[citation needed] Fair-style octopus is the totemic food of the patron saint festivities of Lugo (San Froilán).

It was a very common dish at a time when slow means of transportation made fresh seafood only available near the coast, which meant inland towns had to make do with stockfish (mainly cod, conger and octopus).

Fresh octopus is not so frequently used nowadays either, as it is necessary to pound it heavily before cooking to avoid the meat becoming rubbery.

[citation needed] This procedure can be skipped because freezing, unlike other seafood, does not alter the organoleptic properties of octopus.

Tradition dictates that water should not be drunk when eating octopus, so the dish is usually accompanied with young Galician red wine.