice in the bag!
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