Chef at 11:27, 28 September 2012

2012-09-28T11:27:46Z

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{{#seo:
|title=Mejillón de Galicia: Cooking Wiki
|titlemode=replace
|keywords=#mussels #mejilla3ndegalicia #mussel #fishandseafood #dop
|hashtagrev=12032020
|description= Mejillon de Galicia aka Mexillon de Galicia is a Spanish DOP fresh mussel of the species Mytilus galloprovincialis, cultivated using rafts
}}


[[Image:Mejillón de Galicia.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Mejillón de Galicia]]
'''Description'''

'''Mejillón de Galicia''' ''aka'' '''Mexillón de Galicia''' is a Spanish [[DOP]] fresh ''mussel'' of the species ''Mytilus galloprovincialis'', cultivated using rafts.

This is a bivalve mollusc whose shell consists of two identical valves of calcium carbonate covered by a
layer called the periostracum. The high productivity of the Galician rías [flooded river valleys] generates
a wealth of marine flora and fauna, as a result of which species such as barnacles, polychaets,
bryozoans and algae often adhere to the periostracum.

The [[meat]] inside is normally creamy orange in colour and comprises two fleshy lobules with a sinuous
dark violet band running along the edge.

In order for the mussels to be covered by the Protected Designation of Origin '''Mejillón de Galicia'''
when they reach the fresh-consumption market, they must pass through a purification/dispatch centre
in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 853/2004. They must also be purified using sea water from the
Galician rías in the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra to ensure that the quality and characteristics
deriving from geographical factors linked to cultivation remain unchanged.

'''Geographical area'''

The cultivation area will be the internal maritime area of the Galician rías in
the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra, which are authorised to cultivate mussels using rafts. It will
comprise the following areas: Ría de Ares-Sada, Ría de Muros-Noia, Ría de Arousa, Ría de Pontevedra
and Ría de Vigo. The purification/dispatch area is the coastal provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra.

'''Method of production'''

This will be the traditional method used in Galicia. It is carried out on
board a floating structure called a raft [batea], which has a maximum surface area of five hundred and
fifty square metres. The ropes may not exceed five hundred in number and will be no more than
twelve metres in length.

The cultivation stages will be: obtaining the seed, pre-fattening the seed, thinning and harvesting. Once
the cultivated molluscs attain marketable size and condition, the [[mussel]] ropes suspended from the raft
are raised (until then, they have been submerged in the sea). This is done using hydraulic cranes located
on board the auxiliary cultivation boats. The ropes are hoisted and immediately handled so that the
mussels are removed from them.

Once on land, the entire batch undergoes random testing by the inspection services in order to determine
the product's yield and classification, and to ensure that all the obligatory conditions have been
met. This process is documented and registered, and will accompany and identify the batch.

[[Mussels]] from a cultivation area which, for microbiological purposes, is classified as area ‘B’, will be
required to be taken to a purification centre where they will be purified using water which must come
from the Galician rías in the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra. If the mussels come from a cultivation
area classified for microbiological purposes as area ‘A’, they may be dispatched directly to the
market from a dispatch centre. In both cases, the centres are responsible for conditioning the mussels
so that they meet the requirements in Regulation (EC) No 853/2004.

Once the [[mussels]] have been conditioned so that they meet the market-entry criteria (i.e. once they
have been purified and had the byssus removed, as appropriate), they are handled and conditioned in a
conventional atmosphere, under vacuum, or in a protected atmosphere. They are presented in accordance
with market requirements, using materials authorised under applicable legislation, in different
formats and weights which form independent sales units. A control label and tamper-proof seal are
attached to the latter for the purposes of guaranteeing traceability.

Packaging must take place in the geographical area described above. This restriction is justified for the purposes of preserving product quality, given:

— the perishable nature of the product

— its susceptibility to degradation

— the high risk of deterioration due to improper handling

In addition, the [[mussels]] must be purified using sea water from the Galician rías in the provinces of A
Coruña and Pontevedra in order to ensure that the quality and characteristics deriving from geographical
factors linked to cultivation remain unchanged. The purification / dispatch centres will accordingly be located near the coast.

Furthermore, these will be ‘any on-shore or off-shore establishment for the
reception, conditioning, washing, cleaning, grading, wrapping and packaging of live bivalve molluscs fit
for human consumption’.

'''Geographical link'''

''Historical link'': [[mussels]] have from earliest times been a food source for the first inhabitants of
the Galician coast. There is ample evidence of this in the castros [fortified villages] and in historical
documents (Navaz, 1942, Vázquez Varela and García Quintela, 1998, VVAA 1988 and 1998, Senén-
López Gómez, 1999). Following on from these beginnings, one should highlight that [[mussels]] have
featured in the most outstanding gastronomic events from the past (e.g. at the Spanish Hapsburg court,
in escabeche real). There is no doubt that the history of Galicia and its coast is closely linked to [[mussels]].

This relationship thus dates back to the sixth century BC and continues to the present day, as evidenced
by the multitude of place-names, personal names and gastronomic festivals (mejillonadas), etc. Galicia's
very landscape would be inconceivable today without the rafts in its rías, reflecting the development of
the [[mussel]] sector.

A specific vocabulary with words deriving from [[mussel]] cultivation has even been
coined: mexilla (breeding of mussels) etc. Such is the historical
tradition that it has engendered a specific system of cultivation which is recognised internationally
as the Galician system, with equipment and materials of dedicated design, and traditional working
methods which result in a distinctive product (López Capont, 1973; López Capont and Fidalgo
Fernández, 1977; Otero Pedrayo, 1980; Lorenzo, 1982; Calo-Lourido, 1985 a, b and c).

''Natural environment'': the Galician rías are considered to be ecosystems and have significant primary
production, involving the cultivation of bivalve molluscs and mussels in particular. These species are
low down the food chain, which is essential in order to obtain large yields. Differences in production
(growth and [[meat]] yield) observed in [[mussels]] in the Galician rías are due to physiological adaptive
processes connected with nutrient absorption (Fernandez Reiriz and Labarta). The unique quality of
[[mussels]] cultivated in the Galician rías is due to their adaptation to the characteristics of the ecosystem
where they are cultivated, and is directly linked to food availability and quality.

'''Reference: [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2006:320:0012:0015:EN:PDF The European Commission]'''

{{CategoryLineIngredients}}
[[Category:Ingredients]]
[[Category:Fish and seafood]]
[[Category:PDO-PGI-TSG ingredients]]

<code 'hashtagrev:12032020'>[[Special:Search/mussels|#mussels]] [[Special:Search/mejilla3ndegalicia|#mejilla3ndegalicia]] [[Special:Search/mussel|#mussel]] [[Special:Search/fishandseafood|#fishandseafood]] [[Special:Search/dop|#dop]]
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Mejillón de Galicia - Revision history

Chef at 11:27, 28 September 2012