The barnacles from Puerto Vega in Asturias have been crowned the best in the world at the II World Barnacle Championship in Cedeira.
The winning sample, selected from 26 entries from the Atlantic and Cantabrian coasts, received 129 points in a blind tasting.
An international jury of renowned chefs, including Albert Adrià, Javier Olleros and Bittor Arguinzoniz, awarded the first prize to the Asturian lot.
The lot of barnacles from the Asturian village of Puerto Vega has won the first prize at the II World Barnacle Championship in Cedeira, earning the recognition of Best Barnacle in the World 2026 in the competition held in this municipality of A Coruña. The winning sample obtained a score of 129 points in a blind tasting evaluated by a professional jury made up of renowned chefs Albert Adrià, Javier Olleros and Bittor Arguinzoniz, together with Diego García, head of Pescaderías Coruñesas, and gastronomic journalist Alfredo Vozmediano.
The championship, organised by the Deputación da Coruña as part of the programme "A Paisaxe que Sabe" and with the motto "The championship born from the rock", featured the participation of 17 Galician fishermen's guilds, as well as representatives from Asturias, the Basque Country, Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and French Brittany. The second place in the classification went to the barnacles of Cedeira, while the lot from Luarca, also from Asturias, completed the podium.
II WORLD BARNACLE CHAMPIONSHIP: KEY FACTS
› Winner: Puerto Vega (Asturias) — 129 points.
› Second place: Cedeira (A Coruña).
› Third place: Luarca (Asturias).
› Total samples: 26 from the Atlantic and Cantabrian coasts.
› Participating regions: Galicia, Asturias, Basque Country, Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and French Brittany.
› Jury: Albert Adrià, Javier Olleros, Bittor Arguinzoniz, Diego García and Alfredo Vozmediano.
For InasTour, the recognition of Puerto Vega's barnacles reaffirms the value of Asturian gastronomic products, a key factor for international buyers seeking a territory with a strong culinary identity and a direct connection to the sea and its authentic flavours.
The three winning lots were allocated to the traditional charity auction, through which more than 2,300 euros were raised, which will be donated in full to the Red Cross. This event highlights the excellence of the Asturian barnacle, a product of the rocky coast, and its capacity to compete and stand out among the best in the world, while also contributing to a solidarity cause.
The victory of Puerto Vega at the World Barnacle Championship is not only a gastronomic triumph, but also a recognition of the quality and tradition of Asturian fishing. This award places the region's barnacles on the international map, consolidating Asturias as a benchmark for high-quality seafood products. The championship, with its charitable component, also reinforces the link between the sea, gastronomy and social commitment, values that are deeply rooted in the identity of the region.
ORIGINAL REPORT
This article was originally published by La Voz de Asturias. You can read the original version here: La Voz de Asturias — The barnacle from Puerto Vega is crowned the best in the world