Galicia, Spain
Galicia's traditional crêpe — thinner, more eggy, and often made with the blood from the matanza (pig slaughter) in the most traditional versions, or with milk and eggs in the sweet festival version. Filloas are the Galician Carnival food alongside lacón con grelos — they are also made throughout the year as a simple dessert, filled with cream, honey, sugar, or dulce de leche. The technique is identical to French crêpe making but the batter is traditionally cooked in a clay pan (tixola) rather than a steel pan, and the addition of beef or pork blood in the traditional version produces a very dark, savoury, intensely flavoured crêpe with a texture unlike any other.
Rest the batter for at least 30 minutes after mixing. The pan must be very well greased with lard (not butter — lard is traditional). Pour a thin layer and swirl immediately — the batter should barely coat the pan. The first filloa is always sacrificed — it seasons the pan. Each filloa should be translucent and paper-thin. Stack with baking paper between layers to prevent sticking.
The blood version (filloas de sangue) can be found at traditional Galician market fairs during Carnival season — they are savory, slightly mineral, and served with honey as a contrast. The sweet version filled with whipped cream and sugar is the standard dessert in most contemporary Galician restaurants. Pair the sweet version with Albariño or orujo de hierbas (herb spirit).
Not resting the batter — the gluten contracts and the crêpe tears. Using butter instead of lard for greasing — produces a different flavour. Making them too thick — filloas should be nearly transparent. Under-heating the pan — the batter doesn't set quickly enough.
The Food of Spain by Claudia Roden